Office of the Historian

179. Letter From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Packard) to Acting Secretary of State Richardson1 2

Washington, February 2, 1970

Dear Elliot:

A joint State-Defense-ACDA memorandum for the President has been drafted by our respective staffs to obtain his decisions on various issues which need to be resolved prior to submission of the 1925 Geneva Protocol to the Senate for its advice and consent to ratification.

While not necessarily taking issue with the substance of the draft, Mr. Laird has advised me that, in his view, these issues should be thoroughly considered by the Under Secretaries Committee before being referred to the President.

I accordingly request that you call a meeting of the Under Secretaries Committee to review the draft memorandum and the issues it presents.

Sincerely,

David Packer
  1. Source: Ford Library, Melvin Laird Papers, Box 38, Chemical Warfare & Biological Research, Vol. II, Jan–Dec. 1970, Calendar (1). Confidential↩
  2. Packard requested an Under Secretaries Committee meeting to review the draft memorandum on the Geneva Protocol.↩