023 Indochina 8–2854
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to the President1
Subject:
- “White Paper” on Indochina
You may recall that in the past you were asked at one or two of your press conferences some details as to what were the facts with reference to requests for, or offers of, U.S. military participation in the Indochina fighting. You replied that you would consider making this information available when this was compatible with the public interest.
As I think I told you, I prepared a memorandum of the facts on this matter, the pertinent portions of which I cabled to our Embassies in London and Paris,2 which took up the matter with the respective Foreign Offices.
The British came back with four or five minor suggestions which are in the main acceptable. The French Foreign Office merely said [Page 1977] that they thought it would be “inopportune” to publish the material until after the conclusion of the EDC debate.3
The result is that as far as the British and French are concerned we would properly be in a position early in September to publish the paper.
I am myself rather disposed to feel that public interest has waned to a point where publication would rather artificially stimulate controversy that has subsided. Therefore, I am inclined to recommend that unless you are again put under pressure in the matter, we should abstain from publication. I thought, however, that you should know that we are in a position as far as the British and French are concerned to publish if you should judge that this was advisable.
- The source text bears the following handwritten notation: “28 Aug. To Sec. State—Approved: D. E.”↩
- See telegram 689 to London, Aug. 3, repeated to Paris as 438, p. 1915.↩
- The British comments were transmitted in telegram 683 from London, Aug. 7. (751G.00/8–754) In telegram 541 from Paris, Aug. 8, the Embassy reported that Prime Minister Mendès-France felt that the release of the statement would not be timely. (751G.00/8–854) Additional documentation on consultations in London and Paris regarding the possible publication of the statement may be found in file 751G.00.↩