Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume VII, Vietnam, July 1970–January 1972

122. Summary of Decisions of a Meeting of the Senior Washington Special Actions Group¹

Washington, February 6, 1971, 10:50 a.m.

SUBJECT

• Southeast Asia Dry Season Campaign

PARTICIPANTS

• Henry Kissinger, Chairman
• State—U. Alexis Johnson; William H. Sullivan; Ambassador Bunker
• Defense—David Packard; Dennis Doolin
• CIA—Richard Helms; Mr. Donahue
• JCS—Admiral Thomas Moorer
• NSC—Col. Richard Kennedy; John Holdridge; W. R. Smyser
• WH Staff—H.R. Haldeman; Ronald Ziegler

SUMMARY OF DECISIONS

1. The press statements on Operation Lamson should include the separate release of the MACV statement and the Ziegler statement² to which a reference to artillery firing from SVN should be added. The statement should read that U.S. artillery support from positions in South Vietnam will be available to the ARVN.

2. The President wanted Pompidou informed in advance consistent with security.

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–79, WSAG (Principals Only) Vietnam 2–6–71. No classification marking. According to the separate minutes of the meeting, it ended at 2:15 p.m. (Ibid.)
2. Ziegler included in a memorandum to Kissinger, February 5, the drafts of a statement to be released by MACV after Thieu released his statement and a statement to be released by Henkin confirming the MACV and Thieu statements. (Ibid., Box H–79, WSAG (Principals Only) Vietnam 2–6–71) On February 9, Zeigler gave a news briefing on Laos. See Public Papers: Nixon, 1971, p. 1221.