Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, East Asian Security; Cambodia; Laos, Volume XXI

57. Memorandum of Discussion at the 251st Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, June 9, 1955¹

Washington, June 9, 1955

[Here follow a paragraph listing the participants at the meeting and agenda items 1–4.]

5. Deployments and Strength of US Ground Forces in the Far East (NSC Action No. 1189)²

Mr. Anderson said he desired to report to the Council on the status of the redeployment of US divisions from the Far East. He then read from a memorandum by the Secretary of Defense³ (filed in the Minutes of the meeting) on the subject. Secretary Wilson’s memorandum concluded by pointing out that if present plans were adhered to there would be a total of 3–1/3 US divisions in the Far East by July 1956.

The President said that he understood that there were no plans for going below this level of US divisions in the Far East. Mr. Anderson replied that he did not know of any plans to redeploy additional divisions, and Admiral Radford confirmed that there were no plans for reduction below the level of 3–1/3 divisions.

Secretary Dulles commented that in the State Department it was believed that the more troops we can get out of Japan the better it will be for the United States. The President indicated his agreement as to the very great difficulties posed by a country having occupation troops in foreign areas.

The National Security Council:⁴

Noted and discussed the current plans for the deployment of US ground forces in the Far East during Fiscal Year 1956, as approved by the President on the recommendation of the Secretary of Defense after discussion with the Secretary of State, and as orally reported at the meeting by the Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

S. Everett Gleason

1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on June 10.
2. Taken at the 208th NSC meeting on July 29, 1954. (Department of State, S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council) An extract of the memorandum of discussion at the meeting is printed in Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. XV, Part 2, p. 1850.
3. In the memorandum Wilson stated that in fiscal year 1956 the Far East Command would be reduced by one infantry division. Thereafter there would be two Army divisions in Korea, one Army RCT in Japan, and one Marine Corps Division (less one RCT) and one Army RCT in Okinawa. Wilson stated that this deployment had the approval of the President. (Department of State, Central Files, 795B.5/6–255)
4. The paragraph that follows constitutes NSC Action No. 1416. (Ibid., S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council)