Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume III, National Security Policy; Arms Control and Disarmament, Microfiche Supplement

55. Memorandum of conference with the President¹

Washington, May 12, 1958

OTHERS PRESENT

• General Twining
• General Goodpaster

This was the first of General Twining’s “periodic” meetings with the President (intended to take place once each two weeks unless there is not enough agenda to justify a meeting).

General Twining first took up the question of the internal organization of the Joint Staff following defense reorganization. He said there is now a chance to set it up on a sound basis. However, there is one view in the Chiefs that the present set-up should be continued simply adding an integrated operational section; others feel that a J-Staff should be instituted, comparable to the staffs the unified commanders now have. He felt that if this step is not taken now, it may never be taken.

The President, after reviewing charts showing alternative patterns, said that the “J-Staff solution” is the way he would do it.

General Twining reported on recent developments regarding the reorganization proposal. General Twining said Congressman Vinson had tried to freeze the joint staff organization in its present form, but Defense is not agreeing to that. The President referred to several recent instances of Defense representatives departing from Administration positions in testimony to the Congress. The Navy is trying to get authorization for twice as many Polaris submarines as approved. Mr. Roy Johnson is opposing the Administration’s proposals regarding the NACA. The President was delighted, however, to see the fine support Admiral Radford had given for the Defense reorganization bill. General Twining added that Admiral Burke has really been doing a good job on the Defense reorganization. His problem comes from the pressures on him from within the Navy.

General Twining then showed the President a copy of a memorandum the Chiefs have submitted to the Secretary of Defense opposing the stopping of nuclear tests. He said the Chiefs of course realized that there are many factors that enter into the question with which they are not concerned, but they felt that the military aspect of the matter is such that there should be no cessation. The President said that if he could get the changes made in the law that he had asked, and could provide information to the United Kingdom, he thought we might very well want to achieve an agreement to stop tests after the present series. For the present, however, he thought we should just be negative on the proposal; after Hardtack, and on the basis of an agreed and effective monitoring system, he thought he would be agreeable to cessation. General Twining said the Joint Chiefs felt this action should be part of a wider package. The President stressed the great importance of getting inspection groups, capable of unimpeded movement, into Russia. Profound consequences could be expected, and we could anticipate extension of such inspection to other phases of disarmament. He repeated that as of now he would not stop the tests.

The President reverted to his comment about organization for outer space activities, and said he was concerned that the top-most officials in Defense do not see the need to be firm on these matters and to stop the free-wheeling testimony now going on. He recalled that Secretary McElroy and the scientists had agreed with him on the assignment of these responsibilities (for other than military applications) to civilian organization. General Twining said it was not clear to him what the point of some of the recent testimony was.

Referring to Defense organization, General Twining said that Defense is not giving an inch on the provision concerning “separately administered.” He said the President’s letters to business leaders are having an effect, as well as is other activity, and grass roots sentiment is showing up heavily in favor of the reorganization proposal. There is an increasing feeling in Congress that Defense will get what the President has proposed. The President recalled that he has felt the Joint Chiefs of Staff should have less and less to do with the administration of the military departments. Instead they should spend their time studying the over-all Defense problems that affect our country. Visits such as those to Puerto Rico and to Quantico were, in his view, highly useful techniques for this purpose.

A.J. Goodpaster
Brigadier General, USA

1. Source: Defense reorganization; nuclear test ban; outer space. Secret. 3 pp. Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DDE Diaries.