226. Editorial Note
In a letter of September 6, 1966, to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Unger, the Department of Defense requested the Department of Stateʼs concurrence in authorizing air strikes under Rolling Thunder 52. The seven targets comprised three SAM support facilities, two POL storage [Page 618] areas, the Xuan Mai highway bridge, and the Yen Vien railroad yard. (Department of State, EA/VN-Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 72 D 219, Rolling Thunder Memos, 1966) In commenting on the proposal in an undated note to Secretary Rusk, Deputy Under Secretary of State Johnson observed that this was a “substantial reduction in the package McNamara gave you some time ago.” (Ibid.) Regarding the earlier package, see Document 218 and footnote 2 thereto.
Assistant Secretary of State Bundy reviewed the Department of Defense proposal in a September 10 memorandum to Rusk. His reservations about attacking the Yen Vien railroad yard and the Hanoi SAM storage area were concurred in by U. Alexis Johnson in an undated cover note to Rusk and by Ambassador at Large Llewellyn Thompson in a September 12 cover note to Rusk. Thompson also expressed concern about striking one of the POL storage areas. (Department of State, EA/VN-Vietnam Working Group: Lot 72 D 219, Rolling Thunder Memos, 1966)
In a suggested agenda for the Tuesday luncheon scheduled for September 13, forwarded to President Johnson on September 12, Rostow included an item on the bombing of North Vietnam. He indicated that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had recommended additional targets, the Department of State was “resisting on the grounds of escalatory signals and the Rusk-Gromyko talks,” and Secretary of Defense McNamara wanted a freeze “at approximately the present level, with perhaps a few additional targets.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Meetings with the President) No record has been found of the discussion at the lunch meeting on September 13. According to Ungerʼs recollection, summarized in an October 31 memorandum to Acting Secretary of State Katzenbach, it was decided in a conversation between Rusk and McNamara not to proceed with Rolling Thunder 52 either as proposed by the Department of Defense or in modified form. (Department of State, EA/VN-Vietnam Working Group: Lot 72 D 219, Rolling Thunder Memos, 1966)