Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Regulation of Armaments; Atomic Energy, Volume XX

158. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President¹

Washington, October 4, 1956.

SUBJECT

• Premier Bulganin’s Letter of September 11 on Disarmament²

Premier Bulganin’s letter of September 11, continuing the exchange on disarmament, indicates a slight liberalization of Soviet views in two respects:

(a) Apparently the Soviets may be willing to reach an agreement on conventional arms based on the US-proposed levels for the five major powers³ without waiting to resolve differences as to the levels for other countries such as Germany.

(b) The letter constitutes the strongest Soviet statement to date of willingness to seek partial agreements without waiting for agreement on the disarmament question as a whole.

Otherwise the letter consists largely in a repetition, perhaps in firmer language, of previous Soviet positions.

Unlike the last Bulganin message, which went to the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Turkey and the Federal Republic of Germany as well as to the United States, the letter of September 11 was addressed only to the United States. The timing of a reply, therefore, is a matter of concern mainly to the United States.

The question of timing has been discussed with Governor Stassen’s staff and with representatives of the Department of Defense and the Atomic Energy Commission. It is the consensus, in which I concur, that no reply to Premier Bulganin’s letter of September 11 is necessary at the present time. I believe that the nature and timing of the US response can be determined in the light of the further study which, in accordance with your instructions, is being given to the US position on disarmament and in the light of further discussion thereafter with the British, French and Canadian Governments.

JFD

1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Secret. The President initialed the source text.
2. See footnote 3, Document 152.
3. The U.S. nonbinding draft working paper on the first phase of a comprehensive disarmament agreement, which was submitted to the Subcommittee of the Disarmament Commission on April 3, specified for illustrative purposes that the reduced manpower levels at the first disarmament phase would be: France, 750,000; U.S.S.R., 2,500,000; United Kingdom, 750,000; United States 2,500,000; and China, 2,500,000. This draft working paper is printed in Documents on Disarmament, 1945–1959, vol. I, pp. 608–613.