122. Editorial Note
At the 362d meeting of the National Security Council on April 14, NSC 5805 (Document 120) was discussed and revised to delete the bracketed phrase in paragraph 24–b. The memorandum of discussion at the NSC meeting reads: “Mr. Patterson replied that ODM would not press for the inclusion of the bracketed phrase at this time, although ODM did think that this suggestion provided a desirable flexibility in the provision of future military assistance to Yugoslavia. It was possible that from time to time we might wish to give Yugoslavia grant military assistance in order to capitalize on the military assistance which had already been sent to that country.
“General Cutler pointed out that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had agreed with the majority of the Planning Board in wishing to delete the proposal for grant military assistance to Yugoslavia. Secretary Dulles noted that his own representative on the Planning Board had joined the majority in favoring elimination of the proposal to provide any grant military aid to Yugoslavia. He said that he personally had no very strong feeling one way or another, although, of course, if the provision of grant aid to Yugoslavia assumed a significant volume, that would be another matter. General Cutler then argued that the Yugoslavs had rejected any further military assistance from the United States. Secretary Dulles felt that the word ‘rejected’ was not quite fair to the Yugoslavs. They were perfectly well aware, as they had been in the matter of the invitation to Tito to visit the United States, that the provision of military assistance to Yugoslavia was an embarrassment to the Administration in its relations with the Congress and with various groups in the United States. In a sense, therefore, Tito had actually got the Administration off the hook, rather than really wishing to reject any further military assistance. Secretary Dulles said that he was grateful for this action.
“After further discussion it was agreed to delete the bracketed phrase.” (Memorandum of discussion; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records)
The revised statement of policy was approved by President Eisenhower as NSC 5805/1 on April 16. (Memorandum from Lay to the NSC, April 16; Department of State, S/S–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, NSC 5805) Because NSC 5805/1 was editorially revised in November 1960 (see Document 173), no copy has been found in Department of State files.