Office of the Historian

169. Memorandum From the Naval Aide to the Presidentʼs Military Representative (Bagley) to the Presidentʼs Military Representative (Taylor)1

Washington, April 26, 1962.

SUBJECT

  • Viet-Nam Task Force Meeting, 25 April 1962

Meeting was devoted to a briefing by Mr. Cottrell on his recent 2-day visit to Saigon with General LeMay.2

The main points made were:

a.

There is confusion on both the GVN and US side in Saigon, apparently due to organizational uncertainties. The Ambassador and DCM have had long recent conversations with Nhu and Thuan and are hopeful of some progress in clearing lines of command. Cottrell is mulling over the idea of using lower administrative levels as the point of contact for advice. … Mr. Trueheart (DCM) thought this would be difficult to do in other ministries.

[Page 344]

Cottrell asked Thuan why the GVN had not asked for US advisors per the joint December Memorandum of Understanding.3 Thuan implied concern with past experiences with advisors from Michigan State, and preferred to continue profitable contacts with institutions such as Brookings, who were giving them useful studies. The obvious impression was that there were enough US advisors in SVN without formalizing specific positions.

(There is a renewed State interest in the whole matter of US advice; the extent to which it is needed and the probable results if it is not accepted by the GVN.)

b.
Cottrell is impressed with the execution of air support in SVN, both US and GVN. (This is a complete switch based on his look on the ground and talks with Gen. LeMay.)
c.
Cottrell backs selective defoliation, including against VC crops, and thinks the chemicals will do the job against food crops. (This is also a 180 degree turn resulting from talks with Diem and Trueheart; the reason for his confidence in the chemicals is not clear.) He recognizes some political hazards, but considers them acceptable for the gains involved.
d.
He talked with Mr. Walton, the USOM police advisor. You will recall Walton was very critical last fall of the situation in SVN. He now thinks there is real improvement; the police link with the Surete is good, and equipment and training facilities are improved.
e.
US advisors to Province Chiefs are in place in 11 provinces. Diem is pushing for helos and vehicles for provinces so the chiefs can get around; some have not visited the greater majority of their villages because of the security situation.
f.
Implementation of Staley reforms has produced GVN budget shortages. AID and State are studying this matter to see what can be done. A prime factor is a general let-down in business activity.
g.
In a talk with Gen. LeMay, Diem produced a long shopping list of items desired. Included were jet T-33 aircraft, radars, ULA helicopters for province use, photo processing facility, air photo capability.4

As a separate but related matter, I understand at the JCS meeting 25 April,5 Gen. LeMay said the Army was not employing air support in SVN often enough in routine and set-piece operations though for reaction type missions it is well used. He noted there is significant unused air capacity. He complained that his people could not get by the Chief of Staff (Marine Gen. Weede) to talk this over with Gen. Harkins. (Gen. LeMay talked with Gen. Harkins in Saigon so presumably this matter is resolved.) Reportedly, Gen. Shoup said if the senior [Page 345] Air Force officers in Saigon were not man enough to insist on seeing the Commander on a vital issue we were in greater difficulty there than he had thought.

W.H.B.6
  1. Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-132-69. Secret.↩
  2. LeMay visited Vietnam April 16-21. It is unclear from his report of April 24 which of these days he spent in Saigon. (Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 66 A 3542, Vietnam 1962, 320 thru 370.05)↩
  3. See the enclosure to Noltingʼs letter to Diem, Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, vol. I, Document 307.↩
  4. A summary account of this meeting is in LeMayʼs final report; see footnote 2 above.↩
  5. No record of this meeting has been found.↩
  6. Printed from a copy that bears these typed initials.↩