FOREIGN RELATIONS) 1950, VOLUME I


Policy Planning Staff Files
      Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Iebb)'

TOP SECRET                           [WVASHINGTON,] March 30, 1950.
  The enclosed papers are the result of the work of a State-Defense
Study Group pursuant to the President's directive of January 31,
1950, to the Secretary of St-ate and the Secretary of Defense, which
called for a reexamination of our objectives in peace and war -and of
the effect of these objectives on our strategic plans, in the light of the
probable fission bomb capability and possible thermonuclear bomb
capability of the Soviet Union. The longer paper, entitled, "State-
Defense Staff Study",2 has been approved by the Chairman of the
wor~king group,Mr. Piaul H. Nitze, and -by Major General T. H. Lan-
don, aa representative from the Joint Chiefs of Staff ,-The staff study
represents the basic background for the shorter paper, entitled "Draft
Report to the President", which consists primarily of a summary of

the first nine chapters of the staff study, together with conclusions
and recommendations identical to those in the staff study. Although
it is planned that both papers should go to the President, the Presi-
dent's approval will-be sought only for the latter.
  Your written comments are to be forwarded no later than Wednes-
day noon, April 5, to the Secretary, through me, with -acopy to Mr.
Nitze. Keeping in mind the relationship between the two papers, you
should feel free to comment on both to the extent that you consider
your comments will be of assistance to the Secretary. You should per-
sonally prepare these comments. If you feel that you can comment
more profitably by consulting selected members of your staff, please
do so without disclosing to them the,'nature of the conclusions or the
recommendations and without showing the.text to anyone.
   It is imperative that the extraordinary security precautions which
have been observed to date in connection with this study be continued
at least until the President has received the report formally from the

  'This memorandum was addressed to Messrs. Armstrong, Rusk, Kennan,
Butterworth, Fisher, Thompson and//or Perkins, Bohlen,- Barrett, Miller,
Hicker-
son, Byroade,. Thorp, Ambassador at Large Philip C. Jessup, and Raymond A.
Hare (Deputy Assistant Secretary 'of State .fo~r Near Eastern, South Asian,
and
African Affairs).
  2On April 7, the "staff study," with minor changes, was submitted
to President
  Truman as the analysis portion of the Report to the President; for text,
see NSC
68, April 14, p. 234.
  In a memorandum to the Secretary of State dated April 6, Nitze recom-
  mended that the summary here under reference be eliminated as unnecessary
  and confusing. General Landon, Nitze stated, concurred. A corrigendum 
of
  April 7 indicated that the shorter paper was in fact discarded. No copy
of the
  document has been found in ithe files of ;the Department of State. (Policy
Planning
  Staff Files)


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