Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXXIII, Organization and Management of Foreign Policy; United Nations

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

Washington, July 24, 1968, 6:35 p.m.

Mr. President:

While I am away on leave, Brom Smith will manage the office, the flow of intelligence, the Tuesday lunch agenda, etc.

As you know, he is knowledgeable, wise, wholly discreet, and reliable. He works well directly with Secretaries Rusk and Clifford, Dick Helms, etc.

The substantive issues are distributed as follows in the senior staff which is now experienced and used to team-work.

• Ed Fried: Western Europe; NATO; money; trade, including East-West trade.
• Nat Davis: Russia; Eastern Europe (including Czech crisis); UN.
• Bill Bowdler: Latin America.
• Hal Saunders: Middle East plus North Africa.
• Spurg Keeny: Arms control; scientific aspects of weapons. (Works with Bob Ginsburgh on preparations for Soviet missile talks.)
• Bob Ginsburgh: Military and negotiating aspects of Vietnam. Military aspects of NATO and Czech crisis.
• Marshall Wright: Far East in general, plus political-economic aspects of Vietnam.
• Ed Hamilton: Africa; India-Pakistan; aid problems in general.

They will file, via Brom, their memoranda directly to you.

Walt

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Saunders Files, NSC, SIG, IRG. No classification marking. In a March 15 covering note Saunders indicated that the paper consisted of his notes for a presentation to Career Trainees at CIA.