Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume III, National Security Policy; Arms Control and Disarmament, Microfiche Supplement

236. Memorandum of Conference with the President¹

Washington, January 21, 1960

OTHERS PRESENT

• Secretary Herter, Secretary Douglas, Mr. Farley, General White, General Loper, Mr. Gordon Gray, General Goodpaster

Mr. Herter said the group wanted to take up with the President the question the President had raised about giving [text not declassified]. There was agreement not to raise the matter, and to drop the requested authorization.

Mr. Gray next took up the question of the transfer of the [text not declassified] weapon [text not declassified] in event of emergency. He recalled that the President’s action on this proposal had included an authorization for Defense and State to inform Congress as they deemed appropriate. There was concern that, in the discussion of this matter with the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, the latter might move over into questions of a general character about [text not declassified].

General Loper recalled that, in 1957, the Joint Committee raised with him the question of advance authorization, and he told them that a policy decision had been made, which would not, however, become effective until implementing instructions had been approved by the President and issued. After some further discussion I reviewed in chronological detail the history of the development of advance authorizations to date. I recalled to the President the very tight controls he had established on giving any of this information to anyone, and the view he had expressed that arrangements he makes for the [text not declassified].

Mr. Gray suggested that Secretary Douglas might get Senator Anderson, Chairman of the JCAE, not to permit this question to be raised or pursued. Mr. Douglas was unenthusiastic that the suggested action would have any useful result. The President thought it might be possible simply to say that the whole emergency [text not declassified] in addition, for extremely critical situations, the President has taken such measures as he deems necessary to enable our major forces to defend themselves.

Secretary Herter stayed a few minutes after the others had gone. He showed the President a memorandum proposing that we tell the Soviets we think the negotiations for a lend-lease settlement should be broken off if they insist on coupling this with questions of trade and credits. The President approved this memorandum.

A.J. Goodpaster
Brigadier General, USA

1. Source: Use of nuclear weapons; lend-lease negotiations with the Soviet Union. Top Secret. 2 pp. Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DDE Diaries. Drafted on January 25.