These notes were begun by dictation at the office yesterday July 21 1948 immediately upon my return from this meeting I am completing them at home on the morning of July 22 1948 Meeting with the President July 21 1948 4 00 to 4 15 p m The President greeted us rather solemnly He looked worn and grim none of the joviality that he sometimes exhibits and we got right down to business We were quite a crowd the largest group I have seen in a conference with the President since the summer of 1936 when FDR called a meeting to discuss power pooling the first time inCidentally that the President and Willkie ever met The crowd was my fault Carpenter speaking tor Forresta1 wanted it cut down to me alone tor the Commission But he and Forresta1 and Bush were to speak tor the National Military Establishment I said no it that was the lIne-up the entire Commission should be present As a matter ot tact it I would have yielded Forrestal would probably have had almost as many on hand as he did the Secretaries ot the Army aba AIr FOrce Carpenter his deputy and soon succes or Bill _ and the COBDlli81Jioner o at a lr 01 or chairs I picke a gbt t1 JJQ18dla'te y '1 fl-ont the al a t '1 Ml1 J o 2 July 22 - 1948 that would put this group into the hands of forces that might sweep our desires and wishes away while the tides of force took over I rather think it was one of the most 1Illportant meetings I have ever attended Forrestal got a nod from the President oned at me and said each of us had prepared etting out our positions and the best i 5 July 22 1948 I Even a less experienced gent than I would have known enough at this point not to read aloud our letter to the President so I began by Stating that we regarded the determining issues were not the technical matters which are set out in our letter and which the President could study later The real issue was a verytaroad one of policy involving the factors which the President would weigh in reaching a decision not as Commander of the Armed Forces alone but as Chief Magistrate On these broad policy questions the Commission had little if anything to say except to state that we believed they were conclusive of the question It happens I said that the President of the United States more than any other living man has given thought to these problems of broad policy for three years that the President has studied and thought about these issues since the time he ordered the first bombs dropped through the discussions and fight for legislation providing for civilian control At this point the President interjected with a little grin at me And we're still having to fight to save those principles I continued he had been the sponsor of efforts toward international control For us to feel we could enlighten him on the broad policy question was like trying to teach grandmother how to spin This brought a big chuckle from the President and I could feel the temperatures among the defense establishment gents around me go down considerably 13w I read the provision of the law that laid it the President from time to time could transfer3y weapons under circumstances that he deemed and that we believed that when and required it 7if the President declared such an emergency to exist in his judgment transfer could be made effectively 6 July 22 1948 I 44 This went so badly that Forrestal took over As an old weaponeer yourself he said countering and taking a cue from my crack about teaching grandmother how to spin you know how important it is to get used to handling a new weapon made one last entrance Yea our fellas they let them take out tombs without the hot stuff afraid of a real bomb I guess Royall who was sitting there looking glummer and lummer broke in We have been spending 98 of all the money for atomic energy for weapons Now if we aren't going to use them that doesn't make any sense He said some other things but this was a sample If what worried the President in part was whether he could trust these terrible forces in the hands of the military establishment the performance these men gave certainly could not have been re-assuring on that score He asked whether I wanted to reply - I said no He glanced at the other Commissioners who said nothing and-we-aii-ruse I handed him our letter will read these papers can't make up my mind right off about a thing I'll let you know want as this As we all got into cars at the east b entrance some one said Boy oh boy how Time would like to have a photographer here to go this group Fbrrestal said patting my ann and grinning that likeable grin of his Well Dave the amenities were observed i WP National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu