48. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson1
Washington,
July
3, 1965, 3:15 p.m.
Since one of the critical variables in Vietnam is the attitude of the Vietnamese toward U.S. troops, we have asked the Embassy in Saigon for a careful review of the evidence on this point to date. That review is coming next week, but in the meantime the mission has sent us a quick assessment2 whose summary judgment is interesting, as follows:
- 1.
- U.S. forces have drawn a variety of local reactions which, overall, are moderate in tone and mildly favorable in content. Criticism expressed so far deals with specific localized incidents rather than broader questions of sovereignty.
- 2.
- There is general recognition of the military need for U.S. forces and respect for their effectiveness and fire power. There is some psychological letdown because U.S. forces have not quickly ended the war, and on the other hand where U.S. forces are solidly emplaced, the residents appear to be pleased with their improved physical security. There have been local episodes of friction, but there have also been reports of village opinion that U.S. troop behavior is better than that of Vietnamese. Intensive Viet Cong propaganda against U.S. presence has not been effective in secure areas, nor has there been any incident of a situation which constitutes a significant hazard to U.S.-Vietnamese cooperation or to effective prosecution of U.S. force missions.
- 3.
- The respect of one service for another probably makes this summary slightly optimistic, but it remains important and encouraging.
McG.
B.