141. Editorial Note
On August 1, 22, and September 12, the National Security Council discussed the relation of port security policy to United States policy toward Poland. At the August 1 meeting, the Council noted the arrival that day at the Port of New Orleans of the Polish ship Stefan Okrzeja, the exception to United States port security policy (NSC 5408) that had been made to permit the ship’s entry, the security procedures which would be followed, and the preparation of an NSC Planning Board study on the subject for later Council consideration.
At the meeting on August 22, the Council discussed the question of suspending port denial provisions to Communist vessels under NSC 5408 and permitting Polish flag vessels to enter specific United States ports for the purpose of loading cargo being made available under P.L. 480, the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954. The Council “requested the Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security (ICIS) to develop adequate internal security procedures for the processing of ships’ personnel seeking temporarily to enter the United States via Polish vessels” and deferred action on the various proposals before the Council pending further study by the responsible departments and agencies and further recommendations thereon by the NSC Planning Board.
On September 12, the National Security Council agreed to allow Polish flag vessels to enter major United States ports for the specific purpose of taking on cargo to be shipped to Poland under the terms of any economic agreement between the United States and Poland. Moreover, entry authorized for a specific purpose did not preclude delivery or loading of other cargo in such ports during the same voyage. To permit this trade while the current United States policy toward Poland (NSC 5616/2) was in effect, the denial provisions of paragraph 21–c–(l) of NSC 5408 would be suspended. Polish vessels would normally be limited to the ten major United States ports listed in paragraph 21–b of NSC 5408, and the provisions of paragraph 21–c–(2) would apply to such vessels. The full provisions of NSC 5408 would remain applicable to the above types of Polish vessels seeking entry into other than the ten major ports and all other Polish ships seeking to enter any United States port.
[22 words not declassified] the Council noted that any future review of port security policy involving entry of any Communist bloc vessel as an exception to or under a suspension of paragraphs 21–c–(l) and 21–d of NSC 5408 should include consideration of limiting such entry to one or two minor United States ports on each coast where the vessel would be kept under strict surveillance.
[Page 593]For text of NSC 5408, “Continental Defense,” dated February 11, 1954, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, volume II, Part 1, page 609. For text of NSC 5612/2, “Interim United States Policy on Developments in Poland and Hungary,” dated November 19, 1956, see volume XXV, page 463. The NSC memoranda of discussion of August 1, 22, and September 12, 1957, are in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File,NSC Records. NSC Actions No. 1761, 1775, and 1781, agreed to at these NSC meetings, were approved by President Eisenhower on August 5, 23, and September 16. A footnote to the last Record of Action indicates that NSC Action No. 1781 was subsequently superseded by paragraph 33 of NSC 5808/1 (approved by the President on April 16, 1958) and the Treasury Port Security Programs (approved by the President on April 21, 1958). (Department of State, S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council)