117. Editorial Note
On September 16, 1963, David Halberstam reported in The New York Times that there were basic disagreements between the United States and South Vietnam over the strategic hamlet program in the Camau peninsula, and to a lesser extent, in the Mekong Delta. In an article entitled, “Rift With Saigon on War Tactics Underlined by 2 Red Attacks,” Halberstam wrote that U.S. officials in Vietnam were becoming increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of isolated strategic hamlets in areas so long dominated by the Viet Cong, and they reportedly called for an immediate halt of construction of additional hamlets there. Halberstam claimed that the Vietnamese Government was resisting U.S. pressure to consolidate in the peninsula and the Delta and wished to continue to construct small hamlets.
President Kennedy read this article and sent the following short memorandum to Robert McNamara on September 16: “How accurate is this story[?] Is there a split between our military and the Vietnamese on the strategic hamlets in this area[?]” (Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 69 A 3131, Vietnam-1)