353. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET. Top Secret; Immediate; Eyes Only. Repeated to CINCPAC exclusive for Felt. Passed to the White House, the CIA, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

354. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)

Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Francis H. Rawlings of the Office of the Secretary of State.

355. Memorandum From Senator Mike Mansfield to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vietnam, Memos and Misc.

356. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Aides Files-Bundy, Memos to the President.

357. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos. to the President, McGeorge Bundy. Confidential.

358. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET. Secret; Flash; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Vientiane, Paris, London, and CINCPAC. Drafted by Koren; cleared by Hilsman in draft, by Forrestal, and by Harriman; and approved by Ball. Forrestal sent the following memorandum to Bundy, December 10, describing this telegram:

“I have cleared an unnecessarily lengthy telegram from the Department to Lodge telling him we are against neutralism and want to win the war, and that is why McNamara is coming out. Any conference we might agree to about Cambodia would have nothing to do with neutralism in South Vietnam, and we are now inclined to doubt that circumstances make any conference on Cambodia possible. We are still consulting our allies and will keep in touch with the GVN.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vietnam Cables)

Bundy wrote “O.K.” on the text of the memorandum.

359. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Paris, London, and CINCPAC.

360. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Memos. and Misc. Top Secret. Also published in Declassified Documents, 1975, 174C.

361. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman) and Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff

Source: Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Memoranda of Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Dolores Perruso.

362. Telegram From the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Cables. Secret; Eyes Only. Repeated to the Department of State for Hilsman and the White House for McGeorge Bundy. The time of transmission on the source text is unclear.

363. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 US/McNAMARA. Secret. Received at 5:15 a.m. and passed to the Department of Defense for McNamara at 6 a.m. and to the White House at 6:03 a.m.

364. Minutes of Meeting of the Special Group for Counterinsurgency

Source: Department of State, Special Group Counterinsurgency Files: Lot 68 D 451, Minutes of Meetings. Secret. Drafted by James W. Dingeman who is not listed among the participants.

365. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Mendenhall; cleared by Hilsman, Robert J. McCloskey, Deputy Director, Office of News, Bureau of Public Affairs, and Frank P. Lockhart, public affairs officer in the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs; and approved by Harriman. Repeated to CINCPAC, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, London, and Paris.

366. Memorandum From the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (Carroll) to the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 69-A-3131, Vietnam 381. Secret; No Foreign Dissem.

367. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET. Confidential; Immediate. Drafted by Conlon, cleared by Harriman, and approved by Hilsman. Repeated to Paris for Rusk and to CINCPAC for POLAD.

368. Central Intelligence Agency Information Report

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Memos. Secret, Routine No Foreign Dissem/No Dissem Abroad/Controlled Dissem Background Use Only. A note on the source text indicates this information was acquired in Saigon December 8-14. Forrestal sent this report to Bundy under cover of a memorandum, December 17 which reads as follows:

“The attached is as good a wrap-up on the Vietnam situation as I have seen in the last few days. The President might be interested.” Also published in Declassified Documents, 1975, 57B.

369. Report on the Situation in Long An Province

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71-1-3470, 12/19-12/20/63, SVN Visit. Confidential. Authorship of this report is not given, but a note in Lodge’s handwriting on the source text reads: “By an intelligent American who recently visited Long An and doesn’t want to sign his name.” It was handed to McNamara in Saigon by Lodge.

370. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71-A-4370, 12/19-12/20/63 SVN Visit. Secret; Limited Distribution. Presumably drafted by Lodge who signed it. Sent to Washington in telegraphic form in telegram 1192 from Saigon, December 20. (Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 US/MCNAMARA)

371. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 67 D 54, POL 1 General Political. Secret. Drafted by Joseph W. Neubert, Koren, Conlon, and Montgomery and signed by Hilsman. A note on the source text indicates that Rusk saw this memorandum.

372. Report by the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Special Assistant for Counterinsurgency and Special Activities (Krulak)

Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, Countries Series-Vietnam. Secret. Hilsman wrote the following note on a cover sheet: “This is Brute Krulak’s report, probably TS.”

373. Memorandum for the Record by the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs’ Special Assistant (Sullivan)

Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, Countries Series-Vietnam. Top Secret. A note on the source text indicates this was Hilsman’s personal copy.

374. Memorandum From the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) to President Johnson

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71-A-3470, South Vietnam, McNamara Statement. Secret. The signed original is in the Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Memos and Misc. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, Vol. 11, pp. 494-496.

375. Letter From the Director of Central Intelligence (McCone) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Memos and Misc. Secret.

376. Editorial Note

377. Letter From the Ambassador in Laos (Unger) to the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)

Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files: FRC 69-A-3131, Vietnam 381. Secret. A note on the source text indicates that McNamara saw this letter.

378. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs’ Special Assistant (Jorden) to the Under Secretary (Harriman)

Source: Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 70 D 199, Vietnam 1963. Confidential.

379. Message From President Johnson to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Heads of State Correspondence, General Minh Corres. Secret; Eyes Only. Transmitted to Saigon eyes only for Ambassador Lodge in telegram CAP 63663, which is the source text. The telegram was sent to the LBJ Ranch on December 30 for approval. (Draft telegram from Bundy to the President; ibid.)

380. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET. Secret Flash. Drafted by James M. Montgomery of the Vietnam Working Group, cleared by Forrestal, and approved by Hilsman. A draft of the letter to Minh, a draft of the oral presentation, and a covering memorandum from Rusk to the President were prepared by Mendenhall on December 26. Rusk took the drafts and the memorandum to the LBJ Ranch in Texas on December 27 where the President approved them. Rusk’s memorandum to the President reads in part as follows:

“As a follow-up to Secretary McNamara’s visit to Viet-Nam, we recommend a Presidential message to General Duong Van Minh, Chairman of the Military Revolutionary Council in Viet-Nam, stressing the urgency of action to reverse the adverse trend in the war as well as reaffirming the United States policy of complete support for the Vietnamese Government. At the same time public uneasiness and confusion in both the United States and Viet-Nam necessitate a highly authoritative statement of United States war aims, intentions regarding the withdrawal of military personnel, and policy on neutralization.” (Ibid.)

To meet these two purposes, the memorandum recommended the letter to General Minh and a “supplementary message” to be delivered orally by Lodge.

381. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15-1 S VIET. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Repeated to CINCPAC.

382. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs’ Special Assistant (Sullivan) to the Under Secretary (Harriman)

Source: Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Vietnam-Policy. Secret. William A. Harbin, Harriman’s Staff Assistant, wrote the following note on the source text for Sullivan: “Gov thinks this very good, asks if we should do anything about it now, or just file it?” Sullivan indicated that it should be filed.