Office of the Historian

87. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to the Posts in the NATO Capitals1

Washington, June 2, 1965, 7:27 p.m.

2412. Following points constitute guidance re “Select Committee of Defense Ministers” as proposed by Secretary McNamara at May 31 NATO Defense Ministers Meeting in Paris:2

1.
Question of composition, terms of reference, time and place of meeting are matters for discussion among PermReps and Brosio in Paris. U.S. has suggested that composition be limited to four or five DefMins, [Page 213] since group will be unmanageable if too large. However, U.S. does not want to establish firm position on these points until suggestion has been considered by others and U.S. has had opportunity to study their comments and proposals. Committee would be ad hoc, not a permanent body.
2.
Group—as suggested by U.S.—would have two principal agenda items:
a)
Examination of possible means of improving and extending Allied participation in planning for use of nuclear forces, including strategic nuclear forces. In course of its study, Committee would presumably examine present procedures, established after Ottawa meeting in May 1963, whereby non-U.S. officials participate in planning for use of nuclear forces committed to Alliance and make recommendations as to how these procedures could be improved;
b)
To work out technical means for fast and secure communications among NATO governments so that consultation is practical possibility in event of crisis in which use of nuclear weapons may be contemplated. Agreement that such consultations should take place is already established in Athens Guidelines of 1962.3
3.
Purpose of new proposal is to study how to provide greater degree of participation in nuclear planning for those desiring to participate, in line with general tendency of Allied thinking since Athens Ministerial Meeting in 1962. As McNamara stated, this is additional to whatever action may be taken re ANF/MLF proposals, not in substitution. Hence, Select Committee would not impinge on work of Paris ANF/MLF Working Group.
4.
Select Committee will examine problems and make recommendations; it will not make “decisions” in its own right. Recommendations would presumably be considered at government level by all NATO members and might be discussed at future Ministerial Meeting of Alliance. U.S. recognizes that a committee composed of less than total membership of NATO would not take action binding on others not represented in it.
Rusk
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 4 NATO. Secret. Drafted by Spiers; cleared by Popper, Schaetzel, G/PM, and DOD; and approved by Davis. Also sent to Paris for USRO and to CINCLANT for POLAD.↩
  2. Records of the NATO Defense Ministers meeting, held at Paris May 31–June 1, are ibid., DEF 12 NATO. For text of the communique issued at the end of the meeting, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1965, p. 440.↩
  3. For text of the communique issued at the conclusion of the Athens North Atlantic Council session, May 6, 1962, see ibid., 1962, pp. 541–543.↩