Office of the Historian

168. Memorandum From Robert W. Komer of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)0

McGB—
Washington, May 16, 1963.

I propose to sit on attached Memo for the President1 until I have got it straightened out as indicated below.

For my part, this is a d— bald-faced whitewash and Dave should be ashamed to let it get out of AID. When you add up five pages of words they total “no progress” at all.

[Page 378]

I have called Coffin and told him I’d sit on this report until he and Dave could concert with me on what kind of response they wanted from the President. I’d like to send back a rocket saying in effect this is simply not sufficient progress toward carrying out the NSC 2447 mandate and that more action is needed.

Note also final page on “alternative approaches” to new mix studies. I’d emphatically opt for a new steering group rather than State/DOD consultation, and have told Frank so.2

RWK3
  1. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, NSAM No. 159. Secret.↩
  2. Document 167.↩
  3. In a memorandum to all staff who attended the White House staff meetings, May 17, Bromley Smith wrote that McGeorge Bundy proposed to discuss Bell’s May 13 memorandum to the President at a staff meeting the following week. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, NSAM No. 159) No record of a White House staff meeting discussing Bell’s memorandum has been found.↩
  4. Printed from a copy that bears these typed initials.↩