Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1949 - 1951 (Creation)
Level of description
Sub-series
Extent and medium
234 PDF
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The FEC(STAFF) chronological series contains the records of the Financial and Economic Committee - Permanent Working Staff. During its first session on 17th September 1949 the Council Deputies recognized in directive D-1/3 the importance of economic and financial factors in the development and implementation of military plans for the defence of the North Atlantic Area. Consequently the Council Deputies agreed that a working group should be created which would make recommendations to the Council on the appropriate machinery to deal with these matters.The Defence Financial and Economic Committee (DFEC) was established on 18th November 1949 during the second session of Council Deputies. The directive D-1/4 to the Defence Financial and Economic Committee set up the composition of the Committee consisting in one member at ministerial level (Finance Ministers) for every signatory country and stipulated that the new body would report directly to the Council. Its terms of reference included a provision for a Permanent Working Staff (PWS) in London to carry the day-to-day work of the Committee (see FEC(STAFF)D(49)4). The PWS was composed of qualified personnel representing interested countries. The DFEC could delegate its functions to the PWS as it deemed appropriate. The Chairmanship of the Working Staff rotated with that of the Defence Financial and Economic Committee. Mr. R.C. Breithut (USA) was elected Chairman.The functions of the PWS were to formulate and transmit to the Military Production and Supply Board and the Military Committee requests for information and special reports needed for the completion of the DFEC projects, and to elaborate such relevant information to guide and recommend on specific financial and economic issues. The PWS met 40 times before its dissolution in May 1951. The DFEC disappeared as a result of the modification of NATO‘s structure by a decision of the Council Deputies on 3rd May 1951 (see D-D(51)86 Final). The functions, responsibilities and much of the staff of the Permanent Working Staff (PWS) were transferred to the Financial and Economic Board (FEB) on its establishment by resolution of the Council Deputies on 1st May 1951 (D-D(51)121).
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Financial and Economic Committee - Permanent Working Staff series contains records for the meetings and documents by the PWS. Most of the documents originated by the PWS of the DFEC have not survived (i.e. from FEC(STAFF)D(49)1 to FEC(STAFF)D(49)3) and the first 12 meetings of the PWS). Defence expenditures, custom duties on import of armaments, financing high priority defence productions, commitment of funds and arms production in Europe are some of the subjects treated in the records.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The chronological document series created by Financial and Economic Committee - Permanent Working Staff is arranged by type - Document (D), Meeting (M) and then by number.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
NATO publicly disclosed information is available for research and education purposes. Any commercial use requires the written permission of NATO. Please credit the NATO Archives should any documents be used for publication. Guidelines for the proper citation of NATO publicly disclosed information can be found on the NATO Archives website (http://www.nato.int/archives).
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Records were circulated in NATO’s two official languages, English and French.