140. Editorial Note
At 3:33 p.m. on February 19, 1958, Dulles called Governor Sherman Adams, Eisenhower’s Chief of Staff, to inform him of his discussion with General Gruenther (see Document 139) and suggested that Walter Bedell Smith and Professor Wolfers of Yale University would also be good prospective members of an advisory panel on disarmament. Adams [Page 555] thought Dulles might as well get “good names.” Dulles stated “this is largely scenery” and “a public relations job.” Adams suggested that Dulles get “some practical people who can sit around and talk about it.” (Memorandum of telephone conversation, February 19; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations) See the Supplement.
On February 20 at 5:09 p.m., Dulles telephoned Robert Lovett and asked him to join the panel on disarmament. Dulles stated that henceforth disarmament would “be part of State,” to which Lovett agreed. “One trouble with Stassen,” Dulles continued, “was he was only interested in disarmament.” Dulles described the panel as two or three people he could talk with in a general way about the lines of U.S. policy. He stated the panel would be made of Gruenther, Smith, and Lovett who would give advice and counsel on an informal basis. When Lovett agreed to serve, Dulles informed him that he felt “the prospects of getting any substantial result are not very good unless and until there are some solutions to political problems. But it is vitally important to keep pressing in this field and it will be disastrous if it is felt we are not interested.” (Memorandum of telephone conversation, February 20; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations) See the Supplement.
When Dulles showed President Eisenhower the plan for disarmament reorganization, the President said he also wanted John J. McCloy on the panel. (Memorandum of conversation between Dulles and Eisenhower, February 24, 3 p.m.; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President)