May 5, 1950
U Mr. Webb:
At the Cabinet meeting this morning, the President took up with us two points in regard to the National Security Resources Board.
First, he read us a reorganization plan which he proposes to send promptly to the Congress. This plan does two things. It transfers the functions of the Board to the Chairman of the Board and makes the other members of the Board advisory to the Chairman. In the second place it transfers the Chairman and his functions to the Executive Office of the President. Everyone expressed approval of this Executive order.
In the course of the discussion, John Snyder suggested that after the reorganization plan should go into effect, the President should designate me as the Chairman of this Advisory Board. I was a little at a loss to understand just what this suggestion was about, but said that I would be glad to preside over their meetings if that was agreeable to the members, the President and to Mr. Symington. The President thought that it was a good idea.
After the meeting of the Security Board which followed the Cabinet meeting, I spoke privately to Symington, telling him of this suggestion saying that I did not altogether understand, but that I wanted to do whatever was agreeable to him. He said that he thought he did understand the reason for the suggestion and approved very strongly of it.
Second, the President said that he had been discussing the matter of mobilization legislation of a standby nature, and believed that the most desirable course was to get the legislation in its entirety into draft form and introduce it, if as and when the need for it arose. This matter was discussed at length at the Board meeting and it seemed to be the unanimous opinion, agreed in by Mr. Symington that this was the proper course. Accordingly, I changed somewhat the letter to Mr. Symington which you approved last night, making it shorter and making it coincide with this view.
At the meeting, Mr. Symington pointed out that it would probably not be possible for all of us to be with him in our new advisory capacity or as a board very frequently, and therefore he asked us to designate an alternate who would be responsible for seeing that our functions were attended to.
I told him that I would send him word promptly. I will probably not have time to attend to this before I go. Would you take charge of the matter.
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