Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1957 (Creation)
Level of description
Series
Extent and medium
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
In the middle of the 1950s, it appeared important to NATO to concern itself not only with political or military issues, but also with civil issues. The aim was to look into the scientific and technical fields which might give NATO the opportunity to employ highly-qualified staff and establish predominance of the West over the Soviet Union in the fields of defence, economy and culture. The report of the Committee of Three (C-M(56)127-REV1), a proposal by the US (RDC(57)53) and the NATO Manpower Planning Committee were all drafted or established along those lines. The Council accepted their views. It approved the setting up of AC/123 (see C-R(57)9) and its terms of reference (AC/123-D/1). AC/123 was chaired by Mr Cullingford (the Chair of the Manpower Planning Committee). The meetings were attended by the Chairs of: -the Defence Production Committee, -the Scientific Working Group on Civil Production, -the Working Group on Trends in Soviet Foreign Policy,-the Annual Review Committee-(but also) by the scientific advisor to SHAPE and consultants from France and the US. The terms of reference of AC/123 stipulated that the working group would:-meet after the meeting of the experts of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) on 11 and 12 March 1957, -base itself on the OEEC report, the activities of the European Productivity Agency and the presentation by the US expert (AC/123-WP/1) in the preparation of its own studies, -decide whether it was preferable for NATO to simply apply the measures advocated by the OEEC, to add to them or to propose its own, -present a report on the topic to the Manpower Planning Committee. The latter would then submit the report to the Council. AC/123 met twice after the OEEC experts meeting. The report was published on 1 April 1957 (see C-M(57)50). On 24 April 1957, the Council approved the recommendations contained in the report (see C-R(57)25), in particular regarding the establishment of a small working group tasked with preparing a conference bringing together experts to discuss scientific and technical cooperation. AC/123 was thus replaced by AC/132.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Documents in the AC/123 series report on the preparation of the Working Group's report to the Manpower Planning Committee.
They contain the terms of reference of the Working Group, the presentation by the expert of the US and a second note by the US on the tasks of the Working Group.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The documents are arranged by type - Document (D), Record/Summary Record (R) and Working Paper (WP).
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
The documents were issued in the two NATO official languages, English and French.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
For more information, see also the notices of:
- the Committee of Three (CT)
- Task Force to consider further action in the field of scientific and technical cooperation. (AC/132).