Memorandum from Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson to President Harry S. Truman, with Attachment

TOP OLCHE crope DICLASSIFIED THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE È. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) WASHINGTON OSD letter, April 12, 1974 By NLT- MC. NARS Date 6.26.75 15 DEC 1949 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Formosa Senator Ferguson called upon me Tuesday to urge the necessity of our defending Formosa. He later prepared the inclosed letter to you, which he requested that I transmit by courier. There is also inclosed, for your information, a summary of General MacArthur's views as given orally in Tokyo last week to Under Secretary of the Army Voorhees. There is now under serious consideration between the State Department and the Defense Department a National Security Council Study on our Asiatic policy. Formosa is one of the important questions involved. The study is about ready for reference to top level consideration - the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, etc. Generally speaking, the staffs agree that efforts should be continued and perhaps increased to deny Formosa. to the Communists. The nature and extent of such efforts are now being considered insome detail for the purpose of defining them more accurately. They include political and economic aid, and also military advice and assistance short of overt military action. It is generally agreed that it is not in our interest to become involved to the extent of placing the American flag on Formosa. The cost and risk, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would be excessive. AND hours Tohns 5 2 Incls. TOP SECRET TS-1400