24. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Rostow) to President Kennedy0
Washington,
March 7,
1961.
SUBJECT
- Situation in Laos as of Task Force Meeting, Tuesday, March 7, 1961
- 1.
- As we have feared, the Communists launched a probing offensive against Phoumi’s men. Without much fight, our boys fell back, apparently beyond the crucial crossroads. It is not yet clear whether Phoumi’s forces have the capacity to rally; nor is it yet clear how vigorously the Communists will exploit the initial breakthrough.
- 2.
- The Laos Task Force meeting,1 in addition to considering certain measures to harden our defensive position in Viet-Nam, Thailand, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, considered a variety of measures which might be taken urgently to maintain morale and to maintain a minimum military position capable of giving us a basis for negotiation of neutralization. None of these seemed promising; but the Pentagon will go to work and we will evidently consider the matter with Admiral Felt.
- Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 3/2/61–3/12/61. Secret. A note on the source text indicates that this memorandum was delivered verbally at 9:30 a.m.↩
- See Document 23.↩