BRIEFING OF GENERAL EISENHOWER - 30 AUGUST 1952

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00514464
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 26, 2019
• Case Number: F-2015-02240
• Publication Date: September 5, 1952

� Approved for Release: 2-61-9/08/13 C00514464SECURITY IHFORMM
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5 September 1952
TO: Ur. Becker, Deputy Director/Intelligence
SULtIXT: Briefing of General Eisenhower - 30 August 1952
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1. We* departed frora National Airport by commercial plane at
2210 hours Friday evening, 29 August. 7eLarrived_at_lartuardia Field,
New York, at 2315 where we were met by from the
New York 0/0 Contact Office. He had provided transportation for us to
the Contact Office at 205 East 42nd Street. On_arriva there, we locked
up thecLassified material in the CIA vault. called
also of the Contact Office, and arranged tor him to meet us at
0700 the following morning. We also arranged for a car to meet us at
the. Contact Office at 0700 the next morning to transport us to
60 MorniniAide Drive, General Eisenhower's residence. the car was
arranged for on a CIA contract with a local transportation firm Which
provides a Cadillac with chauffeur. On our way freatthe contact office,
we walked to the airlines ticket office on 42nd Street and arranged for
return reservations the following day.. (It is welX.to keep in mind that
there is more than one airfield in New York. We requested reservations
on a flight leaving LaGuardia and, nfortunatel) on there the
following noon* learned that the reservations had been made on a flight
departing from Idlewild.)
2. 14 next went to the University Club, arriving about 0115 aim.
and thanks to advanced arrangements, we got comfortable
accomodationa. We left the Club the next morning at 0620 by taxi to
return to the Contact Office about a ten-minute trip. On arrival there,
we stopped at an Automat directly across the street for a quick breakfast.
After eating we mat at the Contact Office and picked up the
classified material from the vault. The car was waiting downstairt and
we left for 60 Morningside Drive.
3. Probably- because of the Labor Day weekend, traffic was light,
and it took only about 20 minutes to drive that distance. After an
unhurried trip through Central Park, we arrived at General Eisenhower's
residence at 0730 and were admitted by one of his servants. Mr. Ed Green,
on Ceneral Eisenhower's staff, ..et us and informed us that the General
:as not yet available but he hoped to ;et us on the appointment -calendar
s.or 0745. We waited in the library at. the General's residence and
!ronptly at 0745, the General arrived and we were introduced to him
"the gentlemen from CIA." General Eisenhower then suggested gang
to cn adjoining room to look at the material.
I was accompanied by
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4. I opened the material in the General's presence, called his
attention to the situation map and asked him if he were interested in
revidPing the military disposition of the Soviet. and Satellite armed
forces as portrayed on the map. His one question was, "Has there been
any significant change in the past couple of months?" Since my reply
mass "No," that disposed of the need for a map and probably eliminated
any necessity for bringing a similar map to apy Ware briefing. The
General then sat down and carefully read the briefing material. I
pointed out specifically the review of the Iranian situation which had
been prepared subsequent to the initial compilation of the briefing
material. He completed reading the briefing in about 20 minutes during
which time he made two comments, the first being. on the trade situation
between Japan and ,China. His comment wasp Mince trade is one of our
most powerful weapons, it seems to me that we *mild employ it to its
nazism*. Where are the Japanese going to get their materials if they
can't get them from China?" The other situetion'yihith aroused comment
was the French difficulties in North Africa. lib comment on this situation
being, "If the French don't do something fairly soon, they have �
another Indochina on their hands." His general remarks at the conclusion
of the briefing were, "This does not materialli:thange the impression �
that I already had on most of these iitustionser-4 raised the question '
with the General about his desire for future.041*.briefings. He re�
plied that he wanted future briefings but.not.Migeellarily on an urgent
basis. I suggested that I arrange with.Nr.4reen';tor the time and the
place for future briefings to which the Generikigiled.--The General
expressed his appreciation for the briefing and'Vhenvithdrew to a
breakfast conference.
3. In the subsequent discussions with Nr0Dreen, he pointed out
that the General's schedule would take hiacit'el New York until the
10th of September and that possibly the following weekend would be an
appropriate time for another briefing. The speeific arrangements for
the next briefing will therefore have to be arranged by telephone with
Mr. Green subsequent to the General's return to New York on 10 September. ,
Because of General Eisenhowerls-full schedule, itr. Green suggested that /
a briefing at approximately a twozweek interval would be the most
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satisfactory, with the exception that if CIA deemed any development of :
sufficient significance to be called to General Eisenhower's attention, '
arrangements could then be made for an interim briefing.
6. 7ie then returned to the Contact Office and again secured the
classified material with We left the Contact Office and
attended to personal affairs while Waiting for plane departure time,
and returned at 1130 at which time we again picked up the briefing
material and were taken to LaGuardia Field by the same chauffeur thnt
had taken us to the General's residence. Upon checking our reseamttions
at the airlinea desk, we discovered that our flight was erroneously
scheduled out of Idlewild Instead of LaGuardia. 'Fortunately, tbare were
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25 minutes before scheduled departure time and it was possible to change
our reservations for another flight leaving at approximately 1230 from
LaGuardia Field.
7. We left New York at 1145 and arrived at National Airport at
about 1315. I called the CIA Watch Officer and requested transportation
back to "Que" Building where we arrived at approximately 1340. .I secured
the material and reported the details of my trip to .Later
in the afternoon, I reached by phone and reported that the
mission had been ccopleted. �
8. The mission from start to. finish was as smoothly- coordinated
as any with which I have ever been associated. The representatives at
the 0/0 Contact Office in New York met us upon arrival, arranged for
transportation at the exact time when needed and there was no signifi�
cant delay or unnecessary waiting during the entire trip. .This to me
was very unexpected and unusual considering that all the details had
been arranged with only about three to four hours advance notice.
gIH:3AB
MELVIN I. MTERICKSON
Acting Chief
Soviet Strategy Staff
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