Matthews Files1
Memorandum by the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Matthews) to the Under Secretary of State (Acheson)
Mr. Acheson: We have gone over the attached memorandum2 with care. I have also asked Colonel Eddy3 whether he had any information which would throw any light on the subject. He referred me to Mr. Hughes4 and Mr. Morrison5 of DRE. They agree with General Ridgway’s views but have no data which would either confirm or refute them. They will keep on the lookout for anything on the subject.
Mr. Hickerson,6 our Russian Division and I all agree entirely with General Ridgway’s views.
With regard to his paragraph 3a. (3) he presumably means that the USSR would in fact obtain reduction of other states’ armaments and armed forces to the level of those to be made available by each member to the Security Council and would itself evade compliance both through the concealment of armaments and through utilization of large NKVD forces. If the USSR did not retain such NKVD or similar forces above the level of forces to be made available to the Security [Page 408] Council it would not, in our opinion, have adequate strength to maintain its own position internally and in Russian controlled areas.
As to your paragraph 4 we agree that it would be well to inform Senator Austin and his assistants as well as SPA that we fully share General Ridgway’s views. I assume that since the memorandum came to us through the Secretary of War that both the Army and Navy already have copies of the attached paper. I believe we should inform them that we concur with General Ridgway. The question of informing the public generally is a more difficult one and I suggest that it might be studied urgently by the new interdepartmental working committee set up under Joe Johnson.7
I assume that the Secretary has himself given careful consideration to General Ridgway’s views. If not, I believe he should do so.
- Lot 65A987, certain files of H. Freeman Matthews.↩
- The paper under reference, General Ridgway’s memorandum of February 3, p. 402, was referred to Matthews by Acheson for comment on February 10. In the memorandum of transmittal, Acheson stated that he agreed completely with General Ridgway. (Department of State Atomic Energy Files)↩
- William A. Eddy, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Research and Intelligence.↩
- H. Stuart Hughes, Chief of the Central European Branch of the Division of Research for Europe.↩
- John A. Morrison, Chief of the Division of Research for Europe.↩
- John D. Hickerson, Deputy Director of the Office of European Affairs.↩
- Presumably a reference to the Interdepartmental Committee on Regulation of Armaments on which Joseph E. Johnson was Department of State representative. This body, which held nine informal meetings from February 7 to February 24, was subsequently formalized as the Executive Committee on Regulation of Armaments; in regard to the latter, see Acheson’s letter to Petersen, February 20, p. 418. The minutes of the informal committee are located in the Department of State Disarmament Files.↩