National Security Policy
121. Memorandum of Conference With President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Chester V. Clifton Series, JCS/Kennedy 12/62-1/63. Top Secret. Drafted by Clifton on January 10, 1963. A memorandum for the record by Clifton of the same date is attached to the source text. In the same file are several copies of a draft memorandum of the conference prepared by Clifton on January 2, which bear detailed corrections made by each of the Joint Chiefs. Most of these changes are incorporated in the memorandum printed here. McNamara wrote on his copy of the draft that “the ‘minutes’ are not quite in accord with my recollection of the discussion but I see nothing so important as to require change.” A copy of McNamara’s handwritten notes of the conference are in the Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD McNamara Files: FRC 71 A 3470, Palm Beach Notes on JCS Views. Kennedy’s Appointment Book indicates that the President met with the Chiefs only from 10:15 to 10:40 a.m. (Kennedy Library) No record of this conference has been found.
124. Memorandum From Robert Komer of the National Security Council Staff to President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, 508th NSC Meeting. Secret.
125. Record of the 508th Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, 508th NSC Meeting. Secret. The source text bears no drafting information but it is on White House stationery. There are four other accounts of this meeting, which was held in the Cabinet Room of the White House. An undated account labeled “Done by CIA rapporteur” is ibid. See the Supplement. Another, also undated and entitled “Mr. Hilsman’s Remarks at Director’s Meeting,” is in the Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Hilsman Papers, National Security, Hilsman Summary of President’s Views 1/22/63. The other two are cited in footnotes 2 and 3 below. See the Supplement.
128. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Special Group (Counter-Insurgency) (Johnson) to President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Special Group 7/3/62-5/20/63. Secret. Drafted by Thomas W. Davis of the White House Staff and Charles W. Maechling, Jr., Director for Internal Defense in the Office of Politico-Military Affairs, Department of State. NSAM No. 204, November 7, 1962, designated U. Alexis Johnson as Chairman of the Special Group (CI). (Ibid., NSAM 204)
129. Memorandum From the Secretary of Defense’s Special Assistant (Yarmolinsky) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Subjects Series, Missile Gap 2/63-5/63. Secret. Marked “weekend reading.”
130. National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Intelligence File, National Intelligence Estimates. Top Secret; Limited Distribution; Controlled Dissemination. A table of contents and Annexes A, B, and C (30 pages of tables) are not printed. See the Supplement. A note on the cover sheet reads in part: “The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, Defense, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, AEC, and NSA.” The members of the U.S. Intelligence Board concurred except the Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, who abstained because the subject was outside his jurisdiction.
131. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Standing Group Meetings, General 4/63-5/63. Secret.
132. Memorandum From the JCS Chairman’s Special Assistant (Goodpaster) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Nitze)
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, BNSP. Top Secret. Attached to a covering note from Major Smith to Nitze.
134. National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Intelligence File, National Intelligence Estimates. Secret; Restricted Data; Limited Distribution. A table of contents is not printed. For complete text, see the Supplement.
136. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Policy Planning Council and Counselor of the Department of State (Rostow) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 70 D 199, Basic National Security Policy. Secret.
137. Memorandum of Conference With President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Clifton Series, Conferences with the President, Volume II, 2/28/63-9/9/63. Top Secret.
138. Special National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, INR/EAP Files: Lot 90 D 99. Secret. A table of contents is not printed. For complete text, see the Supplement. A note on the cover sheet reads in part: “The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, Defense, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, AEC, and NSA.” The members of the U.S. Intelligence Board concurred except the Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, who abstained because the subject was outside his jurisdiction.
139. Memorandum From the Director for Internal Defense in the Office of Politico-Military Affairs (Maechling) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman)
Source: Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 70 D 199, Internal Defense. Confidential. Attached to a covering note from Kitchens to Rostow and all the geographic Assistant Secretaries. A copy was sent to U. Alexis Johnson.
140. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense McNamara to President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Departments and Agencies Series, Department of Defense Volume V, July-November 1963. Secret.
141. Summary Record of the 517th Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, 517th NSC Meeting. Top Secret. Drafted by Smith. The 21 attendees at this meeting in the Cabinet Room included the President, Rusk, McNamara, Dillon, Robert Kennedy, Seaborg, McCone, Taylor, McGeorge Bundy, Sorensen, and eight members of the Net Evaluation Subcommittee headed by General Leon W. Johnson. (Ibid., President’s Appointment Book)
142. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Policy Planning Council and Counselor of the Department of State (Rostow) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 70 D 199, National Security. Confidential. Other copies are in the Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Subjects Series, Policy Planning 7/63- 9/63, and ibid., President’s Office Files, Rostow 1962-1963.
143. Highlights From the Policy Planning Meeting
Source: Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 70 D 199, Secretary’s Policy Planning Meetings. Confidential. The source text, which is dated September 28, bears no drafting information. No list of participants is given, but they were customarily the Secretary, other principals of the Department, Assistant Secretaries, Bureau chiefs, and the heads or deputies of ACDA, AID, and USIA.
144. National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Central Intelligence Agency Files, Job 79-R01012A, ODDI Registry. Top Secret; Restricted Data; Controlled Dissemination. A more highly classified version of this document is ibid. A table of contents is not printed. For complete text, see the Supplement. A note on the cover sheet reads in part: “The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, Defense, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, AEC, and NSA.” The members of the U.S. Intelligence Board concurred, except the Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, who abstained because the subject was outside his jurisdiction.
145. Draft Memorandum From Secretary of Defense McNamara to President Kennedy
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 218, JCS Records, JMF 7000 (3 Jan 64) Sec 1A. Top Secret. This draft memorandum is Tab II of “Department of Defense Draft Memoranda for the President: Recommended FY 1965-1969 Defense Programs,” dated December 19. Another copy is in Department of State, Central Files, DEF 1 US. An earlier version of the draft memorandum, which was circulated to the JCS for comment, is dated October 9. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 218, JCS Records, JCS 1800/774, JMF 7000 (1 Oct 63))
147. Memorandum From Spurgeon M. Keeny, Jr., to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, Defense Budget 1965 Section 2. Secret.
148. Memorandum for the Record
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Chairman’s Staff Group, December 1963. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Major Smith.
149. 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, Volume I. No classification marking.
150. Summary Record of the 520th Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Meetings File. Top Secret. The source text bears no drafting information.