293. Editorial Note
On November 5, 1966, Secretary of Defense McNamara flew to the LBJ Ranch in Texas, arriving about 10 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., following a meeting with the President, he held a news conference on the front lawn of the Ranch. (Johnson Library, Presidentʼs Daily Diary) He indicated that in a meeting the previous day (see footnote 1, Document 290) and [Page 805] continuing at the Ranch that day he and President Johnson had reviewed the Department of Defense budget for fiscal year 1968. As a basis for making decisions on the budget, they discussed the situation in Vietnam currently and as it looked “for the months ahead” in comparison to what it had been about a year earlier. “Whereas the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong forces were approaching possible victory some 15 months ago,” Secretary McNamara stated, “I think it is clear to all that today a military victory is beyond their grasp.”
Secretary McNamara then stated that, looking ahead to 1967, the following points seemed clear, barring unforeseen circumstances: 1) draft calls for 1967 would be lower than for 1966; 2) increases in U.S. forces in South Vietnam in 1967 would be substantially less than during 1966; 3) a second cut in the planned annual rate of production of air ordnance, on top of the $1 billion cut already ordered, was a probability; and 4) he expected “that this same trend towards stabilization will govern our air operations, and the deployments of air units to South Vietnam, and the level of our air activities.” Secretary McNamara also indicated that the military situation had improved to the point that additional emphasis could be placed on the rural reconstruction program through shifting more South Vietnamese forces to the effort. For text of the press conference, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966, Book II, pages 1325–1331.