137. National Security Action Memorandum No. 1460
TO
- The Secretary of State
- The Secretary of Defense
- The Attorney General
- Director of Central Intelligence
- Director, Bureau of the Budget
SUBJECT
- Improvement of Police Training and Equipment in Newly Emerging Countries
The President is interested in seeking improvements in the equipment and training of police forces, particularly in the capitals and other major cities, of many of the newly emerging countries to assure that they can maintain order without the excessive use of violence. In addition, the President is interested in having a review made of whether the organizational location of technical assistance on police training should remain under AID or be handled in some other manner.
[Page 299]The President would like to have you designate representatives to participate in a study of these two questions under the leadership of the Department of State. As a part of this study he would like to include an examination of the police techniques in the United States, in France, Italy and other selected countries to assure that our technicians are aware and take advantage of the extensive police experience in these capitals. In addition, he would like to have the study avail itself of the work already done by the Special Group (Counter-Insurgency).1
The President wishes to have your recommendations as soon as possible concerning ways to improve the training and equipping of police forces in sensitive areas and what organizational changes, if any, are needed to improve our performance in this field.
- Source: Department of State, S/S-NSC Files: Lot 72 D 316, NSAM No. 146. Confidential. An information copy was sent to General Maxwell D. Taylor.↩
- NSAM No. 124, January 18, 1962, which established the Special Group (Counter-Insurgency) is printed in vol. II, pp. 48–50.↩