55. Letter From the Deputy Representative on the United Nations Disarmament Commission (Stassen) to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)1
Dear Mr. Secretary: Confirming and supplementing our discussion in your office on August 3rd, I am proceeding with the implementation of the directive from the President and the National Security Council of June 30, 1955, (NSC Action No. 1419)2 to design an effective, reciprocally acceptable inspection system. The cooperation of the Department of Defense and of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in this continuing study will be very much appreciated. Participation in this stage of preparation of our report will not be taken to prejudice in any manner the right of the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to take a fresh look at our comprehensive report for comment or recommended modification prior to its presentation to the President.
[Page 174]The enclosed memorandum of assignment3 will indicate the specific nature of our continuing studies, and I would welcome any recommendations as to any part of this total problem which the Department of Defense would wish to submit in this preliminary stage of the preparation of a comprehensive inspection system. I would further like to request that the Department of Defense undertake to develop studies and make recommendations with respect to the military portions of the comprehensive study which I have initiated. In view of the anticipated time schedule of negotiations and of United Nations’ consideration, I trust these recommendations and studies can be made available to me on or before October 15, 1955. In this connection, the attached memorandum of assignment is intended to serve as an over-all guide but should not be regarded as restrictive insofar as the military portions of the study are concerned.
It is my contemplation that the total of all the segments of inspection will be fitted together into one comprehensive inspection, communications, and reporting system, and will be submitted to the Departments and Agencies concerned for their comment at least thirty days in advance of consideration by the President.
The special task groups engaged in the inspection study under the NSC action include the following:
- Nuclear matters—Dr. Ernest O. Lawrence, Chairman4
- Steel—Mr. Benjamin Fairless, Chairman5
- Power and Industry—Mr. Walker Cisler, Chairman6
- Air— General James H. Doolittle, Chairman7
- Navy— Admiral Oswald S. Colclough, Chairman8
- Army— General Walter B. Smith, Chairman9
- Budget and Finance—Dr. Harold Moulten, Chairman10
- Communications—Dr. James B. Fisk, Chairman11
Specific military studies and the development of military portions of the inspection plan by the Department of Defense will be taken into account in the comprehensive inspection plan by the groups indicated above. As I have previously indicated, the Department of Defense will [Page 175] be given an adequate opportunity to comment on the results of the entire study after it has been assembled and integrated in comprehensive form.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Disarmament Files: Lot 58 D 133, Inspection—NSC. Top Secret.↩
- Regarding NSC Action No. 1419, see footnote 9, Document 45.↩
- The memorandum, entitled “Implementation of NSC Action No. 1419”, dated August 4, and an earlier draft, dated July 5, are not printed. (Department of State, Disarmament Files: Lot 58 D 133, Inspection—NSC)↩
- Professor of physics and director of the Radiation Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley.↩
- Former chairman, president, and chief executive officer of U.S. Steel Corporation.↩
- President of Detroit Edison Co.↩
- Former aviator and vice president and director of Shell Oil Co.↩
- Vice Admiral, USN (Ret.), and dean of faculties at George Washington University.↩
- General, USA (Ret.), and vice chairman, American Machine and Foundry Co.↩
- Retired economist and president emeritus of The Brookings Institution.↩
- Vice President–Research, Bell Telephone Laboratories.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩