Memorandum for the Record Authored by Andrew J. Goodpaster

This memorandum records a conversation between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Andrew J. Goodpaster regarding whether plans should proceed for a successor plane to the U-2.

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TOP GEORET TOP 2, 1960 MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD I spoke to the President early this week about the question of whether work should go forward on the successor plane to the U-2. After con- sidering the matter, he said he was inclined to think that it should go forward, on low priority, as a high performance reconnaissance plane for the Air Force in time of war. I suggested it might be useful for Mr. Allen Dulles, Mr. Gates and Mr. Stans to get together to con- sider the matter, and he agreed. He said he did not think the project should now be pushed at top priority. In fact, they might come to the conclusion that it would be best to get out of it if we could. A1- ternatively, they may feel that we have so much invested in it that we should capitalize on this through carrying it forward. I called Mr. Allen Dulles today, and spoke to him in the sense of the above, He said he had been thinking about the matter himself, and agreed to meet with Mr. Gates and Mr. Stans to shape up a view on the matter, and specifically to consider whether the project is worth continuing. b A. J. Goodpaster Brigadier General, USA HOP SECRET DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-204 MR 78-41 #19 By DJH Date 3/4/81 TOP SECRET