196. Message From Richard T. Kennedy of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)1
Tohaig 14. 1. Third wave of strikes has been completed and targets included Hanoi radio. After the strikes a shift was noted to an alternate frequency with a garbled and weak transmission from a different voice. One B–52 was lost during this wave and crashed in the Hanoi area. It was downed by either a MIG or SAM. There will be some Tac Air strikes during the daylight period today but it has not been determined whether these will be LORAN guided or visual. They still have eye on boats and will hit at first opportunity.
2. Present intention is to proceed with full three-day plan. Target list will be expanded somewhat to give greater flexibility in better weather but HAK has emphasized that heavy pressure must be maintained on Hanoi/Haiphong complex.
3. At the WSAG today it was agreed that Alex Johnson would brief the Japanese, British, French, and Australians tomorrow on the status of negotiations. You should know that the full text of the message given to the North Vietnamese today2 has been provided to the two customers.
4. Tomorrow Green and Sullivan will brief the Canadians and Indonesians on status of the negotiations on the ICCS.
5. Senate Democrats are already making expected statements. They are, however, calling for us to go back to the October 26 agreement and Thieu should understand this.
[Page 738]6. HAK has indicated his desire that your plane come directly to Key Biscayne on your return. Present planning is that both he and the President will be there.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1020, Alexander M. Haig Special File, Gen. Haig’s Vietnam Trip, Tohaig/Haigto & Misc., December 17–22, 1972 [3 of 3]. Top Secret; Flash; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The original is the copy approved for transmission.↩
- See Document 185.↩