53. Editorial Note
Following a meeting on February 1, 1966, with Secretary of State Rusk, Under Secretary of State Ball, and General Maxwell Taylor, McGeorge Bundy produced a new draft National Security Action Memorandum to implement General Taylor’s report to the President of January 17, 1966 (attachment to Document 50). Bundy’s draft underwent substantial revision during February following circulation to key officials and meetings organized by General Taylor. Among the many changes was the deletion of a clause in a February 11 draft specifying that the Senior Interdepartmental Group should “assure the best allocation of manpower and resources between geographic regions in accordance with approved foreign policy priorities and objectives, by use of comprehensive planning and programming techniques and other means,” a deletion that soon troubled proponents of programming in the Department. (Johnson Library, Bromley Smith Papers, Organization of SIG; Mosher and Harr, Programming Systems and Foreign Affairs Leadership, pages 124–125) Texts of the drafts of NSAM 341 and related correspondence are at the National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Report to President Johnson, 1/17/66, Box 63, Folder E; at the Johnson Library, Bromley Smith Papers, Organization of SIG.