Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, General; The United Nations, Volume I

501.BC Armaments/2–2447

The Under Secretary of State (Acheson) to the Assistant Secretary of War (Petersen)

secret

Washington, February 20, 1947.

Dear Mr. Petersen: I enclose a copy of a memorandum relating to the establishment of intra-governmental machinery for dealing with matters of policy relating to international control of atomic energy and the regulation of armaments.

I consider that this memorandum sets forth a satisfactory basis for the establishment of such machinery and am preparing to submit it to Secretary Marshall. In doing so, however, I should like to be able to inform him that I understand this proposal to be acceptable to the War and Navy Departments and to the Atomic Energy Commission. Could you therefore let me know at your early convenience whether the arrangement proposed in this memorandum will be satisfactory?¹

I am sending identical letters to Mr. John L. Sullivan, Under Secretary of the Navy, and Mr. David Lilienthal, Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

Sincerely yours,

Dean Acheson

[Enclosure]²

Machinery To Deal With Regulation of Armaments Matters

February 17, 1947.

The following intra-governmental arrangement is suggested for dealing with the international control of atomic energy and the regulation of armaments.

1. Recommendations to the President on issues of major policy should be made by the Secretaries of State, War and the Navy, the Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the U.S. Representative at the Seat of the United Nations. The three Secretaries should invite the other two officials to participate in Committee of Three meetings when these matters are to be discussed.

2. There should be an Executive Committee consisting of the Under Secretary of State, the Under Secretary of the Navy, the Assistant Secretary of War and an appropriate representative of the Atomic Energy Commission. Each member of the Committee should have a full-time alternate. It should be understood that the U.S. Representative at the Seat of the United Nations may be represented at any or all meetings of the Executive Committee. The responsibilities of the Committee should include:

(a) The formulation of plans respecting (1) the further development of the U.S. position regarding international control of atomic energy; (2) the establishment and development of a U.S. position on “other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction;” (3) the establishment and development of a U.S. position on the general regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces.

(b) The allocation of responsibilities for the preparation of studies necessary to the formulation and development of plans as set forth in (a). In fulfillment of this responsibility the Committee may (1) employ consultants and (2) assign work to personnel and staff already available within the three Departments, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. It may also make recommendations for the establishment of special groups when this is deemed advisable.

(c) The formulation of policy recommendations regarding the above subjects for transmission to the three Secretaries, the Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the U.S. Representative to the United Nations.

(d) Guidance to the State Department, within established policies, in furnishing instructions to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

3. The Executive Committee should obtain the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when appropriate.

4. The responsibility for liaison with the Congress and appropriate Committees thereof should rest in the five persons named in 1 above.

5. The State Department representative on the Executive Committee should be responsible for the transmission to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations of necessary instructions, policy guidance and information. The War and Navy Department representatives should arrange for the transmission by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of appropriate parallel instructions and information to the U.S. Representatives on the Military Staff Committee.

6. The Executive Committee should have its own Secretariat.

7. No publicity should be given to the arrangements described above, but no special effort should be made to insure secrecy.

1. In his letter of reply, February 24, the Assistant Secretary of War stated the following: “Although the War Department would have preferred that interdepartmental coordination in this field be accomplished through the State–War–Navy Coordinating Committee, we agree to the arrangement proposed in the memorandum.” (501.BC Armaments/2–2447). In a letter of February 21 David Lilienthal replied by expressing the agreement of the United States Atomic Energy Commission to the proposal (Department of State Disarmament Files). On March 3, Marshall proposed to the Secretaries of War and Navy and to the Chairman of the US AEC that the Executive Committee on the Regulation of Armaments be considered as formally constituted as of that date (501.BC Armaments/3–347). In a letter to Acheson, March 14, Secretary of the Navy Forrestal stated that he was in agreement with the proposed arrangements with the exception that he did not agree to the participation of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in dealing with matters of policy concerning the regulation of armaments other than atomic weapons (501.BC Armaments/3–1447).

   The Executive Committee on the Regulation of Armaments first met on February 26, 1947; documentation generated by the Committee is located in the Disarmament Lot file, Department of State. The present memorandum and other correspondence relating to the establishment of the Committee was circulated within the Committee as RAC D–l, March 12, 1947 (Department of State Disarmament Files).

2. The enclosure does not accompany the file copy of the covering letter; the source text for the enclosure is contained in document RAC D–l, March 12, 1947 (Department of State Disarmament Files).