January 31–March 8: The Honolulu Conference; Congressional Hearings on the War
58. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Special Assistant (Valenti) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, vol. XLVI. No classification marking. Valenti sent a copy of the memorandum to McGeorge Bundy on February 2 at the Presidentʼs direction.
60. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis. The source text does not indicate the time of transmission; the telegram was received at 3:21 a.m. McGeorge Bundy forwarded the telegram to the President at 11:30 a.m. (Memorandum to the President, February 1; Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President—McGeorge Bundy, vol. 19)
61. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, vol. XLVII. Top Secret.
63. Telephone Conversation Between President Johnson and Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Johnson Library, Recordings and Transcripts, Recording of Telephone Conversation between Johnson and Rusk, Tape F66.04, Side A, PNO 3. No classification marking. This transcript was prepared by the Office of the Historian specifically for this volume.
65. Memorandum From the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (Helms) to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI Executive Registry, Job 80–B1676R, V–1 Vietnam 1966 (Jan.-Feb.). Secret.
66. Special National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Bundy Files, Vietnam Intelligence. Top Secret; Sensitive; Controlled Dissem. The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of AEC, NSA, and the Departments of State and Defense participated in the preparation of the estimate. The estimate was submitted by the Director of Central Intelligence and concurred in by all the members of the U.S. Intelligence Board, except for the Assistant Director of the FBI, who abstained on the grounds that the subject was outside his jurisdiction.
Raborn forwarded the estimate to McGeorge Bundy on February 4 together with a 25-page study, dated January 28, on “The Impact of Intensified Air Attacks Against Economic Targets in North Vietnam,” prepared by CIAʼs Office of Research and Reports in response to a request from the Department of State. (Ibid.)
67. Telegram From the Presidentʼs Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson and Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, International Meetings and Travel File, Presidentʼs Honolulu Conference. Secret. The President and Rusk were on board the airplane en route to Honolulu; see footnote 2, Document 68.
68. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Korea
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted and approved by William Bundy. Also sent to Canberra and Wellington and repeated to Bangkok and to CINCPAC for U. Alexis Johnson.
70. Paper Prepared by Secretary of Defense McNamara and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McNaughton)
Source: Johnson Library, Warnke Papers, John McNaughton Files, McNaughton VII. Top Secret; Sensitive. McNaughton forwarded the paper to McNamara on February 10 under cover of a memorandum stating: “Here is the corrected ‘Honolulu Sheet.’” McNaughton also sent copies to Vance and Goodpaster. A draft of the paper was forwarded to Unger by Blouin on February 12 under cover of a memorandum that called it “a draft of the US/GVN military objectives for 1966 which were developed at Honolulu.” (Department of State, EA/VN-Vietnam Working Group: Lot 72 D 219, JCS Working Papers, 1966–1967)
71. Telephone Conversation Between President Johnson and the Indian Ambassador (Nehru)
Source: Johnson Library, Recordings and Transcripts, Recording of Telephone Conversation between Johnson and Nehru, Tape F66.04, Side B, PNO 4. No classification marking. This transcript was prepared by the Office of the Historian specifically for this volume.
72. Telephone Conversation Between President Johnson and the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
Source: Johnson Library, Recordings and Transcripts, Recording of Telephone Conversation between Johnson and McNamara, Tape F66.05, Side A, PNO 1. No classification marking. This transcript was prepared by the Office of the Historian specifically for this volume.
74. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis. The source text does not indicate time of transmission; the telegram was received at 7:25 a.m. and passed to the White House at 10:30 a.m.
75. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Press Secretary (Moyers) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Confidential.
76. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Burma
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27–14 VIET. Secret; Priority; Nodis. Drafted by William Bundy, cleared by Ball and Bromley Smith, and approved by Rusk. Also printed in Herring, Secret Diplomacy of the Vietnam War, pp. 154–156.
77. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President—McGeorge Bundy, vol. 20. Secret. In a covering memorandum to the President, Bundy indicated that he had written this memorandum on the airplane, presumably while returning from his Asian trip following the Honolulu Conference. (Ibid.) Bundy provided an interim report on his visit to Saigon, during which he discussed “strengthened administrative arrangements with Embassy officers,” in a memorandum to the President on February 11. (Ibid.)
78. Memorandum From George Reedy to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, White House Central Files, Ex CO 312. No classification marking. Reedy served on Johnsonʼs Senate and Vice Presidential staffs and was Press Secretary to the President from March 1964 to July 1965.
79. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (Helms) Files: Job 80–B0125A, Memos for the Record, 01 Jan 65–31 Dec 1972. Secret. Prepared by Helms on February 22.
80. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis. Drafted by Read; cleared by President Johnson, McGeorge Bundy, and Rusk; and approved by Read. Drafts of the telegram with the Presidentʼs handwritten revisions are in the Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, vol. XLVII. Attached to the drafts is a note stating that the President read the telegram to Goldberg and Moyers for their approval while they were in his office on February 21.
81. Telephone Conversion Between President Johnson and Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Johnson Library, Recordings and Transcripts, Recording of a Telephone Conversation between Johnson and Rusk, Tape 6602.05, PNO 8. No classification marking. This transcript was prepared by the Office of the Historian specifically for this volume.
82. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (Helms) Files: Job 80–B01285A, Memos for the Record, 01 Jan 65–31 Dec 1972. Secret. Prepared by Helms on February 23.
83. Paper Prepared by the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, vol. XLIX. Secret.
84. Notes of Meeting
Source: Johnson Library, Meeting Notes File. No. classification marking. Valenti took these notes and Bromley Smith also took notes. (Ibid., National Security File, Bromley Smith Files) The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room.
85. Notes of Meeting
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Bromley Smith Files, Meeting on Vietnam. No classification marking. Drafted by Bromley Smith. For Valentiʼs notes of the same meeting and an attendance list, see Document 86. Helms also took notes. (Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (Helms) Files: Job 80–B01285A, Memos for the Record, 01 Jan 65–31 Dec 72)
86. Notes of Meeting
Source: Johnson Library, Meeting Notes File. No classification marking. Valenti took the notes. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room. The time and place of the meeting is from the President Daily Dairy. (Ibid.) For Bromley Smithʼs notes of the same meeting, see Document 85.
87. Telephone Conversation Between President Johnson and Senator Mike Mansfield
Source: Johnson Library, Recordings and Transcripts, Recording of Telephone Conversation between Johnson and Mansfield, Tape F66.10, Side A, PNO 3. No classification marking. This transcript was prepared by the Office of the Historian specifically for this volume.