MINUTES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1953

UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C.

The committee met in executive session at 10:30 a.m. in the committee room, to hold its first meeting of the 83d Congress, first session. Present: Chairman Wiley, Senators Smith of New Jersey, Hickenlooper, Taft, Langer, Ferguson, Knowland, George, Green, Sparkman, Gillette, Humphrey, and Mansfield.

The meeting was called as an organizational one.

The subcommittees operating on a consultative basis were continued. Where replacements are to be made, suggestions will be sent the chairman by members of the full committee.

The subcommittee of which Senator Fulbright is chairman, established under S. Res. 74, relating to the U.S. information program, was ordered continued.

It was decided to hold a public hearing Thursday, January 15, at which time Hon. John Foster Dulles, who is to be nominated Secretary of State by President-elect Eisenhower, will be present.

A public hearing will be held later at which Hon. Harold Stassen, who is to be nominated Director of the Mutual Security Agency, will appear.

The committee decided that all Ambassadors, Ministers, Assistant Secretaries of State, and Undersecretaries, will be given an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation before their nominations are considered by the committee.

A Subcommittee on Security Affairs was ordered established. The chairman of the subcommittee was not named.

The present staff of the committee was continued. Mr. Julius Cahn, administrative assistant to Senator Wiley, was added. Mr. Cahn will be counsel to the committee, and will be assigned to the chairman. For record of proceedings, see official transcript.

The committee adjourned at 12:30 p.m.

(1)

REPORT BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE (ACHESON)

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1953

UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in the Committee Room, U.S. Capitol, Senator Alexander Wiley (chairman) presiding.

Present: Senators Wiley (chairman); Smith of New Jersey, Taft, Ferguson, Knowland, Green, Sparkman, Gillette, Humphrey, and Mansfield.

Also present: Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Kalijarvi, Mr. Holt, Mr. O'Day, and Mr. Cahn.

The CHAIRMAN. It has been suggested that we proceed. Senator Smith has another meeting coming up, and if there is no objection, why, we will do so.

This is the 50th time that the Secretary has been before this committee since he became Secretary 4 years ago.

As figured out, 50 times are a lot of times to spend with one committee during that period.

Senator SMITH of New Jersey. The Secretary looks pretty good to me; I congratulate him on surviving the 50th time. Senator GREEN. The committee has also survived.

Senator FERGUSON. Not all the committee, part of it.

The CHAIRMAN. The purpose of this meeting was for us to get fully informed as to the latest developments at NATO, and any other information that the Secretary thinks we ought to have, we will welcome.

After devoting so much of his time out of his life to public service, we understand he is now going back into private practice.

Probably you will find that private practice is a little more remunerative, in many respects a little more pleasant. Anyway, we wish him Godspeed. Mr. Secretary, carry on in your own language and tell us about the developments in Europe when you were last over there. Any of those things that should be kept off the record, you can designate that, and if there is anything that you want to indicate that should be given to the press, why, Dr. Wilcox here will act accordingly, so we will give a little statement of it to the press as to what has taken place here today.

You may proceed, Mr. Secretary.

(3)

STATEMENT OF HON. DEAN G. ACHESON, SECRETARY OF STATE, ACCOMPANIED BY GEORGE W. PERKINS, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS

Secretary ACHESON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I have had a very long and happy relationship with this committee. The chairman mentioned that this was the 50th appearance since I became Secretary of State, but if you added those that went on in the preceeding years, I think there will be very many, indeed, Mr. Chairman, but it has always been a happy and friendly relationship, and it is with sorrow that I see it come to an end now.

DECEMBER MEETING OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL

The chairman has suggested that I give you a report on the situation in NATO, and I assume that he has particular regard to the last meeting of the Council which took place in the middle of December, at which various things were discussed and acted upon.

At that meeting of the Council, although it was not a spectacular meeting, I think it was a most useful one, and one which accomplished some very important results. The treatment of it in the press, I think, was not worthy of the accomplishments of the meeting; it really did more than the general impression which you have received from the press.

The meeting was held at the time it was because at the meeting in Lisbon it had been decided that the Council would try to meet in its full ministerial membership twice and if possible three times a year. We met at the end of February and the early part of March 1952 and then we had not met again in 1952.

We had some doubt as to the utility of the meeting, which would be attended by members of an outgoing Cabinet. However, the Europeans felt it was very important that there should be two meetings, at least, in 1952, and then we considered the problems which would be created for our successors if we had no meeting, and we thought it was much wiser to go forward because, it seemed to us, they would want at least 6 weeks or 8 weeks after they took office before they were taken off to Europe to get into a technical and difficult meeting at NATO; therefore, if we could hold the field for a little while by meeting in December, they had a much better chance of going forward with one in April. So we went ahead with a meeting, and I think it turned out to be thoroughly worthwhile.

THE MEDITERRANEAN COMMAND

We had several important matters which were dealt with. The first one was the Mediterranean Command, and this has been a source of a great deal of difference of opinion and difficulty in NATO; there were all sorts of ideas which were put forward, the British believing that there should be a naval Mediterranean command and a British officer should be the commander-in-chief. They thought that it should not only be a commander-in-chief, but a supreme command just like the supreme command in Europe.