313. Telegram From the Embassy in India to the Department of State1
1631. Thach arriving today sees Desai today and Prime Minister tomorrow. I shall not see him except by accident at Desai’s house should latter think it especially useful. I braced Desai to make following points:
- (1)
- The best way to stop any American military involvement in South Viet-Nam is to call off operations;
- (2)
- We want peace in the area;
- (3)
- We have no ambitions in North Viet-Nam and no intention of supporting GVN on any ambitions there. Desai will make sufficiently clear that latter has hands sufficiently full at present;
- (4)
- Our desire for peace presumes no willingness to have a Communist take-over;
- (5)
- Appointment of Harriman whose reputation, position and firm judgment are so well known is manifest of future course of policy.
Desai and I had a general exchange which brought out little that was new. He asked how I would feel if they would proclaim a 5year standstill in the area calling off the infiltration and subversion and using the period to let tensions cool. I said this sounded all right. I gather he will make some such suggestion for what it might be worth. He noted that a total stand-down in Hanoi would not solve all problems, helpful as it might be. I said we were under few illustrations.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/12-761. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to Saigon. Received in the Department at 3:32 a.m.↩