AGREED CONCEPTS REGARDING ATOMIC WEAPONS ACYTER? FUNCTION OF THIS SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL IN ADVISING THE PRESIDENT ON USE OF ATOMIC WEAPONS a. By law, the National Security Council is to "advise the President with respect to the integration of domestic, foreign and military policies relating to the national security." By direction of the President, the Special Commit- tee of the National Security Council on Atomic Energy, consisting of the Seore- tary of State, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Atomic Energy ersteee bon ee CSR ae RE i, = 7 Were cooao ent Commission, is to "pass on the directives which I have to make, that affect all three of those Departments." b. The above directives are interpreted to mean that the President wants the advice of the Special Committees before making any decision regarding the major production objectives of the atomle energy program, the preparatory deployment of atomic weapons, and the use of atomic weapons. This is not inter- preted as limiting the statutory function of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as "the principal military advisers to the President, the National Security Council and the Secretary of Defense." USE OF ATOMIG WEAPONS = = a In the event of a positive decision, the President would authorize the Searetary of Defense to use atomic weapons under such conditions as the President may specify. : ATOMIC WEAPONS STOCKPILE CUSTODY AND OPERATION b. Provision of Storage Facilities. Each agency should provide the fa- ollities for atorage of atomic weapons over which it maintains custodial responsibility. However, where custodial responsibility may be changed by Pres- idential directive without physical movement of weapons, reimbursement for ex- Authority isting storage facilities should not be required, sS- Physical Seourity and Operation of Storage Sites. In the interests of operational readiness and economy of personnel, the Department of Defense should provide the physical security and the services required for the opera~ tion of all storage sites for atomic weapons. For storage facilities for which the Atomic Energy Commission is responsible, the services provided by the Department of Defense should include normal administrative services, and, under the technical supervision of the Atomic Energy Commission, the performance of @ ~ c Oo ui — z ‘ Pat te x owe weapons, x ee ee 4F eee 7 eT Ce apr ‘ites POR tain custodial responsibility for the remainder of the stockpile of atomic ” The Department of Defense should have cus- By we Custodial Responsibility. LPT LA &. todial reaponsibility for stocks of atomic weapons outside of the continental United States and for such numbers of atomic weapons in the continental United States as may be needed to assure operational flexibility and military readi~ness for use subject to 2, above. The Atomic Energy Commission should main- DECLASSIFIED wey wate ” SESERITL,SERA: aa WI ee . a Buch maintenance, surveillance, modernization, and modification work as is de- determined appropriate for accomplishment at the site. af 1.