383. Message From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Taylor) to the President1
Knowing your intense interest in seeing more flags in SVN, I am sure you will want to know that free-world aid personnel in Viet-Nam, in addition to Americans, has now reached the one thousand mark, representing 11 countries. Much material aid has also been received, but I believe this tangible presence of third-country teams complies with your desire to have this aid “as large and visible as possible in terms of men on the scene”.
Third-country personnel are serving all over Viet-Nam, from outposts in southern Delta to Hue in the north. Many, and particularly the Australians, are accepting the same hazards as the Americans, serving as advisors in combat with units down to company level.
[Page 840]The work of our Embassies abroad and the special missions of Ambassador Lodge2 have played a key role in this favorable development. We have reason to hope, from their reports, that we may expect a continuing augmentation of this aid. Details concerning these contributions are being reported routinely and the Embassy is sending to the Department of State a report which will give a breakdown of each contributing nation’s efforts.3
We have attempted to assure that this free-world commitment has been given maximum publicity here and abroad, and we believe the third country presence in SVN is becoming well known and gaining recognition. I am having our information people work with their Vietnamese colleagues to give appropriate publicity to the fact that we have passed the thousand mark.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Exdis. Transmitted as telegram 1174 from Saigon, which is the source text.↩
- Regarding Lodge’s trip to Europe in August, see Document 301.↩
- Not found.↩
- Telegram 1174 bears this typed signature.↩