309. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam1
728. Embtel 760.2 No objection your letter to Diem set forth reftel. Re publicizing letters you recall in Deptel 6193 we indicated Diem letter need not be verbatim copy of our suggested draft but should cover substantive points. Therefore we cannot tell what kind of reply we will get from Diem. It is possible that publicizing exchange of letters may not strike right note for world and public opinion. Therefore we reserving judgment until receipt Diem letter.
When you present proposed draft letter you should delete all working commencing “on our mutual concern” and ending “our two peoples can be rightly proud of them”. Reason is that these several sentences contain too much reference to mutuality and international partnership which are not consonant with Diem’s insistence on retaining responsibility for war against Viet Cong plus our own reluctance to bind ourselves this closely in view Saigon press campaign and other recent indications of Vietnamese reserve.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K 00/12-561. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Cottrell, cleared with Harriman and with McGeorge Bundy (in substance), and signed by Cottrell for the Secretary. Repeated to CINCPAC for PolAd and Bangkok.↩
- Dated December 5 and received by the Department of State at 8:32 a.m. that day, it contained the revised text of President Kennedy’s letter which Nolting said he planned to send to Diem on December 6 if the Department did not object. Nolting also said that he planned to raise with Diem the matter of Diem’s reply to Kennedy. (Department of State, Central Files, 751K 00/12-561) For the first draft of the President’s letter, see Document 257.↩
- See footnote 2, Document 257.↩