I. Reassessment in Washington and Inaction in Saigon, August 28-September 7, 1963: The Coup Stalls, President Kennedy’s Public Statement, Attempts To Negotiate Nhu’s Removal and Change South Vietnam’s Policies1
1. For documention on U.S. relations with Vietnam during the first part of 1963, see volume III.
31. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Emergency. Drafted by Rusk and cleared with Hilsman, Krulak, and Forrestal. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD exclusive for Felt.
32. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret; Eyes Only; Operational Immediate. The source text is a copy the CIA sent to the Department of State exclusive for Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman. Copies were also sent to the White House exclusive for Bundy and to the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Department of the Army, exclusive for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, and Krulak. Received at the Department of State at 4:47 a.m.
33. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor)
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, Defense Cables. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Repeated to CINCPAC exclusive for Felt. A note on the source text indicates the President read this telegram. The source text is a copy Krulak sent to the White House for Bundy; Krulak also sent copies to the Department of State for Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman; to CIA for Helms; to the Army for General Wheeler; to the Navy for Admiral MacDonald; and to the Marine Corps for General Shoup. A summary version of this cable is printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. 11, pp. 740-741.
34. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Operational Immediate. Received at 7:16 a.m. Repeated Operational Immediate to CINCPAC. Relayed by the Department of State to the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the CIA. Another copy of this telegram has a marginal note indicating that the President saw it. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, State Cables)
35. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Mildred Asbjornson.
36. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Harriman)
Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Mildred Asbjornson.
37. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, White House Meetings, State Memcons. Top Secret; Eyes Only; No Distribution. Drafted by Hilsman. The meeting was held at the Department of State. Krulak’s memorandum of this meeting is printed in United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967, Book 12, pp. 540-544. A brief memorandum of discussion of this meeting by Bromley Smith is in Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda, Meetings on Vietnam.
38. Memorandum of Conversation Between the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman) and the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, Countries, Vietnam. Top Secret, Eyes Only; No Distribution. Hilsman wrote “post mortem” on the first page of the source text. He also attached two pages of fragmentary handwritten notes which are neither decipherable nor comprehensible. They are not printed.
39. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Emergency. Drafted by Hilsman and cleared with Forrestal and in draft with Rusk. Repeated to CINCPAC POLAD exclusive for Felt.
40. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Emergency; Eyes Only. Drafted by Rusk and approved by Hilsman. Repeated to CINCPAC POLAD exclusive for Felt.
41. Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Hughes) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman)
Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, Countries Series-Vietnam. Top Secret.
42. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Immediate. Repeated to CINCPAC. Received at 8:37 a.m. and passed to the White House, CIA, and Department of Defense at 9:01 a.m. On another copy of this telegram there is an indication that the President read it. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, State Cables, Part I)
43. Telegram From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the President, at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, Memos and Miscellaneous. Secret; Eyes Only. Sent to Clifton and Salinger for the President. A note on the source text indicates that Salinger delivered it to the President.
44. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15-1 S VIET. Top Secret; Immediate. Received at 10:59 a.m. Repeated to CINCPAC. Passed by the Department of State to the White House, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and CIA. On another copy of this telegram a note indicates that the President read it. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, State Cables, Part I) According to an attached note by Mildred Asbjornson, September 2, General Carter of the CIA called the Secretary and “urged that no hasty action be taken on this message; that it be discussed in depth at least at the EXCOM level. He said that McCone would be back tonight.”
45. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) and the Secretary of State
Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, Country Series-Vietnam, 8/29/63.
46. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET. Secret; Immediate. The source text is a copy sent by the CIA to the Department of State exclusive for Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman. Copies were also sent to the White House exclusive for Bundy and to the Assistant Chief of Staff (Intelligence), Department of the Army, exclusive for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, and Krulak. Received at the Department of State at 1:01 p.m.
47. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15-1 S VIET. Top Secret; Immediate; Eyes Only. The source text is a copy sent by the CIA to the Department of State exclusive for Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman. Copies were sent also to the White House exclusive for Bundy and to the Assistant Chief of Staff (Intelligence), Department of the Army, exclusive for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, and Krulak. Received at the Department of State at 1:02 p.m.
48. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL S VIET. Secret; Immediate; Eyes Only. The source text is a copy sent by the CIA to the Department of State exclusive for Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman. Copies were also sent to the White House exclusive for Bundy and to the Assistant Chief of Staff (Intelligence), Department of the Army, exclusive for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, and Krulak. Received at the Department of State at 1:02 p.m.
49. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL S VIET. Secret; Immediate; Eyes Only. The source text is a copy sent by the CIA to the Department of State exclusive for Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman. Copies were also sent to the White House exclusive for Bundy and to the Assistant Chief of Staff (Intelligence), Department of the Army, exclusive for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, and Krulak. Received at the Department of State at 7:24 p.m.
50. Interview With the President
Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John E Kennedy, 1963, pp. 650-653. This interview was videotaped at Hyannis Port on the morning of September 2 and broadcast that evening on the CBS television network.
51. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the President
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, Memos and Miscellaneous. Secret. A note on the source text indicates that the President read this memorandum and another note in Clifton’s hand states: “Bundy ready to talk on the phone.” No record of the President’s conversation with Bundy has been found.
52. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman) and the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman)
Source: Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Dolores R Perruso of Harriman’s staff.
53. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor) to the President
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Vietnam, chap. XXIII. Secret. The source text bears a notation that Taylor handcarried the memorandum to the President. Taylor among others saw the President on September 3 for the noon meeting on Vietnam; see Document 54. The signed original of this memorandum is in the Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, Vietnam, Security, 1963.
54. Memorandum of Conference With the President
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Meetings on Vietnam. Top Secret. Drafted by Smith. The meeting was held at the White House. Also published in Declassified Documents, 1982, 649A. A memorandum for the record of this meeting by Krulak is in the National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Vietnam, chap. XXIII.
55. Memorandum of Telephone Conversations Between the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs (Manning) and the President
Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, Countries, Series—Vietnam. Confidential. Drafted by Manning.
56. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret; Immediate. Drafted by Hilsman and cleared in draft by Rusk, Forrestal, McNamara, and Taylor. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD exclusive for Felt. An earlier draft is attached to Document 51. Regarding the preparation of this cable, see Document 54.
57. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Immediate. Drafted by Hilsman and cleared in draft by Rusk and Forrestal.
58. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 S VIET. Top Secret; Immediate. Received at 11:10 a.m. Repeated to CINCPAC. Passed to the White House, CIA, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
59. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 S VIEI Secret; Immediate. Drafted by Hilsman and cleared by Rusk, Harriman, and Bundy. Repeated to CINCPAC POLAD exclusive for Felt.
60. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 S VIET. Secret; Immediate. Received at 5:05 a.m. Repeated to CINCPAC. Passed to the White House, CIA, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.