29. Memorandum on the Substance of Discussions at the Department of State-Joint Chiefs of Staff Meeting, Pentagon, Washington, January 8, 1960, 11:30 a.m.1
[Here follows discussion of unrelated matters.]
[Page 174]V. Sale of Naval Vessels by the UK to Latin American Countries
(Raised at JCS initiative)
As the meeting was breaking up Admiral Burke said the British were unloading their Navy on the Latin American countries.
Mr. Merchant replied that there was a limit to what we could do in asking the British to restrict their sales.
Admiral Burke stated we ought to find more of our own ships.
Mr. Merchant thought that perhaps some sort of constructive action looking towards regional arms limitation might be pursued. He suggested that Admiral Dudley be asked to give some thought to this.
Admiral Burke replied that such a course would be useful even if it were limited only to the types of ships concerned; that Admiral Dudley was very busy, but that he would mention this to him and make sure that one of the Admiral’s staff got in touch with some one in State. Mr. Smith said he would be happy to be the State representative in any discussions on the subject.
[Here follows discussion of unrelated matters.]
- Source: Department of State, state–JCS Meetings: Lot 67 D 548. Top Secret. A note on the source text indicates that this memorandum is a Department of State draft not cleared with the Department of Defense. A total of 31 individuals attended the meeting, 19 from the Department of Defense, 10 from the Department of State, and 1 each from the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency. Merchant headed the Department of State group, which also included Rubottom and Smith.↩