Office of the Historian

107. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson1

Washington, January 7, 1967.

You asked me to look into the qualities of Mr. Idar Rimestad as replacement for Bill Crockett.

I find Rimestad has an excellent and consistent record as an administrative officer. In particular, he did distinguished work in three complex operations; the Moscow Embassy, the Paris Embassy, and setting up ACDA. There is every reason to think that he could do the housekeeping job at State with efficiency, and handle his relations well on the Hill. (In ACDA he had the responsibility of presenting a separate budget.)

[4 lines of source text excised by the Johnson Library under the donor’s deed of gift]

He2 sounds like the right man, if the idea Nick Katzenbach is working out with Secretary Rusk comes to life. That idea is to find a first-rate man to help Nick lead the way in programming systematically the use of resources and personnel in all aspects of foreign affairs. That is not a job which, on the record, Rimestad could handle.

Therefore, I think we have found a good successor to Bill; but Secretary Rusk and Nick should be encouraged to set up soon the coordination of foreign affairs resources.

W.W. Rostow 3
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President-Walt R. Rostow, Vol. 18. Confidential.↩
  2. Rimestad.↩
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩