Office of the Historian

May-June 1961: The Opening Sessions of the Geneva Conference on Laos and the Vienna Summit

81. Paper Prepared for the International Conference on Laos at Geneva

Washington, May 3, 1961.

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 65 D 366, CF 1873. Secret. Drafted by Young and Corcoran; cleared by Steeves, Usher, Anderson (in substance), John P. White of H, and Czyzak; and approved by Rusk. A copy of this paper was attached to an undated memorandum from Rusk which was sent to the President; see footnote 2, Document 4.

82. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to Acting Secretary of State Bowles

Washington, May 6, 1961.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–661. Top Secret. Drafted by Johnson.

83. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Oslo, May 7, 1961, 7 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–761. Top Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Rusk was in Oslo for the Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic Council, May 8–10.

84. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Rusk, at Oslo

Washington, May 9, 1961, 10:45 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–961. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted and approved by U. Alexis Johnson and cleared in substance with Bowles. Repeated priority to Vientiane for Ambassador Brown and priority to Bangkok for Charge Unger.

85. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Geneva, May 11, 1961, 1 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1161. Top Secret; Priority; Eyes Only. Received at 9:23 p.m., May 10.

86. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Rusk, at Geneva

Washington, May 11, 1961, 6:44 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1161. Top Secret; Niact. Although the cable indicates that it was drafted and approved by the President, a copy sent from the White House to the Department of State for transmission to Geneva, which was signed by McGeorge Bundy, indicates only that the President approved this message. (Ibid.)

88. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Geneva, May 13, 1961, 6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1361. Secret; Priority. Repeated to Moscow, Vientiane, and Bangkok.

89. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Geneva, May 14, 1961, 7 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1461. Secret; Niact. Repeated niact to Vientiane eyes only for Ambassador Brown. Passed to the White House for the President at 7:30 p.m. On another copy of this telegram, there was a note that indicated that the President and Bowles discussed this cable. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/14/61–5/31/61)

90. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Rusk, at Geneva

Washington, May 14, 1961, 10 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1461. Secret; Niact; Verbatim Text. Drafted by the President, Bowles, and U. Alexis Johnson, who also approved it.

91. Telegram From the Delegation to the Conference on Laos to the Department of State

Geneva, May 15, 1961, 11 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1561. Secret; Priority. Repeated priority to Vientiane, Moscow, Warsaw, and London, and to Paris, Phnom Penh, Saigon, Bangkok, Ottawa, New Delhi, Rangoon, Canberra, Wellington, Karachi, Manila, US UN, Djakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and priority to CINCPAC for POLAD.

92. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State

Vientiane, May 16, 1961, 11 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1661. Secret; Niact. Repeated priority to Geneva for Fecon and to Canberra, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, London, Paris, Saigon, and CINCPAC for POLAD.

93. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Geneva, May 17, 1961, 11 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1761. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Also sent niact to Vientiane as telegram 39.

94. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Geneva, May 17, 1961, 9 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1761. Secret; Priority. Repeated to Moscow, Vientiane, and Bangkok.

95. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Geneva, May 19, 1961, 2 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1961. Secret; Niact; Eyes Only.

96. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Delegation to the Conference on Laos

Vientiane, May 22, 1961, 3 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–2261. Confidential. Repeated to the Department of State, London, Paris, CINCPAC for POLAD, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Saigon, and New Delhi. The source text is the Department of State copy.

97. Telegram From the Delegation to the Conference on Laos to the Department of State

Geneva, May 24, 1961, 10 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–2461. Top Secret; Niact; Eyes Only.

98. Telegram From the Department of State to the Delegation to the Conference on Laos

Washington, May 25, 1961, 10:27 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–2561. Top Secret; Niact. Drafted and approved by Rusk and cleared by U. Alexis Johnson, McConaughy, and Usher. Repeated priority to Vientiane eyes only for Ambassador Brown and priority to USUN eyes only for Stevenson.

99. Telegram From the Delegation to the Conference on Laos to the Department of State

Geneva, May 27, 1961, 8 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–2761. Top Secret.

100. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom

Washington, May 27, 1961.1

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–2761. Top Secret; Priority; Eyes Only. Repeated to Bangkok, Vientiane, and Moscow for Ambassadors and Geneva Fecon for Harriman. This telegram (apart from Macmillan’s letter) was drafted and approved by U. Alexis Johnson and cleared by McGeorge Bundy.

101. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom

Washington, May 27, 1961.1

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–2761. Top Secret; Priority; Eyes Only. Drafted and approved by U. Alexis Johnson and cleared by McConaughy, Usher, Rusk, Bundy, and the President in substance. Repeated priority to Bangkok, Vientiane, Moscow, and Geneva Fecon.

102. Telegram From the Delegation to the Conference on Laos to the Department of State

Geneva, May 28, 1961, 10 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–2861. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Paris and Vientiane.

103. Memorandum of Conversation

Paris, May 31, 1961, 2:50 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 110, CF 1891. Secret. Drafted by Glenn. This discussion took place at the Elysee Palace. The master records of the President’s State visit to Paris May 31–June 3, are ibid.

104. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State

Vientiane, June 1, 1961, 8 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/6–161. Secret; Niact. Repeated to Saigon, priority to Bangkok, priority to CINCPAC for POLAD, and niact to Geneva for Harriman.

105. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Paris, June 2, 1961, 11 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/6–261. Secret. Rusk was in Paris accompanying the President on his State visit.

106. Paper Prepared by the Head of the Delegation to the Laos Conference (Harriman)

Geneva, undated.

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 110, CF 1906. Secret. Drafted for the President’s meeting with Khrushchev at Vienna and included in a folder entitled “Miscellaneous Substantive.”

107. Memorandum of Conversation

Vienna, June 3, 1961, 3 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 110, CF 1901. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Alexander Akalovsky and approved by the White House on June 23. The conversation took place at the residence and residence garden of the Ambassador in Vienna. Kennedy was in Vienna June 3–4 for a summit meeting with Khrushchev. The complete records of the discussions, along with briefing papers, schedules, and related telegrams and papers are ibid., CF 1900–1906. Documentation is printed in Volume V.

108. Memorandum of Conversation

Vienna, June 4, 1961, 10:15 a.m.–1 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 110, CF 1901. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved by the White House on June 23. The conversation took place at the Soviet Embassy. The time of the end of this meeting is taken from the President’s Appointment Book. (Kennedy Library)

109. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State

Bangkok, June 4, 1961, noon.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/6–461. Secret; Niact. Repeated niact to Vientiane and Vienna for Rusk, priority to Paris, and to Geneva for Harriman and London for Rusk.

110. Telegram From the Delegation to the Conference on Laos to the Department of State

Geneva, June 7, 1961, 9 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/6–761. Secret; Niact; Limited Distribution. Also sent to Moscow and Vientiane and repeated to London and Paris.

  1. The time of transmission is illegible except that it was sent in the “p.m.”; it was probably sent around 10 p.m.↩
  2. See footnote 2, Document 100.↩