Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson

543 DEPARTMENT OF STATE TOP SECRET Memorandum of Conversation DATE: December 16, 1949 SUBJECT: 326 PARTICIPANTS: Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson THUMAN Secretary Acheson : ARCHIVES SERVICE** 'NATIONAL RECORDS AND COPIES TO: 1-1493 This morning I called on Secretary Johnson at my request. I had with me the decisions reached by the Defense Ministers at their Paris meeting on the strategic concept for the defense of the North Atlantic area. I also had the transcript of the record of their proceedings. I said to Mr. Johnson that some uncertainty existed in the minds of some of my colleagues as to what was meant by some of his statements in regard to Paragraph 7(a) having to do with strategic bombing. I told him that the meaning of his statements seemed clear to me but that I wanted to be absolutely sure about it for the reasons which I would give him. I then read him the original text presented by the Military Committee on the subject and also the final text adopted by the Ministers. I said that both texts seemed to be clear and seemed to mean solely that one of the tasks assigned by the concept and assigned to the United States was to insure the delivery in strategic bombing of all weapons. I pointed out that the text did not deal with what weapons should be delivered but provided for the ability to deliver any and all kinds. Mr. Johnson agreed that this was correct. I then went over the transcript with him. I said that putting myself in his position and thinking over the problem which arose DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E) Dept. of State letter, 13.33.25 NOPORCRET By NLT- He : NARS Date 4.25.76