Office of the Historian

112. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President1

Washington. April 10, 1964.

VIETNAM

I have reviewed the status of our record with Ambassador Lodge. There are two principal matters between him and Washington which are still open.

U.S.-French-South Vietnam Relations

After learning the results of Bohlen’s talk with De Gaulle last week,2 Lodge has said that he feels he can no longer advise Khanh to keep the French Embassy in Saigon.3 Secretary Rusk has asked Lodge to try to stall Khanh’s break with France until after the Secretary has [Page 233] had another go at Couve de Murville at the SEATO meeting in Manila.4

Planning for Military Pressures against the North

Bill Bundy has written Lodge (copy of letter attached)5 explaining the status of our political and military planning and sending him a copy of a draft political scenario to lay the groundwork for action against the North.

Although the Saigon Embassy has expressed interest in mounting cross-border operations into Laos, it is by no means clear that this is Lodge’s idea; nevertheless the matter is being studied both at State and in Defense. Some such operations will no doubt be part of the military plans for pressures against the North.

Follow-up

The Secretary and Bill Bundy, accompanied by General Wheeler, will go to Saigon from the SEATO meeting in Manila to discuss all of the above matters with Lodge. He will have received Bundy’s letter by then and will transmit his comments through the Secretary. The Secretary and Bundy will also be able to discuss with Lodge the French position on Vietnam, which they will have picked up in Manila. Upon their return to Washington they should be in a position to make recommendations to you.

All the other matters raised by Lodge have been or are in the process of resolution in Bill Sullivan’s committee. Lodge’s cables continue to get unusually prompt and responsive attention within the Department.

Mike
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country Series, Vol. VII, Cables and Memos. Top Secret. McGeorge Bundy initialed the memorandum, and an “L” on the source text indicates that the President saw it.↩
  2. See Documents 105 and 106.↩
  3. Reported in telegrams 1916 and 1930 from Saigon, April 7 and 8. (Both in Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S) Both are published in Declassified Documents, 1978, 296C and 296D.↩
  4. In telegram 1620 to Saigon, April 7. (Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S)↩
  5. Document 108.↩