96. Letter From Secretary of State Rusk to Secretary of Defense McNamara0
Dear Bob: At our meeting on February 25, a record of which is attached,1 we agreed that a review of the basic premises underlying the Military Assistance Program should be initiated without delay while recognizing that the complexity of the problem would require a considerable period of time to assure an adequate product. I believe we should pursue this effort with a view to having at least initial recommendations for our joint consideration by May 1.
I suggest that this matter can be most effectively approached by a joint State-Defense effort. I have asked Mr. Charles Burton Marshall to undertake this and he will be in touch with you in the very near future.
Substantively, I would anticipate that our efforts should address themselves to an assessment of evolving political, economic and military concepts as they relate to a projection of how the MAP should be formulated as to best serve United States strategic interests, including our foreign policy objectives, in the future. As I indicated at our meeting I believe that there are a number of problems in the various geographic areas which require a fresh look, initially uninhibited by preconceptions as to the limitations placed upon us by our past policy posture. As you know, we already have underway a number of studies such as those being conducted by Mr. Acheson on NATO2 and Mr. Berle on Latin America3 [Page 212] which we should be able to draw upon. Similarly the Defense studies which you made reference to, such as those on Local War and Military Bases,4 would undoubtedly make a major contribution to achieving an effective reassessment of the basic promises underlying the military assistance program.
Those and other similar areas of investigation should proceed from the basic policy guidance outlined in my letter to you of February 45 since I view this reassessment of our military assistance program as an essential part of the total long-range study of U.S. military posture to which my letter was addressed.
The full facilities of the Department will be mobilized to provide a prompt but thorough address to this matter, and I am sure that you share an equal interest in having the fullest and most effective Defense participation.
With warm personal regards,
Sincerely,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 700.5-MSP/3-1561. Secret. Drafted by Weiss and retyped in B/FAC on March 14.↩
- Not attached, but reference is to Document 93.↩
- See footnote 1, Document 92.↩
- Documentation on the Latin American task force, chaired by Adolf A. Berle, Jr., is scheduled for publication in volume XII.↩
- Documentation on these two Defense studies is scheduled for publication in volume VII.↩
- Not found.↩
- Printed from a copy that indicates Rusk signed the original.↩