193. Letter From Secretary of State Dulles to the President’s Special Assistant for Science and Technology (Killian)0
Dear Dr. Killian: The recent Geneva Experts Conference on measures to reduce the danger of surprise attack suspended its meetings without setting a date for reconvening, although the participants, in their report to governments, expressed the hope that “discussions on the problem of preventing surprise attacks will be resumed as early as possible”.1 However, it was the view of the Western Experts that we should not resume discussions until the governments had resolved the differences between the two sides regarding the scope and nature of the discussions. Our Delegation reports that the Western Experts also generally held the view that the West should not resume discussions with the Western side’s terms of reference limited to studying methods of “inspection and observation” which might be useful in preventing surprise attack. In part because of Soviet unwillingness to engage in discussions within such a limited framework, the West would have been left with little more to say than what was presented during the first four weeks, and at the same time we would not, in fact, have been able to engage in a full military-technical analysis of the problem.
In future discussions of the surprise attack problem, we will probably have to be prepared to engage in an examination of disarmament [Page 691] measures which might affect the surprise attack problem, and it is possible that such discussions may not be limited to the more narrow technical aspects. Whatever the scope and the forum of the next series of meetings dealing with surprise attack, it is inevitable that the United States will have to be prepared in the near future to discuss the surprise attack problem together with, or within the context of, arms control measures. It is necessary, therefore, that we examine the problem of surprise attack in a broader framework than was used for the studies conducted prior to the recent technical conference.
This examination would be facilitated by a high-level study of the surprise attack threat and of the value to the United States of various possible measures to reduce that threat, including arms limitation measures which might be in our interest. Such a study should be directed by a person appointed by the President and having wide experience in this area. I believe Mr. William C. Foster should be asked to assume this responsibility. The study group under his direction would report to the group which the President has asked to coordinate future preparations in the fields of test suspension and surprise attack: the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Director of Central Intelligence, and the Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. I would anticipate that such a report could be made within ninety days.
The main burden of the study should be carried by full-time personnel. However, it would be desirable to have a panel of consultants who could at appropriate times during the study contribute their views. Mr. Foster would, of course, be assisted by a full-time staff with appropriate representation from the Departments of State and Defense, Dr. Killian’s Office, Central Intelligence Agency, and the Atomic Energy Commission, plus additional personnel of high competence in this field. Mr. Foster should be able to draw upon the services of the staff of the U.S. Delegation to the recent surprise attack discussions; I understand there is general agreement that this group represents an assemblage of experienced talent which would be difficult to duplicate.
Enclosed is a draft memorandum to the President which sets forth the terms of reference for the study.2
Because of the urgency of moving forward with this work, I hope that you will advise me of your views as soon as possible so that the memorandum can go forward to the President.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Eisenhower Library, White House Office Files, Additional Records of the Special Assistant for Science and Technology. Secret.↩
- The quote is from the report of the Conference on Surprise Attack, December 18, 1958, printed in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1958, pp. 1405–1406.↩
- The draft memorandum to the President and attached terms of reference for the study group are in the Supplement.↩