Office of the Historian

157. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Brubeck) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)0

Washington, April 20, 1963.

SUBJECT

  • Comment on Proposal to Delay Presidential Findings to Permit Sales of Military Spare Parts to Yugoslavia

We have considered the proposal to delay the making of findings under Section 620 (f) and a determination under Section 614 (a) of the Foreign Assistance Act to permit sales of military spare parts to Yugoslavia. If a delay is considered necessary for Congressional reasons, we [Page 347] believe that its impact on our relations with Yugoslavia can be minimized by the following course of action:

1.
The President should decide now to make the necessary findings and determination at such time as it will not jeopardize consideration of the MFN amendment in the Congress.
2.
In the meantime, so as to minimize any further subsequent delay, the President should authorize the Defense Department to receive additional purchase orders from the Yugoslav Purchasing Mission and to process these orders for execution when the President has made necessary findings and determination.
3.
The Yugoslav Ambassador should be called in and informed of the President’s decisions above. It should be explained to the Ambassador that the law requires that the findings must be reported promptly to the Congress, and that we wish to defer bringing the issue of military sales before the Congress until we are assured that the MFN amendment is secure.1

William H. Brubeck2
  1. Source: Department of State, S/S–NSC Files: Lot 72 D 316, NSAM 212. Secret. Drafted by Katz.↩
  2. A memorandum from Brubeck to Tyler, April 25, reported: “Mr. Kaysen has informed me that the President has approved paragraphs 1 and 3 of the memorandum of April 20 on the subject of Presidential findings respecting Yugoslavia. The President does not believe that we should proceed with recommendation 2 until after you have testified on the MFN amendment on May 10.” (Ibid.)↩
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature. W. Slaten signed for Brubeck.↩