Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume VII, Arms Control and Disarmament

135. Memorandum for the Record⁰

Washington, February 26, 1962.

SUBJECT

• Daily Staff Meeting, 26 February 1962

1. Mr. Bundy presided.

2. The principal subject discussed bracketed the NSC meeting tomorrow on atmospheric testing and any follow-up announcement by the President which may derive from that meeting. As of last week, the feeling was that the President would probably be making a speech sometime this week which would tie together the announcement of the decision on testing with some depiction of the broad US approach to disarmament in anticipation of the Geneva Conference which begins on 14 March. However, it now appears that the President, in Bundy’s judgment, will likely prove cool toward a quick and definitive announcement. Instead, he will probably take the line (I gather in response to questions rather than in a speech) that the testing preparations of the United States are being completed but that we are always open to acceptance by the Soviets of a truly significant system of international inspection. Bromley Smith demurred somewhat at this rather flabby approach, but Bundy shut him off somewhat sharply with a reminder that we must never foreclose our minds to possible Soviet agreement to our position.

3. In connection with the above exercise as envisioned last week, when it was thought that the President would surely be making a speech sometime this week, Mr. Adrian Fisher of Mr. Foster’s disarmament organization, has prepared a paper which apparently was designed to state the broad US approach to disarmament.¹ According to Hansen, it doesn’t conclude anything, but rather sketches four or five possible alternative approaches. I gather that there was an intention to submit the Fisher paper to the JCS for comment, but that Mr. McNaughton of ISA has said that the Chiefs would probably take at least a week, and probably more, to come up with any comments. I further gather that this will shunt out the Chiefs, despite the fact that a lot of the pressure, which was created because of the President’s speech intentions this week, has disappeared. I will be mentioning this right away, orally, to Colonel Ewell because I think that a discreet telephone call to the office of General Lemnitzer or Admiral Riley is indicated.

[Here follows discussion of counterinsurgency programs, the Panama Canal, and the strategic stockpile.]

LJL

0. Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Daily Staff Meetings Jan-Apr 62. Secret. Drafted by Legere. These memoranda for the record were routinely circulated to Taylor and members of his staff.
1. Reference may be to an ACDA paper, “U.S. Position at the Forthcoming 18-Nation Disarmament Conference,” dated February 24. (Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 71 A 3470, NATO-NSC Mtg)