65. Editorial Note
At 3 p.m. on February 4 a meeting was held in the Embassy in Saigon to discuss the progress of the struggle against the Viet Cong. Members of the Bundy Mission who participated in the meeting were McGeorge Bundy, John McNaughton, Leonard Unger, Chester Cooper, General Andrew Goodpaster, and Jack A. Rogers. Participants from the U.S. Mission in Saigon included Maxwell Taylor, U. Alexis Johnson, General William Westmoreland, James S. Killen, Peer de Silva, Barry Zorthian, Jack A. Herfurt, and Robert H. Miller. A 30-page draft memorandum of the [Page 140] discussion prepared by Miller indicates that the meeting was devoted mainly to two topics: “Viet Cong Capabilities, Now and Future”; and “GVN Capability, Now and Future.” A third topic, “Vietnamese Morale, Civilian and Military,” received brief attention.
During briefings on Viet Cong capabilities, General Westmoreland noted that the Viet Cong were stronger and better organized and equipped than a year earlier, while Peer de Silva noted that the Viet Cong had gained ground in the war for population control but that “people’s action teams” had been developed to counter VC efforts. Discussion focused on infiltration from the DRV, railroad sabotage, and the “people’s action teams.”
Regarding GVN capabilities, briefings and discussion dealt with efforts to improve the ineffective conscription system, army desertions, improvements in RVNAF organization and performance, the harsh treatment of prisoners, press coverage of military operations, pacification at the province level, budget problems, the economic situation, and psychological warfare. (Washington National Records Center, RG 84, Saigon Embassy Files: FRC 68 A 5612, Org. 7 Visits)