171. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Parsons) to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Durbrow)1
Dear Durbie: I regret that your letter of April 192 on the General Williams problem has been awaiting reply for all too long. My lack of response has certainly not been any indication of a lack of appreciation for the difficulties which you have faced in controlling that situation, but there did not seem to be anything constructive that we could do about it.
He is to be retired permanently very soon, and the more we thought about it the more we considered it prudent to let his tenure come to the normal end, without attempting to hasten his departure.
His successor, General McGarr, seems to be held in high regard by the people who have known him personally. Although we were somewhat annoyed over the fact that the Pentagon did not see fit to take our counsel in connection with his appointment, we have every reason to hope that he will be a good replacement. Here in FE we will try during our visits with him before he takes off for Saigon to counsel him in a manner which may help him to be a better team [Page 493] member than General Williams was and especially to appreciate the principle that he must be subject to your direction. After we have done everything we can, we will just have to trust that things work out a bit better.
I think there is little question but that the Pentagon, CINCPAC and all concerned are much more convinced now that the type of training which is required in Viet-Nam must take into consideration the need for what might be considered the unconventional aspects. It certainly should meet the requirements for meeting the guerrillas more effectively than has been the case in the past. Of course, we all recognize that there is a political and social aspect to this whole problem to which you have been given your attention and which we continue to hope Diem is taking some steps to correct.
[Here follows discussion of personnel matters.]
I will be taking off with the Presidential party on Sunday,3 but I did want to get this brief word of explanation to you as to why we had not taken more definite action on your letter.
Kind personal regards to you and Emily.
Sincerely,
J. Graham Parsons
- Source: Department of State, Durbrow Files: Lot 68 D 404, Vietnam. Secret; Eyes Only; Official–Informal.↩
- Document 140.↩
- On Sunday, June 12, President Eisenhower began a trip to the Philippines, the Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea. Documentation on these visits will appear in forthcoming volumes of Foreign Relations.↩