26. Editorial Note
On June 25, 1958, President Eisenhower, on the recommendation of the Director of Central Intelligence, approved a directive establishing an interagency Comparative Evaluations Group to assess U.S. and Soviet progress in weapons systems. This action was noted by the National Security Council at its 370th meeting on June 26 in NSC Action No. 1938, approved by the President on July 30. (Department of State, S/S–NSC [Page 119] (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council) The President subsequently circulated the directive on a Special Limited Distribution basis as NSC 5815, dated June 25. (Eisenhower Library, NSC Staff Records, Disaster File)
Also on June 25, the President, on the recommendation of the Chairman of the Net Evaluation Subcommittee, approved a revision of that Subcommittee’s directive, which he subsequently circulated as NSC 5816, dated July 1. (Department of State, S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5816 Series) See the Supplement. NSC 5816 replaced NSC 5728, dated December 24, 1957. Regarding NSC 5728, see Foreign Relations, 1955–1957, volume XIX, page 676, footnote 6. Regarding the origins and early work of the Net Evaluation Subcommittee, see ibid., pages 56–57.