100. Notes on the Congressional Leadership Meeting1
The President called upon George Ball, in the absence of Dean Rusk, Bob McNamara, John McCone, and Mac Bundy to comment briefly and concisely on the problem currently. He called on Admiral McDonald to comment on the military aspect of the problem currently. He solicited views and opened the meeting to questions. Senator Kuchel questioned McGeorge Bundy briefly by way of clarification of Bundy’s remarks—was nothing unusual, was rather routine. Senator Fulbright engaged in a discussion that involved Bundy and McNamara in which he questioned McNamara on the feasibility of any retaliatory attack or any kind of military action involving the mainland of China. This was…dismissed out of hand. Fulbright prefaced his question by saying “I’m going to ask what I’m sure will be considered a foolish question,” and that was the only spot during the meeting where there was anything in the way of vigorous exchange of views because the President’s advisers answered Fulbright directly and completely and objected to any consideration such as he envisioned. The President in turn asked the…oh, Mendel Rivers posed questions to Admiral McDonald on the military action phase of the problem and asked him for some specifics…hardware and procedures that he felt that could or would be followed militarily. He [Page 226] based his questions for the most part on the previous comments that had been made by McDonald in Rivers’ Committee.2 This seemed to be a pursuit of a subject that had been taken up between the two of them at a prior date. The Speaker commented very briefly by way of stating that the President and his advisors were following the right course and the only course. Carl Albert, George Smathers, and George Mahon were asked if they cared to comment. They declined. The Vice President made a brief comment along the same lines as the Speaker’s comment. Senator Mansfield was asked if he cared to comment. He declined to comment. He had a memo that was in his hand—I sat next to him, and I thought he would comment off the memo, but he apparently decided at the last second not to bring the memo into discussion at the meeting so he placed it in an envelope and gave it to Jack Valenti for direct delivery to the President.3 The President urged the group to avoid any discussion of the meeting, and that if it was learned that a meeting took place, they would have to limit themselves to simply saying it was an informal group of leaders gathered to hear a report from McGeorge Bundy on his trip.
- Source: Johnson Library, President’s Daily Diary. No classification marking. Prepared by Lawrence O’Brien. Attending the meeting in addition to the President, were Senators Mansfield, Smathers, Kuchel, Fulbright; Representatives Boggs, McCormack, Albert, Mahon, and Rivers; McGeorge Bundy, Vice President Humphrey, McNamara, Ball, Admiral McDonald, and McCone; and O’Brien, Valenti, and Watson of the White House Staff. For McCone’s notes of this meeting, see paragraphs 16–20 of Document 99.↩
- Not further identified.↩
- See Document 101.↩