I. CONSOLIDATION OF THE DIEM GOVERNMENT, JANUARY–MAY 1955: UNITED STATES AND FRENCH TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES IN VIETNAM; CONSIDERATION OF REPLACEMENT OF DIEM; THE SECT CRISIS IN SAIGON; DECISION TO SUPPORT Diem
1. Letter From the Acting Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs (Young) to the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins)
Source: Collins Papers, Vietnam File, Series VII, Z; attached to a letter from Collins to Young, December 31. Secret; Official–Informal.
2. Memorandum From the Chief of the National Security Division, Training Relations Instruction Mission (Lansdale) to the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins)
Source: Collins Papers, Vietnam File, Series VII, L. Secret.
3. Telegram From the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–355. Top Secret; Niact. Passed to the Department of Defense and repeated to Paris.
4. Telegram From the Consul at Hanoi (Corcoran) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–355. Secret. Also sent to Saigon and repeated to Paris by pouch.
5. Telegram From the Ambassador in France (Dillon) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–355. Secret. Repeated for information to Saigon.
6. Telegram From the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–455. Secret; Priority. Repeated for information to Paris.
7. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Operations Coordinating Board’s Special Working Group on Indochina (Young) to the Under Secretary of State (Hoover)
Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 61 D 385, Indochina, General. Secret. Sent through Robertson. Young’s principal job was Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs.
At the suggestion of Robert Cutler, Special Assistant to the President, the Operations Coordinating Board (OCB) established on August 4, 1954, a special working group on Indochina intended to deal with the day-to-day developments in Indochina, particularly in regard to necessary readjustments in U.S. programs in light of the termination of hostilities. (Ibid.: Lot 62 D 430, Minutes) The group consisted of representatives from the Departments of State (chairman), Defense, the Treasury, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Foreign Operations Administration, the U.S. Information Agency, the Bureau of the Budget, and the Operations Coordinating Board.
8. Telegram From the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–555. Top Secret. Repeated for information to Paris.
9. Telegram From the Ambassador in France (Dillon) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–655. Secret; Priority. Repeated to Phnom Penh and priority to Saigon and Vientiane.
10. Telegram From the Ambassador in France (Dillon) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–755. Top Secret; Niact. Repeated priority to Saigon.
11. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–755. Top Secret; Niact. Drafted by Hoey and cleared for transmission by Young. Repeated to Paris.
12. Telegram From the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins), the Ambassador in Cambodia (McClintock), and the Ambassador in Laos (Yost) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5–MSP/1–855. Top Secret. Repeated for information to Paris, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane; passed to the Department of Defense and CINCPAC. In telegram 142218Z from CINCPAC to CNO, January 14, repeated for information to Saigon, Admiral Stump gave his general endorsement to the recommendations in telegram 2636. (Collins Papers, Vietnam File, Series VII, S)
13. Telegram From the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–955. Top Secret; Niact. Repeated to Paris. There is no time of transmission on the source text.
14. Telegram From the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–1055. Top Secret; Priority. Repeated for information to Paris, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane and passed to the Department of Defense.
15. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–1355. Secret. Drafted by Hoey and cleared by Young and MacArthur. Sent also to Phnom Penh, Vientiane, and Hanoi and to Manila and Paris by pouch.
16. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5–MSP/1–1055. Top Secret. Drafted by Young and Hoey and signed by Dulles. Also sent to Paris.
18. Telegram From the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in France
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–1455. Top Secret; Priority. Drafted by Hoey and Fisher and cleared with Sullivan of Defense. Also sent priority to Saigon.
19. Telegram From the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–1555. Secret. Repeated for information to Paris.
20. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Sebald) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–1755. Top Secret. Drafted by Hoey with the concurrences of Young and Sebald at the request of Dulles. A marginal note on the source text indicates that Dulles saw it.
21. Telegram From the Chargé in France (Achilles) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–1855. Top Secret. Repeated for information to Saigon.
22. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State Washington, January 18, 1955
Source: Department of State, FE/SEA Files: Lot 59 D 630, PSA. Top Secret. Drafted by Young.
23. Letter From the Counselor of the Department of State (MacArthur) to the Chargé in France (Achilles)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/2–155. Personal and Secret. According to an attached memorandum from MacArthur to Collins, Young, and Tyler, February 1, the source text is a copy of the original sent to Achilles.
24. Memorandum From the Special Representative in Vietnam (Collins) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/1–2055. Top Secret. This memorandum, better-known as the Collins report, was the focal point of a reassessment of Indochina policy in Washington culminating in the National Security Council discussion on January 27. The report was submitted to the NSC on January 24 with instructions to keep distribution to an absolute minimum on a “need to know” basis. Attached to the report was a 14-page supplement which provided a brief history and analysis of events in Vietnam since the Geneva Accords, tables on costs and basis of U.S. military and economic support, and estimates of possible contingency fund requirements. The supplement is printed in Department of Defense Study for Use of House Committee on Armed Services, United States–Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967, Book 10 (The Pentagon Papers), pp. 865–882.
26. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in France
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–2455. Top Secret; Priority. Drafted by Merchant and Hoey and cleared with Robertson, Collins (in draft), and Dulles, who added the closing phrase “with kind personal regards” and signed it. Repeated for information to Saigon.
27. Letter From the Chargé in France (Achilles) to the Counselor of the Department of State (MacArthur)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/2–155. Personal and Secret.
28. Memorandum of Discussion at the 234th Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, January 27, 1955
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on January 28.
29. Telegram From the Chargé in France (Achilles) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–2855. Top Secret. Repeated for information to Saigon.
30. Telegram From the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in France
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/1–2855. Top Secret. Drafted by Hoey and cleared by Young, MacArthur, Murphy, and Collins and in EUR. Repeated for information to Saigon. Dulles was on vacation outside Washington January 29–February 5. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers, Dulles Appointment Book)