175. Letter From the Secretary of Defense’s Deputy Assistant for Special Operations (Lansdale) to the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam (Williams)1
Dear General Williams: Prompted by your message, I have replied to Thuan’s letter,2 and would appreciate it if you could get it to him privately. As you can guess, it concerned you. Both he and his boss had a strong request to extend your time past what Durbrow wanted, and also wondered if I understood about the request for my own visit. I am doing a little hand-holding about you in this reply, although any constructive action would be so doggone difficult that I can tip you off privately that I doubt like hell that it can be done. I had hoped to arouse some sporting instinct in a clean way, to prompt some personal messages to you from topside here. I am not sure that I have succeeded. But, some of the people involved have been in and out of town so much that it’s hard to tell.
Personally, I think the best thing of all would be to have you in town while Durbrow is here. Washington is the point of decision on almost everything, not Saigon, while Durbrow is here. Although some of the people here are alert to a few things which have been going on, they are nice people and not used to the sort of things which I suspect will be pulled by some folks who are emotionally involved in thinking that you and Diem and others like you are a bunch of bums who need a come-uppance. As one of you bastards, I get mighty lonely back here.
I also told Thuan about the very little that I know about Lionel Charles McGarr, who is slated to replace you. I know that he was hand-picked by Lemnitzer as the officer closest to you in spirit, but not knowing him at all, I don’t know how close to the mark this actually is. I intend to have some talks with him and only hope that this picture is somewhat true.
The battle about my visit is still being waged behind scenes here. Gates told Nixon, who got angry when he heard about the way State played it. So State is looking to its arguments again. (I am typing this on an electric typewriter myself, and it runs away from me.3)
[Page 502]Nothing at all but rumors on your Ambassadorship. State is running roughshod over the military right now, only most of them in the Pentagon are slow in waking up to that fact. Best thing that happened was the Scty’s Conference at Quantico,4 when one of the top State people made the mistake of telling what State staffers were thinking these days. Sort of shook the boys up and got a few of them mad. This State staff thinking will get worse under most of the folks who have an eye open for Sec State’s job. They want the military to take a seat wa-a-a-ay back in anything to do with foreign aid or foreign countries. Our only hope will be if it’s a race between Nixon and Johnson. The others all practically want us to deal through the UN on foreign problems and give our shirts away. The others have in mind Stevenson,5 Kennan,6 or Nitze7 for Sec State. You might examine the views of these gents.8 Warmest & best, as always,
- Source: Center of Military History, Williams Papers, Lansdale 1960 (136).↩
- In a message of June 17 to Lansdale, Williams stated that Thuan was worried that Lansdale had not replied to a letter Thuan had sent to Lansdale on May 28. Williams remarked that he did not know what was in the letter, but would like to. Thuan’s letter and Lansdale’s reply have not been found. Williams’ message is ibid.↩
- Reference is to typing errors.↩
- Not further identified.↩
- Adlai Stevenson, Democratic candidate for President in 1952 and 1956.↩
- George F. Kennan served as Director of the Policy Planning Staff (1948–1949), Counselor of the Department of State (1949–1950), and Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1952).↩
- Paul H. Nitze was Director of the Policy Planning Staff, 1950–1952.↩
A handwritten postscript reads: “At suggestion of Felix Stump to me, I had Erskine (my immediate boss) suggest to Lemnitzer that you been invited to come to Washington for a visit on your return to the U.S.”
In a letter of reply dated June 28 Williams stated in part: “Under existing conditions I have no desire to remain longer than 31 Aug as CHMAAG. Please do nothing that would indicate to anyone any other view…. In addition to my personal feelings, I’m sure the Army wants my ‘space’ so that promotions can continue to flow. I see nothing to be gained by anyone for me to come to Washington while Mr. D— is there. As you say, the other team is in the saddle and they will certainly attack anything I might say and they would win. They are too powerful. From recent events it is plain to see that your shop can’t stand up against them. Under such conditions I see no reason why I should be thrown to the lions.” (Center of Military History, Williams Papers, Lansdale 1960 (136))
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