309. Informal Memorandum From Hagerty to Eisenhower1
SUBJECTS
- Nuclear Testing and Defense Reorganization
Here are some thoughts on two subjects—Nuclear Testing and Defense Reorganization. These thoughts are admittedly in the propaganda field, but that seems to be the way things are emphasized these days. I don’t know whether they are practical or not; or whether they will give people the jitters—but at least I put them down on paper.
USSR—Nuclear Testing
The Soviets have now made their big propaganda move in the testing field and they apparently are going to play it as hard as they can. Khrushchev has sent you his first note, using this subject to make another propaganda plug. Using his note as a basis, is it possible to answer along these lines?
1. You are glad to see that the Soviets, at long last, have finally started to make some sense on the whole question of disarmament. After maintaining a negative attitude for a long time, the USSR has now come forward with one-part of a proposal that the US and the UN have made for some time—namely that by international agreements nuclear testing and production of weapons can and should be halted. Up to now the USSR has declined to treat this great problem seriously.
[Typeset Page 1318]2. Despite past experiences in this field with the Soviets, you are prepared—in the interest of peace—to accept this latest Russian statement at its face value. In effect you say to Khrushchev: “All right, so you now say you are stopping tests and ask the US to do the same. Well, the US will take you up on this since we have been trying to get some agreement about this with you for some time. So—”
3. Let’s try seriously to work out an agreement. Naturally for any such agreement to function in the world successfully, other nuclear powers—the United Kingdom (and probably France)—have to be in accord. Let’s get them to join us in working out such an agreement.
4. To do this, let’s forget for the time being the so-called Summit Conference. Although you have talked about having such a Summit Conference you haven’t even answered the US–UK-French memorandum filed with the Soviet Foreign office a week ago. While we are perfectly willing to have such a Conference with you to discuss other important world matters, we still insist that preparation for such a meeting is elementary to its success.
[Facsimile Page 2]5. While we should continue to work for such a meeting in order to discuss other world matters, let’s concentrate right now on one single problem—the suspension of testing. Let’s take up that one subject and let’s add to it—in order to make it mean something for humanity—the question of production and inspection. The US has already proposed that in addition to the end of testing, an end should also be reached on the production of nuclear weapons and that a workable system of inspection be instituted to guarantee any agreement we might reach.
6. Let’s have this Nuclear Conference soon—and let’s hold it where all the world can see and hear it. Here is what I proposed to you:
That a Nuclear Conference be held and that the Heads of State of the nuclear powers attend such a meeting. This meeting could be held soon (within a month?). It could be called as a sort of special session of the United Nations, so that all the nations of the world could “sit in” as observers and—in effect—as judges of our sincerity. This meeting could be held at the UN headquarters at Geneva or at New York. At the Conference, the nuclear powers should be able to work out an agreement which would combine an end of testing and production with a suitable and workable inspection system. Then—to make the nuclear powers responsible before the world for living up to that agreement—we could sign this agreement before the representatives of the nations of the world.
7. If you accept this suggestion and join with me in this meeting, I would do one thing more. Even though it might place the US and its allies at a disadvantage—since the USSR has already conducted its tests this year—I would, nevertheless, to show the good faith of the [Typeset Page 1319] United States postpone our present Pacific tests while we were working together to see if we could reach a nuclear agreement. This postponement would, of course, be limited to a reasonable period—it could not be expected to last indefinitely.
8. A nuclear agreement between the nuclear powers would be of vast importance in the world and would greatly lessen existing world tensions. In addition, it would make further meeting between us on other world problems much easier to accomplish. As a matter of fact, our diplomatic representatives could begin to discuss preparation for such a meeting at the same time. I see no reason why they could not go ahead in this field with discussions which we have already urged be started this month. Meanwhile we could also go ahead with the Nuclear Conference I have proposed.
- Source: Nuclear testing. No classification marking. 2 pp. Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations.↩