222. Minutes of the Cabinet Meeting0

[Here follows a list of participants.]

Mutual Security—Adding this item to the agenda, the President marked this legislation—along with reciprocal trade and Defense reorganization—as his three prime interests this year. He felt strongly that the country simply cannot continue to throw additional money into things where there is no real need and fail to provide those things that can do a tremendous amount of good. Since the mutual security appropriation was about ready to be marked up in the Senate Committee, he asked every member of the Cabinet to do what he could with his friends on the Hill toward getting the highest possible amount approved by the Senate so that the low House figure could be counteracted for Conference purposes and a reasonably high final appropriation be obtained.

The President said that he might be putting out a public statement about this if it could first be determined that the Congressional leaders would not regard such a statement as undercutting them and being a basis for a charge of lobbying that would hurt rather than help the bill.

[Page 424]

Sec. Benson asked for some coordination as regards who should talk to whom, and the President directed Gen. Persons to provide it. Sec. Weeks requested a briefing memorandum so that Cabinet members could talk knowledgeably and Under Sec. Dillon stated that one would be forthcoming promptly. The President suggested that Mr. Dillon might get available members of the Cabinet together for a briefing session if he could spare time from his pressing work on the Hill.

[Here follows discussion of other matters.]

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Cabinet Series. Confidential. For another portion of this meeting, see Document 13.
  2. The meeting was held at the White House.