S/S–NSC Files, Lot 63 D 351, NSC 104–Memoranda
The Director for Mutual Security (Harriman)1 to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: Public Law 213, 82nd Congress, provides that its Administrator shall advise the President in regard to several provisions of the law. The law further requires its Administrator to make certain determinations after full and complete consideration of the views of the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce; the Economic Cooperation Administration; and any other appropriate agencies.
Accordingly, I am establishing a Mutual Trade Security Advisory Committee to help me with respect to these and related matters.
Standing members of this Committee should include the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Commerce, Office of Defense Mobilization, the Economic Cooperation Administration (and in lieu thereof the Mutual Security Agency), and the Central Intelligence Agency. From time to time, I will invite other Departments and Agencies to participate which have an interest in particular questions under consideration.
I would appreciate it if you will designate your representative to this Committee. It is my hope that your representative will be a person who will represent your own considered views and also be in a position to draw upon the full staff resources of your Department. I shall propose to the Committee that it establish a subcommittee at the staff specialist level which can prepare staff material and deal with most of the detailed technical problems. This arrangement should economize on the time of the Committee representatives and minimize the frequency of meetings of the Committee itself.
In view of the statutory requirements that the first lists called for by Public Law 213 shall be determined within thirty (30) days of enactment of the Act on October 26, I hope I may hear from you promptly.
Sincerely yours,
- W. Averell Harriman was confirmed by the Senate as Director of Mutual Security on October 19.↩