forth in the State-Defense plan for the limited-war study at all.
What we needed to study was how we can effectively mobilize our
forces-and resources to deal with situations such as now confronted
us in Indonesia. These were a species of paramilitary situation, a
situation short of military aggression by the USSR. To cite another
instance, continued Mr. Dulles, how should We react in the Middle
East if Nasser in the near future tried to take over Saudi Arabia?
In response to these queries, the President pointed out
that the Council had made prior decisions of what to do in these
instances in so far as it had been possible to decide in advance
what we would do. If a de facto government in Sumatra appealed to
us for recognition, we would respond.
General Cutler expressed the opinion that the terms of
reference in the plan for the study of limited operations presented
by Defense and State were broad enough to include study of the sit-~
uations and problems raised by the Director of Central Intelligence.
The Fresident agreed with General Cutler, and illustrated his earlier
argument by pointing out how, prior to our entry into World War ITI,
we had all agreed on the adoption of a war plan which gave clear priority to the Atlantic and to Europe over the Pacific and the Far East.
Yet after we entered the war, and throughout the course of the war,
the question of a priority for the Atlantic or for the Pacific had
been steadily argued among the Services. Such a situation, said the
President, lilustrates how hard it is to predict our decisions in
advance of the fact.
The National Security Council:
Concurred in the plan on the subject developed, pursuant
to NSC Actions Nos. 1642-g-() and 1844-b, by the Depart-
ment of Defense with the concurrence of the Department of
State and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (transmitted by the
reference memorandum of March 7, 1958); subject to the
understanding that;
a.
°
The reference, in paragraphs a and b-(6) under "Scope
of Study", to "the use of nuclear weapons" will inelude study of the use of so-called "clean" nuclear
The second sentence in paragraph b under "Assumptions"
is to be regarded only as a working assumption for the
purposes of this study.
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