43. Memorandum for the Record1
The President said he had an excellent talk with Secretary Gates and Admiral Burke at the White House last evening. They said the Marines are particularly emotional over the proposed reorganization.
As to themselves, they said that they completely accept the basic propositions of unified strategic planning and direction, and placing all activities under the control of the Secretary of Defense. They are rather afraid of what their staffs might do, however, since there is a great deal more emotionalism and apprehension at lower levels than they themselves feel.
Also, they said that they had prepared a plan a few months ago, which was very thoroughly worked out and coordinated within the Navy Department, and they don’t see how they can change their position so quickly.
They added that they knew a lot of people were calling them recalcitrants. They do not feel that they are that at all, since they support the basic concept the President has put forward. They told the President they were worried about the situation they would face when they were called to testify. The President said it is simply a matter of not getting rattled. He felt that they can answer questions quite satisfactorily, given that they have the conviction favoring unified strategic planning and command direction which they had earlier indicated.
The President said that several times in the conversation they mentioned their “apprehensions” over what might be done under some future President or some future Secretary of Defense. The apprehensions do not apply in the present circumstances. The President said he talked these apprehensions out with them. The primary one represented concern over a single service of supply. The President told them he had never believed in it and does not now. There [Facsimile Page 2] should, however, be the capability for single management of various “common use” items. The President thought they accepted this line of thinking very well. They also said they were afraid that the services might become “mere shells” with consequent loss of morale. The President said he stressed to them the tremendous responsibilities and tasks that would still remain, and felt that their minds were much put at ease by this explanation.
Again they came back to the need for the provision “separately administered.” Here he made clear that he expects the Secretaries [Typeset Page 155] to administer their departments; the point is to remove the basis for the argument and resistance now encountered in attempts to eliminate duplication, etc.
They expressed full and wholehearted agreement with the proposals that are being made concerning research and development.
The President said they expressed most effusively their gratitude for inviting them in and talking the matter out with them, and said that he had removed a tremendous burden from their minds. The President commented that there was need for someone who has worked closely with them, such as General Persons if he were available, to stay in close contact with them, and work out additional points of concern that might arise.
Brigadier General, USA
- Source: Conversation among Eisenhower, Gates, and Burke on Defense reorganization. Confidential. 2 pp. Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DDE Diaries.↩