Memorandum of Conversation [MemCon] McNamara to Strauss

This document consists of. 3 pageg Number EUR - W.R. SECRET / of copies, a GUTO (Drafting, ficer) DEPARTMENT OF STATE 762.00 Approved in S 7-1964 8/26/61 Memorandum of Conversation 6t CSP 13 DATE: July 14, 1961 SUBJECT: Conversation with Minister Strauss PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary of State Franz Josef Strauss, Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense Roswell L. Gilpatric, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Nitze, Assistant Secretary of Defense General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor, Military Adviser to the President Henry A. Kissinger, Special White House Consultant Dean Acheson, former Secretary of State U. Alexis Johnson, Deputy Under Secretary of State 18 William R. Tyler, Acting Assistant Secretary of State Wilhelm G. Grewe, Ambassador of the Fed. Rep. of Germany The main theme of discussion at the dinner was the thinking and policy of the Federal Republic of Germany with regard to Berlin and the extent to which the German Government is prepared to go in support of the U.S. Mr. Acheson asked Minister Strauss to give his views, which he did at some considerable length, and in line with the thoughts he had already expressed in previous meetings in Washington that day (see memcon of discussion at State Department of same date). The most extensive and intensive part of the conversation related to a question whether the Federal Republic was prepared in the last resort to go all the way in support of the U.S. in the event that the Berlin crisis were to deteriorate to the point where decisions had to be made by the U.S. to take measures which might lead to armed conflict with the GDR and Soviet forces. Minister Strauss was asked flatly whether, in such an event, the U.S. could count on the unqualified and total support of the Federal Republic. On this specific point, Minister Strauss avoided giving an equally clear=cut.reply He stressed again and again that the Federal Republic felt that it was entitled to full participation in Western planning, particularly with regard to military aspects. He said that such participation was long overdue, and he brushed aside the argument that such planning hitherto had been on a working basis only, and that it was first necessary for us to reach our L FORM DS-1254 3-61 SECRET none GPO 908992 cc: See attached list. DI RMIRA destroyed