53. Editorial Note
At the National Security Council meeting on May 19, procedures for developing a United States position on a four-power heads of government meeting were discussed. NSC Action No. 1406, taken at the meeting, directed the Planning Board to prepare recommendations on the question. In this action, the NSC also instructed the Board to determine the United States position on “Far Eastern issues which might be raised, including the basis for US opposition to a Five-Power [including the People’s Republic of China] meeting.”
On July 7, the NSC discussed the matter again and, in NSC Action No. 1420, made recommendations which were embodied in NSC 5524n, “Basic U.S. Policy in Relation to Four-Power Negotiations”, dated July 11 and approved by the President that day. (Memoranda of discussion by S. Everett Gleason, May 20 and July 8 are in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. NSC Actions No. 1406 and 1420 are in Department of State, S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council. NSC 5524n is ibid., S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5524 Series)