127. Memorandum of Conversation0
SUBJECT
- Non-Military Aspects of Long-Range Planning
PARTICIPANTS
- The Secretary
- Mr. Merchant—M
- Mr. Nolting—USRO
- Mr. Knight—Defense
- Mr. Fessenden—EUR/RA
- Mr. Paul-Henri Spaak, Secretary General, NATO1
- Mr. André Saint-Mieux, NATO International Staff
Mr. Spaak said that he expected that non-military aspects of long-range planning would be a topic for consideration at the December Ministerial Meeting. He said that he will have a progress report on this subject which will extract certain ideas from various papers which have been presented in the Permanent Representatives’ discussions to date. His purpose would be to have the Ministers hold a preliminary exchange of views at the December meeting and thereby to provide general directives for further discussions by the Permanent Representatives after the Ministerial Meeting. Mr. Spaak said that the biggest question in his mind is whether NATO should have a role in African economic problems, noting that the future of less-developed countries was the most important matter facing the Alliance today. The question of machinery for political consultation generally is a problem of lesser importance, on which he expects nothing really new to emerge.
The Secretary said that he assumed the purpose would be to finalize any action at the May, 1961 Ministerial Meeting.2
Mr. Spaak raised the question of the connection between NATO and the OECD. He said he doubted whether there was a possibility of developing a common policy towards less-developed countries in its East-West aspects with the participation of the neutrals who are members of the OECD. The best place for the development of an alliance policy on the East-West aspects of economic problems of the less-developed countries is in NATO, with it understood that NATO would have no responsibility for the execution of these policies. Mr. Spaak said that it is most important to avoid a situation where the less-developed countries are able to bargain off the Free World against the Communist world. Mr. Spaak also noted that good progress seems to have been made in the UN with respect to the newly independent countries. Many of them seem to be interested in not becoming entangled with the Soviets. It is important to take advantage of this favorable turn in events. Mr. Spaak also commented favorably on Senator Johnson’s recent speech in which he emphasized that the NATO countries have as their major task the development of freedom and strength throughout the world.3 Mr. Spaak said that we should organize our efforts better to achieve this very worthwhile objective.
Mr. Nolting commented that it can of course become counter-productive if NATO is labeled as the organization for carrying out the efforts of the Atlantic nations to aid the less-developed countries.
[Page 309]Mr. Spaak acknowledged that this was a danger, but said that it was possible for NATO to play its role in this field in such a way that it was not the organization for executing aid programs.
Mr. Spaak said that if we say that NATO cannot deal with the problems of the less-developed countries, then we are in effect saying that NATO must keep out of the principal problem of our times.
The Secretary summed it up by saying that NATO can be looked upon as the body which could discreetly coordinate our general policies, which policies would then be carried out in various administrative organizations.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 840.0000/11–2260. Secret. Drafted by Fessenden and approved in S on December 3.↩
- Spaak was in Washington for preliminary discussions laying the groundwork for the December 16–18 NAC Ministerial Meeting in Paris.↩
- Scheduled for May 8–10 in Oslo.↩
- In a November 21 speech to NATO parliamentarians, Vice President-elect Lyndon B. Johnson called for a greater NATO role in economic development throughout the world. For text of his speech, see The New York Times, November 22, 1960.↩