Office of the Historian

196. Memorandum for the Record1

Washington, May 17, 1962.

SUBJECT

  • Minutes of Meeting of Special Group (CI), 17 May 1962

PRESENT

  • General Taylor, the Attorney General (Items 1, 2, and 3), Mr. Johnson, Mr. McCone, General Lemnitzer, Mr. William Bundy vice Mr. Gilpatric, Mr. Coffin vice Mr. Hamilton
[Page 404]

1. South Viet-Nam

General Lemnitzer made the following points in connection with the South Viet-Nam Status Report of 16 May:2

a.
Neither General Harkins nor he agrees with the concept of diverting four special battalions to a program of research and experimentation. General Lemnitzer is going to take this up with Secretary McNamara
b.
The paragraph in the Status Report on defoliation is not accurate. The facts are that a report is expected momentarily from Viet-Nam giving the results of further tests; based on this, a decision might well be requested to continue with such operations. He pointed out that it has been determined that failures to date were due to incorrect strength of the defoliant and to improper use of the nozzles used in dispensing it. It is believed that these factors can be corrected.
c.
The matter of crop destruction is being looked at further. (Mr. McCone cautioned that care must be taken in embarking on any such program in Montagnard areas.)

General Lemnitzer then gave the Group some highlights of his recent trip to Southeast Asia. Points mentioned were:

a.
The South Vietnamese have a very good training center for Civil Guard and Self Defense Corps companies.
b.
The build-up of defended areas is going well. (In answer to the Attorney Generalʼs question, General Lemnitzer said he was unable to reconcile Homer Bigartʼs article of today3 with these observations. Mr. Kennedy suggested that General Lemnitzer might wish to send a note to the President, pointing out Bigartʼs inaccuracy, if this proves to be the case.)
c.
The Border Patrol Force is working well.
d.
Efforts are underway to produce maps which will indicate more dearly than heretofore the areas controlled by each side.
e.
The village radio system is good. However, there is still a gap to be filled in communications between the central village and its component hamlets.
f.
Relations between the Embassy and the Harkins command are excellent
g.
It would be useful to arm additional numbers of Montagnards.

[Page 405]

Mr. Coffin reported that certain projects, notably those involving the police and radios, are being held up because of a reluctance on the part of the Vietnamese Government to commit local funds. It was agreed that this is a problem that will have to be worked out on the spot.

General Taylor pointed to the necessity of finding a strong replacement for the present USOM Chief as soon as possible.

[Here follow sections on unrelated matters.]

  1. Source: Department of State, Special Group Counterinsurgency Files: Lot 68 D 451, Special Group (C.I.), 1/1/62-7/31/62. Secret. Drafted by Parrott, Executive Secretary of the Special Group (Counterinsurgency).↩
  2. Dated May 16, it was one of a series of status reports on progress made under instructions issued to Ambassador Nolting required by NSAM 111, November 22, 1961. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Status Reports 11)↩
  3. See The New York Times, May 17. 1962.↩