Document
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall
Images (6)
- Része ennek Dean Acheson Papers, Secretary of State Files
Extracted text
OCR Page 1 of 6169
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
339
FOP SECRET
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
December 4, 1950
MEMORANDUM OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
Participants: General Marshall
Mr. Acheson
The Secretary telephoned General Marshall at 11:30
this morning and said that he wanted to discuss an idea with
him and see whether General Marshall thought it would be
worthwhile to have Mr. Dean Rusk and Mr. Kennan come over
and talk with General Marshall about it.
Mr. Acheson said that one of the things that had been
outstanding in the whole Korean situation has been the rather
violent swings of optimism and pessimism which have been
abroad. Sometimes the situation has been on the verge of
success and other times it has been on the verge of disaster.
Now we all think it is on the verge of disaster. Maybe it is,
but perhaps the thing is being made darker than it really is
by this violent swing of the pendulum. The Secretary said he
thought that if there were any chance that by a calm military
analysis, which injected a line more than logic, and had some
of the dogged approach which the British had in North Africa
when things were going badly for them, opinion at the
Pentagon is that there was some place at which there could
be a holding operation, such as a considerable bridgehead
which would extend the enemy and cause him trouble--at any
rate show determination and that we were not giving up when we
did not have to give up - - that might be a better stance before the
world than to withdraw if we did not have to withdraw and then
resort to attacks on China by ourselves. We would have more
support than if we started bombing or blockading China by
ourselves. The Secretary asked General Marshall if he thought
there was anything in this idea.
General Marshall said that he thought there was. We
could tell more about it when we get into the bridgehead and when
we see the shape in which some of the troops get out. There were
indications that the troops in the Northeast have not been severely
DECLASSIFIED
E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E)
Dept. of State letter, 3-16:76
TOP SECRET
By NLT- HC NARS Date 6-15-76
Relations
belongs_to
belongs_to