63. Editorial Note
Under cover of a memorandum dated May 3, 1961, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gilpatric forwarded to President Kennedy for consideration by the National Security Council a paper entitled “A Program of Action To Prevent Communist Domination of South Vietnam,” which had been prepared by an interdepartmental Task Force. Among the paperʼs proposals was the following: “We should consider joining with the Viet-Namese in a clear cut defensive alliance which might include stationing of U.S. forces on Viet-Namese soil.” Such a move “would place the Sino-Soviet Bloc in the position of risking direct intervention in a situation where U.S. forces were already in place.” For text of the paper, see Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, volume I, pages 93–115.