CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT E. MATTESON

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86T00268R000700150006-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 22, 2013
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: January 15, 1962
• Content Type: MEMO

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/22 : CIA-RDP86T00268R000700150006-5
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15 January 1962
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Conversation with Robert E. Matteson
1. ACDA has secured a chemist, Professor Long of Cornell Univer-
sity, to head the Bureau of Science and Technology. Ambassador Beam
will become head of the Office of International Relations. Although
not certain, it is likely that Ambassador Byroade will become head
of the Disarmament Advisory Staff. Mr. Matteson is presently acting
head of this staff and would become Ambassador Byroade's number two
man. Admiral Parker has been named as head of the Weapons Evaluation
and Control Office. Mr. Foster is still seeking an economist to
head the Economics Office. -
2. The US delegation to the 18 Nation Disarmament Conference is
expected to total about 15 professionals and about 7 secretaries and
clerks, although Mr. Matteson is skeptical that it can be kept this
small. The delegation will include one representative from State,
one from the AEC, one from CIA and two from the Department of Defense
(one from the JCS and one from ISA).
3. Mr. Foster was very unhappy about the JCS answer to a series
of questions which he transmitted to them in connection with the
Foster Panel Disarmament Program (ACDA Plan 1). The JCS replied to
the effect that they did not wish to answer the specific questions
and instead confined themselves to highly critical comments about
various portions of the Foster Plan. Mr. Foster has talked to Secretary
McNamara about the JCS answer and Secretary McNamara promised
Mr. Foster that the JCS would answer the specific questions by the
middle of February. Mr. Matteson believes that Mr. McNamara may have
some difficulty getting the JCS to reverse its original decision not
to answer the questions. He speculates that perhaps WSEG or ISA
will do the work and co-ordinate the reply with the JCS.
4. The JCS comments were forwarded to ACDA together with comments
prepared by ISA and signed by Under Secretary Gilpatrick. The ISA
comments were prepared by Mr. McNaughton with the assistance of a
group of consultants which included, among others, Professor Schelling
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of Harvard and Allen Ferguson of RAND (?). These comments were
well balanced and not nearly so negative as the JCS comments.
Mr. McNaughton is prepared to recommend to the Secretary of Defense
the acceptance in principle of parity in strategic delivery vehicles,
with the understanding that the particular numbers now included
in the Foster Plan (1,000 in Stage B, and 500 in Stage C for each
side) would not be taken as gospel.
5. Secretary McNamara, who was away at the time, was dis-
pleased that the Department of Defense reply to the ACDA questions
consisted of two separate and unreconciled parts. Mr. McNamara has
directed that the new reply to be prepared by the middle of February
be a single reply reflecting the views of the Department of Defense.
6. A Background Paper and a Position Paper are being written for
the 18 Nation negotiation to begin in March. The Background Paper
will be a fairly long paper which will give the rationale for the US
negotiating position and will bear a high clasWication plus NOFORN.
The Position Paper will be considerably shorter, bear a lower classi-
fication than the Background Paper (perhaps CONFIDENTIAL or OFFICIAL
USE ONLY) and will be cleared with our Allies. These papers may or
may not go to the Principals. They will be co-ordinated with other
agencies and will go to the Principals only if agreement cannot be
reached at lower levels. If agreement cannot be reached by the
Principals, the issues in controversy will be taken to the President.
7. The Foster Panel is coming in on January 17 to take a look
at the Defense and JCS comments reported on above and to take another
look at the Foster Proposal (ACDA Plan 1) which they produced. It
has been decided that the September 25 US Plan tabled at the United
Nations will be the basic plan to be negotiated at the 18 Nation
Conference. ACDA Plan I will be used in 'bits and pieces" to amplify
the September 25 plan and to make it concrete, to the extent that
agreement on it can be secured within the US Government.
8. Talks with our Allies prior to the 18 Nation Conference will
begin in early February and will be bilateral at first. It is expected
that there will be combined meeting at the end of February at a place
not yet selected, but probably Washington or Paris.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/22 : CIA-RDP86T00268R000700150006-5