557. Letter From Herter to
Gray1
Washington, April 11,
1960
Dear Gordon:
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I have your memorandum of April 7, 1960.
I am not sure that you are aware that last October the President wrote to
me suggesting that permanent status be given to a unit of Government
dealing with disarmament and that this be in the State Department, and
that I responded in November concurring in the President’s
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judgment.
Subsequently I have received from Dr. Kistiakowsky and others recommendations that the
disarmament organization be established in the White House. I have given
very extended and careful consideration to the merits of these
proposals, but have concluded again that the permanent disarmament
organization which the President had in mind should be established
within the Department of State. In any event, I would consider the
assignment of the disarmament responsibility to a subcommittee of the
National Security Council as being inappropriate.
Last week Dr. Kistiakowsky and
Dr. Killian were informed of
this decision and they have promised to do their best to support it.
With the assured cooperation of the President’s Science Advisory
Committee and the cooperation I expect to receive from the Department of
Defense and the Atomic Energy Commission, I am quite confident
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that the
State Department organization arrangement will prove successful.
Furthermore, I am convinced that it is important that this project be
advanced without any further delay.
I expect to submit a progress report to the President on this matter
shortly.
With warmest personal regards,
Most sincerely,
Attachment
Memorandum From Gray to Herter and Gates
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I have very informally and tentatively explored with the President a
notion I have had with respect to continuing studies regarding
reduction and control of armaments. It was largely prompted by the
discussion following George Kistiakowsky’s presentation at the
Council meeting on March 24. You will recall that Secretary Rostow,
Admiral Burke and Dr.
Kistiakowsky all
indicated the need for continuing studies, but the President did not
make any specific decision regarding such studies.
Also, I am prompted by recalling that we have perhaps had a rather
spotty and uneven record of studying the reduction and control of
armaments problem and in preparing for international conferences
which have been concerned with this matter. We have had big
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projects
like the [illegible in the original] project and smaller ones like
the Coolidge project, and others generally on an ad hoc basis.
My thought is to establish a procedure which would, for example,
provide for (a) continuing and integrated evaluations of the
technical feasibility and implications for the national security of
proposals for the reduction and control of armaments; and (b) a
continual watch for changes which would significantly alter such
evaluations.
In order to provide continuity within an established organizational
structure which is directly responsible to the President, I think
this procedure could best be accomplished by establishing a small
subcommittee of the National Security Council. The subcommittee
could consist of the Secretary of State (Chairman) and the Secretary
of Defense, with the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission
participating when matters of concern to him were before the
Committee. Advisors to the Committee might be the Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Director of Central Intelligence; the
Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology; and
the Special Assistant to the President for National Security
Affairs. Provision would be made for a small staff, headed by a full
time staff director, to be approved by the President. The staff
could be
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composed, as the Committee might determine, both of representatives
detailed from the interested departments and agencies and of
individuals from outside of government, either on a part-time or a
full-time basis.
This procedure should not disturb, but would instead [illegible in
the original] and supplement, organizational arrangements which you
would have in the State Department and in the Defense
Department.
The President has asked me to explore this matter personally with the
Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense and I shall shortly
be in touch with both of you. In the meantime, this is simply to
acquaint you with the notion in general terms so that you may give
the matter some thought before we meet to discuss it, and I suggest
that this not be given any general distribution in your department.
The President would of course not proceed except upon your
recommendation.
Gordon
Gray
Special Assistant to the President
