Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume II, Vietnam, January–June 1965

333. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson¹

Washington, June 5, 1965.

SUBJECT

• George Ball’s cable to Taylor

1. Here is George’s outgoing of June 1, and the answer from Taylor and Johnson.² What they say in essence is that they would like to maintain and increase pressure by air attacks as well as by efforts in the South. They would avoid the Hanoi-Haiphong area except for an occasional selected target—and they believe a little more than we do that pain in the North will help bring a change of heart in Hanoi.

2. I share Bob McNamara’s view that we can readily frame a specific program over the next month that will be acceptable to the Embassy without unacceptable risks of escalation. I myself am more attracted than Rusk and McNamara by the notion of an occasional limited attack inside the Hanoi perimeter—probably in the Haiphong port area.

McG. B.

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXXV, Memos (B). Top Secret. The source text indicates that the President saw it.
2. Documents 324 and 328.