Office of the Historian

155. Memorandum From the President’s Staff Secretary (Goodpaster) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Jackson)1

Washington, September 17, 1956.

During his meeting with you and Governor Stassen today, the President indicated that, on further reflection, he had come to the rather clear view that the United States could not undertake disarmament or restriction of armaments in any major fields (other than small test or laboratory-type projects) without assured provision for aerial inspection.

Governor Stassen commented that we could move progressively into the field of aerial inspection, and could delay reduction in armaments until aerial inspection is initiated. The President thought his earlier statement would apply to “any disarmament move.”

With the qualification of this later conclusion of the President, he indicated agreement with your record of last Tuesday’s meeting.2

A.J. Goodpaster3

Colonel, CE, US Army
  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Staff Secretary Records, Jackson. Secret.↩

  2. Supra. On September 18, Jackson sent his memorandum of the September 11 meeting to Dulles, Wilson, Stassen, Strauss, and Radford and in a covering memorandum also added the following statement:

    “After approving this summary, the President indicated that on further reflection he had come to the view that the United States could not actually undertake to disarm or to restrict armaments in any major fields, other than test or token disarmament projects, without assured provision for aerial inspection.” (Department of State, Disarmament Files: Lot 58 D 133, US Policy Progress Reports)

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  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩