NSC 20/1 originated in response to a request from Secretary of Defense James V. Forrestal for a" comprehensive statement of national policy'" with regard to the Soviet Union, on the grounds that until such a statement was prepared," no logical decisions can be reached as to the proportion of our resources which should be devoted to military purposes.....''(* 1) Drafted by the Policy Planning Staff, this document represented the most complete exposition up to that time of the objectives the policy of containment was supposed to accomplish.