371. Memorandum From the Director of the White House Office of Emergency Planning (Daniel) to the National Security Council1
RE
Report on Stockpile Criteria
The President on December 1, 1964 established a Special Committee on Stockpile Objectives chaired by a Special Assistant to the President,2 with representatives from the Departments and Agencies listed on Attachment A.3 Since that time the Committee has had under continuing review the criteria upon which the stockpile objectives are determined.
President Johnson specifically charged the Committee to give particular attention to:
- “(1) The major military and economic assumptions used in calculating existing conventional war stockpile objectives.
- “(2) The assumptions, techniques, and goals used in the establishment of post-nuclear attack supply requirements.
- “(3) The relationship of economic rehabilitation requirements to other post-nuclear requirements, such as those for food, shelter, medicine, and other resources required for the survival of the remaining population in the period of extreme emergency.”
The Committee has completed its Report,4 and the President has asked that it be considered in the National Security Council, especially its one major recommended change in the criteria concerning accessibility to and reliance upon certain Free World foreign sources of supply in the event of a war involving only the use of non-nuclear weapons.5
Criteria and assumptions governing stockpile objectives were set forth by an order of the Security Council (NSC Doc. 5810/1, May 5, 1958)6 and by the President’s letter of February 24, 1964, addressed to the Director of the Office of Emergency Planning, copy of which is Attachment B.7
That portion of the President’s letter which continued the policy of limiting consideration of emergency sources of supply to those foreign countries which are contiguous to the United States is the provision which the Committee recommends be changed so as to:
Permit consideration of emergency supply sources from those countries listed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff as probably accessible during a wartime emergency, subject to discounts by the Joint Chiefs for possible losses in transit and additional discounts by the State Department and OEP based on political and economic reliability and other national security considerations.
Each of the participating members of the Committee shown on Attachment A has a complete copy of the Report for further reference.
It was originally intended that key members of the Armed Services Committees of the Congress be invited to attend the discussion. However, in light of the adjournment of Congress, the Committee will brief them at a later date if this basic change is approved by the President.
- Source: Department of State, S/S-NSC Files: Lot 72 D 316. Secret. An attached covering memorandum from Bromley Smith to the National Security Council, October 28, indicated that this memorandum would serve as the basis of NSC discussion on October 31 of the proposed recommendation.↩
- See Document 246.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Not found.↩
- In an October 7 memorandum to President Johnson, Director Daniel noted that the special committee had completed its report, which he had discussed with Senators Russell and Symington and Congressmen Rivers and Philbin, chairmen and subcommittee chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Daniel went on to suggest that, following preliminary NSC discussion and the President’s approval of the change, these four members of Congress, all of whom had expressed interest in a review of the matter, be invited to participate in a final NSC discussion of the revised policy. At the end of this memorandum, the President wrote: “OK. Proceed—L.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, National Security Council File, NSC Meetings, Vol. 5 Tab 74, 10/31/68, Stockpile Criteria)↩
- For text, see Foreign Relations, 1958–1960, vol. III, pp. 98–116.↩
- Document 202.↩
- Printed from a copy that indicates Daniel signed the original.↩