738.5 MSP/10–654

Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Military Assistance, Department of Defense ( Stewart ) to the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Mutual Security Affairs ( Nolting )

secret

Subject:

  • Grant Military Assistance for Haiti
1.
Reference is made to your memorandum of 16 July 1954,1 which:
a.
Expresses the opinion of the Department of State that it would be desirable from the political point of view to conclude a bilateral military assistance agreement with Haiti, and
b.
Requests the Department of Defense to make available sufficient funds to provide Haiti with grant military assistance in FY 1955.2
2.
The Department of Defense has considered all aspects of the Mutual Defense Assistance Programs with respect to Latin America and has concluded that, in view of the limited funds appropriated by the Congress for the current fiscal year and the reduction in the carryover of MDA funds from prior years, it would be infeasible to make any adjustments in the existing programs to provide military assistance to Haiti. It is the judgment of the Department of Defense that funds currently available for existing Latin American programs are required for those programs if U.S. objectives in Latin America are to be met.
3.
In view of the fact that the Department of State desires, from a political point of view, to conclude a bilateral military assistance agreement with Haiti, the Department of Defense will reduce the FY 1955 MDA Program for France and Italy in order to provide the necessary funds to furnish military assistance to Haiti under the provisions of Section 105 of the Mutual Security Act of 1954.3
4.
It is believed advisable to report the new program for Haiti to the Congressional committees indicated in Section 513 of the Act. Accordingly it is requested that the Department of State furnish this office with the appropriate justification for this program, to be used in notifying the Congressional committees concerned.
G. C. Stewart

Major General, U.S. Army
  1. Not printed (738.5 MSP/6–1554)
  2. Special Assistant Nolting’s memorandum of July 16 reads in part as follows: “It is the understanding of the State Department that only a relatively small amount of funds would be required to provide Haiti with the type of grant assistance recommended. Accordingly, the Department of State requests that the Defense Department make whatever small adjustment may be necessary in other country programs in Latin America in order to make available sufficient funds to provide Haiti with grant assistance during FY 1955.” (738.5 MSP/6–1554)
  3. Public Law 665, approved Aug. 26, 1954; for text, see 68 Stat. 832.