Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, President Harry S. Truman, Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Others

DEPARTMENT OF STATE COPY NO. / OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF 7 COPIES January 12, 1951 17 ARCHIVES RECORDS a to SERVICE MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD Meeting in the Cabinet Room at 10:30 A.M. with the following present: The President Secretary Acheson Secretary Marshall The four Joint Chiefs of Staff The three Service Secretaries Mr. Symington Admiral Souers Mr. Matthews Mr. Lay Mr. Wilson Mr. Rusk Secretary Snyder Mr. Jessup General Marshall read aloud the incoming telegram from General MacArthur. He then said that the Joint Chiefs particularly wanted to ascertain at first hand the state of the morale of our forces and proposed that General Collins and General Vandenberg leave for Tokyo this afternoon at 2:00 o'clock. Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs wish to send a message to MacArthur which General Marshall read aloud. Secretary Acheson pointed out that the message did not seem wholly clear in some respects and General Bradley and General Collins undertook to explain the meaning of the message. General Collins said that the question was not on a decision to evacuate or not to evacuate but of the timing of the issuance of orders to begin the evacuation. Secretary Acheson said he understood from these explanations that it was the intention of the message to conform to the views expressed by the President in his talks with Mr. Attlee. He sug- gested that it might be desirable to give General MacArthur more information on the political bases of American policy. DECLASSIFIED General Collins E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (5) Dept. of State letter, 10.21.77 NL; 79.34 HC HARS Date 2-2-77 for OLUnL