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    "localId": "179018481",
    "label": "Memorandum from Sidney Souers to the National Security Council, with Attachments",
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    "id": "179018481",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum from Sidney Souers to the National Security Council, with Attachments",
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            "logicalDate": "1949-08-04",
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    "seq": 2,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "C O P Y\nDICLASSIF:ED\nDEPARTMENT OF STATE\nE. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E)\nWASHINGTON\nDept. of State letter, Aug 2 1973\n7-5-35\nBy NLT- He , NARS Date 10.2.75\nTRUMAN\nARCHINES\nAugust 4, 1949\nARRICCORDS,\nSERVICE\"\nMy dear Mr. Souers:\nIn accordance with the policy recommended by the National\nSecurity Council, and approved by the President, in July 1948\n(NSC 15/1), the Department has been endeavoring to carry out certain\nrestrictive actions in the field of civil aviation against the\nU.S.S.R. and its Satellites, including Yugoslavia.\nIn recent weeks the Department, in the face of increasing\ndifficulty in fully implementing this policy, reached the conclu-\nsion that review of the policy was desirable and on June 1, 1949\nrequested the Secretary of Defense to secure the views of the Joint\nChiefs of Staff concerning the present validity of the military\nsecurity considerations underlying NSC 15/1. We have now received\na reply from the National Military Establishment which indicates\nthat the Joint Chiefs of Staff believe that the \"containment\" aspects\nof the policy cannot be justified solely on military grounds and\nthat there are military advantages to be gained by such civil air\npenetration of Soviet controlled territory as may be arranged\nthrough bilateral agreements on a reciprocal basis. The Department\ni.s currently studying these views and expects in the relatively\nnear future to present to the National Security Council recommenda-\ntions for the modification of NSC 15/1.\nI believe, however, that a more immediate problem confronts us.\nSince the Tito-Kremlin break, the Department has been considering\nthe possibility of differentiating between Yugoslavia and the mem-\nbers of the Soviet bloc in the application of NSC 15/1 and, based\non the attached analysis of the present situation, has now reached\nthe conclusion that Yugoslavia should be placed in a category\nseparate from the Soviet bloc and exempted from the restrictions\nagainst Satellite operations outlined in NSC 15/1.\nThe urgency of the matter arises from the fact that several\nWestern European Governments have been approached by the Yugoslav\nGovernment with a view to negotiating bilateral civil aviation\nagreements. These Governments have requested our views. We believe\nthat a prompt reply should be given, since the accomplishment of our\npresent policy objectives toward Yugoslavia would be adversely\naffected should it become evident to the Yugoslavs that the U. S.\nGovernment was blocking these negotiations.\nSECRET\n- 1 -"
}