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17 September 1964

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

SUBJECT: Investigation of Facts Surrounding the McNamara/McCone

Interchange Regarding the Thompson Committee Activities

Mr. Rowen, ASD/ISA, directed Colonel Marshall Sanders of his

staff to prepare for Mr. McNamara a chronology of events concerning

the activities of the Thompson Committee with special emphasis on

those incidents which lead to the McNamara/McCone interchange of

16 September. Specifically, Colonel Sanders is to check the following

items:

Was there a clearance problem?

What was Colonel Sanders' understanding as to the timing,

i. e., of the committee's final report?

What was his knowledge of the McCone/Rusk conversations

and exchange of correspondence regarding the McCone trip •

to Europe?

When did he first learn of the 14 September meeting, and what

did he think the purpose of the meeting to be?

5. Why was the meeting held on Monday rather than on the

originally scheduled date of Friday?,

On the evening of 16 September I assisted Colonel Sanders in preparing a chronology which would answer these questions. The attached

memo for Mr. McNaughton was typed iti our office on the 17th . of September and delivered to Colonel Sanders prior to noon.

•

PAUL E.f WORTHMAN

Colonel, USAF

01 :
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF OM=

111. D.C.

•

assimmema, maw maw

17 SeptAmber 1964

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NOMA= FOR ER. HoRAUGRTON

SUBJECT: Significant facts and dates relating to Thompson Committee

activity

I. Current activity of the Committee to consider advisability of

disclosure of information on our program as a result of recent interviews of Benton and Pearson with Khrushobev began with meeting on

6 June 1964.

At a 1T June meeting Committee decided: (a) to surface to members

of Congress CIA SECRET paper on Soviet programs, (b) that RAC would

be a good sauce for briefing on Soviet programs giving only minimum

' infomation on U.S. programs to forestall questions, and (c) that a

white paper should be prepared for contingency use only. (CIA representative Wheelon was cool to any disclosure during first two meetings

but was vrilling to go along with proposal which placed emphasis on

Soviet programs.)

7 July mooting saw shift of emphasis away from briefing key members

of Congress and toward a RAC briefing, including general nature of U.S.

programs, and special treatnont of Cuba problem. DOD assumed task of

preparing briefing material and 'white paper.

At 15 July meeting DOD draft briefing for NAC was reviewed. Comment

by all representatives except CIA.

At 22 July meeting CIA tabled a new draft briefing for RAC on U.S.

program on grounds that DOD draft, as mended at 15 July meeting, was

unacceptable, primarily for security reasons. CIA representative stated

DCI would not permit us to reveal information on our cam program;

Thompson said CIA paper was too thin.

6. During month of August I received several telephone calls from State

on dates I cannot remember. Substance of these calls was to inform me

first, that Er. MOC.0110 had talked to Secretary Rua: and Ambassador Thompson

on the subject of the RAC briefing and that they bad agreedmoe should be

given, but that YecCons had offered to brief heads of state during a • planned trip to Europe; and, second, some correspordonce was going back •

and forth between Musk and HcCone on the subject, presumably dealing • with the question of se= would give the briefing and whit would be included.

.1.•n•n••n•••. •••••••• • •

DOT GRADED AT 12 YEAR MEMO/

ROT AUTOULTICALLY DECLASSIFIED

DOD DIR. 400.10
• .1 VILli

Early 9 September Ray Garthoff *ailed to report that the Committee

would meet Friday, 11 September, to consider revised CIA briefing for .

NIX and DOD draft white paper, and requested we distribute the latter.

Late 9 September I learned from Dr. MaKillan o i office that the meeting

bad been postponed until 1600, Monda y, 14 September. No indication

was given as to urgency of considering these papers to meet an early

departure of Mr. McCaw; indeed, as I recall, no references were made

to a McCune trip during thus conversations.

I learned of DOD receipt of CIA briefing material at Air Force

Association banquet Friday evening, 11 September, and that the material

represented a substantial shift from the CIA previous position. It

proposed a substantial disclosure of our program. I informed-Mr. Rowan

of the briefing material availability in Defense on Saturday afternoon.

Raving no sense of urgency, it was decided to read the DIA briefing

Monday morning, 14 September. This was done and Mr. Bowen and I attended

the meeting Monday afternoon. At this mooting I learned for the first

time of the planned 16 September departure of Mr. :Won*. Also, at this

meeting, when Kr. Rouen raised the point of JCS review of the briefing,

the CIA representative replied that DCI had statutory authority to release

the material.

Throughout the deliberationsof the Committee from the 6 June meeting,

it was always clear to me that no briefing would be given on ear program

without clearance from the principals of the membership of the Committee.

My plan has been to make available for JCS review anything agreed to by

the Committee and referred to the principals for approval.

On the question of timing of the briefing, Committee discussion went

all the way from as soon as possible after the first meeting in June, to

sometime in September, to after the election. State was the only *germ

which pressed for early action, when this seemed to be important.

•

MARSBALL IL SANDERS

Colonel, USAF
S LCC:9.

1

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SUP7.=7CARI t07.7.3 

With respect to paragraph 6, within ncvcral days after the

PI meatinx McCaw" and Rusk hail a conversation in which MeCone

sneziaatott that he brief heaaa o: taste rather than NAC, to which •

Rusk apparently agreed. McCaw followed up with a note to Rusk on

29 Jhly in which be stated "as ,fit have suggested I will be glad to

brief heads of state rather than LAC ".

In a letter to Weems on 24 August Runk reiterated his position

on the advisability of briefing RAC gaze time in September and provided

revised version of briefing material agreed to at the 22 July meeting

which cut to a minimum inters patial an our program, reduced arms

control portion and left portion dealing with Cuba alone.

Over labor Day weekend licCone called Rusk, offering to give

briefing to NAC incorporating material contained in Ruk's 24

August letter.

My conversations with State personnel during August were with ; •

Tom lb►latead and Leslie Brown, both of In.

0••