327. Letter From Secretary of Defense McElroy to Secretary of State Dulles0
Dear Mr. Dulles: This will confirm my recent conversation with Mr. Murphy1 in which I expressed the Department of Defense views with regard to deployment of IRBM’s to Greece and Turkey as proposed by General Norstad. During this conversation, we discussed briefly the reasons why this Department is unable to concur in the view of the Department of State that there are serious financial problems justifying delay in proceeding with the arrangements proposed by General Norstad. Moreover, we do not believe that there exist any technical questions which would require examination of the currently approved program for deployment of IRBM’s to NATO.
As you may recall, the Department of Defense has already funded eight squadrons of Thor and Jupiter IRBM’s. Our remaining problem is one of Department of Defense bookkeeping involving transfer of the financial burden from the Department of the Air Force to the Military Assistance Program. This can be accomplished over a period of two or three years as the flexibility permitted under Military Assistance Program legislation allows reasonable freedom as to the date of the official turnover and hence the timing of any charge against the Military Assistance Program. The fact that definitive funding arrangements cannot be established at this time does not, in our opinion, provide reason for failing to proceed with implementation of the Presidential offer of IRBM’s to NATO countries which he made at the December 1957 Heads of Government meeting.
In the event that the above does not sufficiently clarify Defense’s position concerning the technical and financial aspects of the subject, I shall be most happy to discuss the matter with you further at your convenience.
Sincerely yours,