Office of the Historian

76. National Security Council Report1

NSC 5604
Washington, April 23, 1956.

U.S. ACTION IN EVENT OF UNPROVOKED COMMUNIST ATTACK AGAINST U.S. AIRCRAFT

Note by the Executive Secretary to the National Security Council

REFERENCES

  • A. NSC 5429/52
  • B. Memo for NSC from Executive Secretary, subject: “U.S. Action in the Event of Unprovoked Communist Attack Against U.S. Personnel, Aircraft or Vessels”, dated February 4, 19553

The Secretary of Defense, by Reference B, recommended consideration of a recommendation by the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the provisions of paragraph 5–g of NSC 5429/5 (Annex A hereto)4 be made applicable [7 words not declassified]. Following discussion of this recommendation by the NSC Planning Board, the Departments of State and Defense exchanged correspondence on the subject as contained in Annex B hereto.5 Subsequently the Department of Defense provided answers to certain additional questions on the subject raised by the NSC Planning Board, as indicated in Annex C hereto.6

[Page 301]

After discussion of the Annexes hereto, the NSC Planning Board submits herewith the enclosed draft statement of policy on the subject for consideration by the National Security Council at its meeting on Thursday, May 3, 1956.7

James S. Lay Jr.8

[Here follows a one-page table of contents.]

[Enclosure]

STATEMENT OF POLICY BY THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL ON U.S. ACTION IN THE EVENT OF UNPROVOKED COMMUNIST ATTACK AGAINST U.S. AIRCRAFT9

[numbered paragraphs 1–4 (1½ pages of source text) not declassified]

  1. Source: Department of State, S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5604 Series. Top Secret.↩
  2. For text of NSC 5429/5, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. XII, Part 1, p. 1062.↩
  3. This memorandum transmitted memoranda from Secretary Wilson and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dated February 3 and January 31, respectively, requesting that paragraph 5–g of NSC 5429/5 be made [29 words not declassified]. (Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, NSC 5604 Series)↩
  4. Not printed.↩
  5. This annex, not printed, contained a memorandum, dated January 19, from Secretary Wilson to Lay transmitting the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make paragraph 5–g of NSC 5429/5 applicable to [6 words not declassified]; a memorandum dated August 22, 1955, from Under Secretary of State Murphy to Deputy Secretary of Defense Robertson, raising “certain questions of a political nature, which in the view of the Department of State would be likely to have a direct bearing on the desirability [17 words not declassified]”; a memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary Wilson, dated November 9, 1955, enclosing their replies to the questions put forth by the Department of State; a memorandum from Assistant Secretary of Defense Gordon Gray, dated November 21, transmitting the JCS replies; and a memorandum, dated December 2, from Murphy to Gray responding to Gray’s November 21 memorandum.↩
  6. Not printed.↩
  7. According to the memorandum of discussion of the 283d NSC meeting on May 3, the President “said that the proposed statement of policy on this subject was OK to him. It seemed to amount to nothing more than the inherent right of self-defense. [3 sentences (64 words) not declassified]” (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records) The Council then adopted the statement of policy in NSC 5604. This action was formally recorded as NSC Action No. 1547. On May 8, the President approved NSC 5604, and directed its implementation by the Secretary of Defense. (Department of State, S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council)↩
  8. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩
  9. A note at the bottom of the first page reads: “(Editorially revised without change of substance, 2/16/59, NSC Action No. 2049)”↩