Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume III, Vietnam, June–December 1965

140. Memorandum for the Record¹

Washington, September 13, 1965.

SUBJECT

• Luncheon Meeting with the President, Rusk, McNamara, McGeorge Bundy, Raborn, Ball, Moyers (first half), and Califano²

McNamara informed the President that the JCS had recommended the bombing of SAM sites, airfields having IL-28s and other targets in areas previously restricted around Hanoi and Haiphong and close to the Chinese border. McNamara said he considered this a significant escalation of war against North Viet Nam and believed that it was premature for the President to consider or act upon any such recommendation until we had a better feel for the likelihood of North Vietnamese use of IL-28s and the North Vietnamese and Chicom reaction to any such action. Rusk agreed with McNamara. McNamara also recommended that certain other targets be hit. Rusk was worried about hitting two bridges between Hanoi and the Communist Chinese border indiscriminately and recommended that the action with respect to each of those bridges be limited to one day. McNamara agreed with Rusk and the President approved this decision. McNamara said that he would be back to the President, after study by Adm. Raborn, with a more fully considered view of the recommendations of the JCS.

[Here follow an extensive discussion of South Asia and a short report by Ball on a trip to Europe.]

JA Califano, Jr.
Special Assistant to the President

1. Source: Johnson Library, President’s Appointment File, September 13, 1965. Top Secret. Prepared by Califano.
2. The meeting lasted from 1:16 to 2:20 p.m. (Ibid., President’s Daily Diary) The agenda of the meeting is ibid., National Security File, Files of McGeorge Bundy, Luncheons with the President, Vol. I.