357. Memorandum of Conversations0
10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 12, 19621
The President met with Secretaries Rusk and McNamara, Attorney-General Kennedy, Deputy Secretary Gilpatric, Assistant Secretary Harriman, General Lemnitzer, General Taylor, General Carter, Mr. Charles E. Bohlen, Mr. Hilsman, Mr. Bundy, and Mr. Forrestal.
Secretary McNamara described his visits to Thailand and South Vietnam. General Lemnitzer reported on the military situation in Laos and South Vietnam. There was a general discussion of the problems resulting from the capture of Nam Tha and the rapid retreat of the RLG forces toward the Thai border.
The President took no decisions at this meeting, but asked that persons present return at 4:30 for another conference.
4:30 p.m., Saturday, May 12, 19622
Present were: Secretaries Rusk and McNamara, Attorney-General Kennedy, Deputy Secretary Gilpatric, Assistant Secretary Harriman, General Lemnitzer, General Taylor, General Carter, Mr. Charles E. Bohlen, Mr. Hilsman, and Mr. Forrestal.
The Secretary of State, having met with his principal advisers on the Laos situation, reported his belief that it would be wise to “reinvigorate the deterrent” and indicate by acts as well as words that our interest in Southeast Asia and Laos in particular had not diminished during the past year.
He suggested that (a) the units of the 7th Fleet already ordered into the area be given specific instructions on their deployment in Thailand; (b) we re-affirm that our policy towards Laos remained unchanged; i.e., we wanted a restoration of the cease fire and negotiations for a government of national union; (c) take appropriate steps to ensure that General [Page 746] Phoumi was not misled by these actions to think that we were rushing to his rescue; and (d) that the Soviet Union be approached again to determine whether its policy toward Laos had changed.
The Secretary of Defense outlined a suggested plan for the deployment of units of the 7th Fleet. The aircraft carriers Valley Forge and Hancock would be ordered to the vicinity of Bangkok with appropriate escorting vessels. Various airborne units would be alerted in Okinawa and Clark Field in support of this move. The Secretary of Defense cleared with the President the details of the moves, which are more fully described in the command telegrams which were dispatched from JCS to CINCPAC later the same evening.3
The President, after discussion with the other officers present at the meeting, approved the recommendations of the Secretaries of State and Defense and emphasized that he was authorizing only precautionary dispositions of military forces, and that no landings or other military action in Thailand should be taken with respect to the situation until more information was available on the actual situation in Laos.
The President asked that all telegrams from the Departments of State and Defense be coordinated and instructed Mr. Forrestal to follow up on this. He emphasized again that he did not wish to take an actual decision on the actual landing of troops at this time.
- Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/17/62–5/25/62. Top Secret. Drafted by Forrestal on May 23.↩
- According to Kennedy’s appointment book, this meeting began at 10:35 a.m. The President left the meeting at 12:30 p.m. and rejoined it from 1:40 until 3:10 p.m. He then left for Milwaukee at 3:41 p.m. and returned to Andrews Air Force Base on May 13 at 12:25 p.m.. The President immediately flew to Glen Ora, Middleburg, Virginia returning to the White House at 4:51 p.m. that afternoon. Attorney General Kennedy is not listed in the appointment book as a participant. (Ibid., President’s Appointment Book)↩
- According to Rusk’s appointment book, Rusk met with Ball at 4:20, Tyler at 4:55, Forrestal at 6:50, and Harriman at 7:05 p.m. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Book)↩
- See Document 358.↩