Office of the Historian

329. Memorandum of Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman) and the Ambassador to Vietnam (Lodge)1

Washington, November 24, 1963.

SUBJECT

  • North Vietnam

Regarding NVN, Lodge’s idea was that when SVN had made sufficient progress and clearly had the upper hand, we should first get word to NVN, in the form of a plant, that we planned an air strike if NVN did not stop their support of the Viet-Cong, and then develop some method by which, after they were in a fearful mood, direct contact would be made which would get them to stop support in return for our abandoning plans for striking NVN. Lodge believes NVN both fears American air attack and having to call on Red China for support, as NVN feels they would never be able to get Red China out.

Lodge agreed to let me know when he thought an opportunity had come to consider action along the above lines.

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vietnam Cables. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Harriman on December 7.↩