Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume XII, Part 1

790.5/11–1954

Memorandum by the Counselor of the Department of State (MacArthur) to the Under Secretary of State¹

secret

[Washington,] October 25, 1954.

Subject:

• Organization within the United States Government for Possible Consultations under Article IV, 2, of the Manila Pact

Background

1. Article IV, 2, of the Manila Pact provides consultation between the Parties “If, in the opinion of any of the parties, the inviolability or the integrity of the territory or the Sovereignty or political independence of any party in the treaty area … is threatened in any way other than by armed attack…”²

2. At the recent ANZUS discussions the Australians and the New Zealanders raised the possibility of conversations under this article to discuss what could be done to counter Communist infiltration and subversion.

3. The Secretary has requested recommendations as to how staff preparation for such conversations and for implementing Article IV, 2, of the Manila Pact might be undertaken within the US Government and where responsibility should be centered.

4. Different aspects of the problem of assisting to counter Communist subversion are primarily the responsibility of State, CIA, and Defense. All these agencies are represented in the OCB. The OCB would also be suitable for general coordination of staff work along this line because it is concerned with both overt and covert activities.

5. The OCB in its consideration of progress reports of NSC policy implementation already deals with the coordination of overt and covert activities, but it does so almost solely on a country-by-country basis. It has not had occasion to give general consideration to efforts to counter Communist subversion throughout Southeast Asia and the Southwestern Pacific.

6. The situation within the Department of State is somewhat the same. The responsibility for coordination of covert activity with US policy centers in Mr. Higgs in U/OC.³ He works with the regional policy officers on a country-by-country basis. Since the membership of the Manila Pact includes countries in three geographic bureaus, FE, NEA, and EUR, there is not in the Department any one center of responsibility for staff work on this aspect of the Manila Pact.

Recommendations

1. The Department of State should be charged with the responsibility for general coordination of work within the US Government in preparation for possible consultations under Article IV, 2, of the Manila Pact.

2. The OCB should be the forum used to obtain a coordinated US position with respect to specific implementation. The Department of State should provide the chairmanship of any working groups set up under OCB to deal with this problem.

3. Staff work within the Department should precede submission to the OCB of the request to undertake this coordination. Since FE is the bureau which has responsibility for those members of the Manila Pact that are most immediately threatened by subversion, FE should provide the chairman of a Departmental working group which should include NEA, EUR (Mr. Horsey), S/P (Mr. Stelle), and U/OC (Mr. Higgs). In the light of the Secretary’s request that Ambassador Sebald be the point of responsibility in FE for work on the Manila Pact, FE should designate Ambassador Sebald as chairman of the committee.

1. Sebald and Stelle assisted in drafting this memorandum. Sebald became Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs on Nov. 1.
2. Ellipses in the source text.
3. L. Randolph Higgs became Deputy Operations Coordinator on Dec. 19, 1954.