255. Editorial Note
At the 445th meeting of the National Security Council on May 24, 1960, the Council reviewed developments since the collapse of the Paris summit. Under Agenda Item 4, Herter discussed “Policy Issues in the Post-Summit Environment,” two of which were the nuclear test agreement negotiations and disarmament. According to Marion Boggs’ account of the meeting, the discussion of these issues was as follows:
“Secretary Herter said another issue was the question of resumption or continuation of the nuclear test agreement negotiations. The scientists in Geneva were continuing their international discussions without interruption. He believed that we should continue these negotiations.
[Page 881]“Another issue concerned disarmament. The representatives of the Five Western Powers involved in the disarmament negotiations are meeting on May 30 and an East-West disarmament meeting is scheduled for June 7. Secretary Herter believed we should maintain our position with respect to disarmament and continue to participate in the Geneva negotiations, although he believed these negotiations would prove to be sterile and futile, with the USSR stubbornly adhering to its position in preparation for bringing the matter up as a propaganda exercise in the UN General Assembly this fall. The President agreed with the views expressed by Secretary Herter, saying that the Soviets not the U.S. should be the ones to make the nuclear test negotiations or the disarmament negotiations futile.
“Mr. McCone said the nuclear test suspension negotiations differed from the disarmament negotiations in that a mere extension of the nuclear test talks keeps the U.S. in a straitjacket. He felt we ought to press for decisions on nuclear testing. If no agreement is reached, the USSR can keep us at the conference table indefinitely while the moratorium on nuclear testing continues. Secretary Herter agreed that the nuclear test suspension negotiations did bring up the whole question of the moratorium on nuclear testing. He also agreed that the U.S. could not continue the Geneva negotiations indefinitely because such a continuation would mean that the USSR is obtaining a moratorium on nuclear testing without giving up anything in return. The President said we must eventually set a time limit for completion of the nuclear test negotiations. “(Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records; for another portion of the memorandum of discussion, see Document 102)
On May 31, the President gave full approval to the following U.S. positions relating to disarmament in the post-summit environment:
- “(4) The United States should maintain its current position on the reduction and control of armaments, and should be prepared to continue participation in the Geneva negotiations on that subject. If the negotiations should prove futile, it should be clearly the responsibility of the Soviets for causing this result.
- “(5) The United States should continue to seek completion of the Geneva negotiations on nuclear testing, but should make clear that these negotiations and the U.S. moratorium on nuclear testing cannot go on indefinitely without decision. The United States should determine at what time or at what stage of these negotiations it should seek to place a time limit on their duration.” (NSC Action No. 2238; Department of State, S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council)