Office of the Historian

145. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Stassen) to the President1

Washington, July 20, 1956.

Major points for consideration with Secretary Dulles with regard to the June 29, 1956 Memorandum.2

1. It should be made clear that the UN force and the NATO force are steps that the U.S. is willing to take, but that it is up to the other nations whether or not they wish to move in this manner. The U.S. should not urge or press other nations to agree to this.

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Recommendation: This should be accepted as it is the concept of the Memorandum.

2. Should the stopping or limiting of nuclear tests be inseparable from other sections? Foreign policy problems of testing are becoming more difficult.

Recommendation: The stopping of tests should be inseparable from other nuclear sections. If broader agreement cannot be reached, a separate limitation on numbers and size of tests, with inspection to verify fulfillment, should be considered.

3. Could the NATO atomic force be of ground forces instead of or as well as air forces?

Recommendation: This is a question of the compromise of weapons information. A special analysis of this will be made.

4. Progressive installation of an inspection system should be acceptable, with caution against a false sense of security.

Recommendation: A balance between the State view and the Joint Chiefs view should be struck. This should be possible if constant education on the limitations of effectiveness of inspection in the early stages of installation is carried on to safeguard against a false sense of security.

5. Interested in the comments of the other departments.

Recommendation: The views of DOD and AEC be discussed preliminarily with Secretary Dulles.

HES

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Staff Secretary Records, Disarmament. Confidential. A July 25 note in Goodpaster’s handwriting, attatched to the source text, reads:

    “I reported to the President that the attached had come in, and that H.E.S. would come in to discuss them, in the near future.

    “(When H.E.S. had last met with President, latter had asked him to make notes of comments of State, Strauss, Radford.)” (Ibid.)

    Stassen’s notes on comments for DOD and JCS are in his memorandum to the President, infra. For his notes on comments for AEC, see Document 147.

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  2. Document 143.↩