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Papers, Lybs-o1 ©
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peracraph 41 proposed to be, and it was certainly not desirable to
prejudge what we might have to do in France. The French are very
likely to be hard pressed to meet their essential military requirements. In short, the Chiefs felt that we should face up to these
problems when the time came.
‘
l
In a slightly ironic vein, Mr. Cutler reminded the Council
of criticisms of NSC policy papers on the ground that they were so
general that they failed to provide adequate guidance. He then
called on Secretary McElroy, who suggested that Secretary Quarles
speak for the Department of Defense.
Secretary Quarles stated his belief that there was no fun-
damental difference of opinion between State and Defense on paragreph
hl, bat rather a difference as to the degree to which our manner of
essisting France should be pinned down in the bracketed lengnage.
—
Toe bracketed lenguage seemed to Secretary Quarles to be only realistic; but nevertheless we could follow the course of action proposed
in the bracketed language without actually putting the words into the
policy statement. Secretary Dulles interjected thet we might very
well indeed follow this course of action. Secretary Quarles went on
to say that in any event the Department of Defense would not insist
on the inclusion of the bracketed language in paragraph 41, even
though this lsnsuege constituted a realistic statement of the resources wanich the Depsrtment of Defense now sees es being availeble for
France in the period covered. He therefore did not urge inclusion
of the bracketed languvege.
Mr. Cutler called next on Secretary Anderson, who seid he
bad nothing much to edd except to point out that if the proposals in
the bracketed portions of paragraph 41 were indeed realistic in char-
acter, it was better to heve the detailed guidance in the paper than
outside of it, although he too would not insist on including the ;
bracketed lancusge in NSC 5721.
Mr, Cutler expressed the opinion that with all due deference to Secretary Dulles, the guidance set forth in the bracketed
yortions of parasreph 41 wes not as rigid as the Secratery seemed
to believe. He cited evidence to support this contention. To this,
Secretary Dulles replied thet if paregraph hl was really es flexible
es Mr. Cutler insisted, he was rather overproving his point by indicating that the guidence wes too general in character.
7
REPRODUCED AT THE DWIGHT, D. EXSENBOWER LIBRARY
¥f
The President intervened in language which suggested that
he was sympathetic to the views of the majority of the Plenning Board
as to the need of greater guidance than the State Department wished
to insert, perticulerly in view of our reduced resources for military
assistence. Secretary Dulles, hewever, pointed out that we might actually wish to cut other military assistance programs in order to
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