Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume I, Vietnam, 1961
IX. United States Government Consideration of the Taylor Mission Report November 3-15, 1961: Document List
Document 210: Letter From the President's Military Representative (Taylor) to the President
Washington, November 3, 1961.
Source Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Viet-Nam Country Series, Taylor Report A & B. Top Secret. No drafting information is given on the source text, but in his memoirs Taylor states that the letter was drafted by both Rostow and him. (Swords and Plowshares, p. 243)
Document 211: Memorandum for the Record
Washington, November 6, 1961.
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-127-69. Top Secret. Prepared by Bagley; the date on the source text is apparently the drafting date rather than the date the conference took place. The subject matter, the participants, and the course of the discussion suggest that the conference took place November 4.
Document 212: Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Washington, November 4, 1961–6:50 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/10-461. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Wood, cleared with McConaughy and S/S, initialed by Johnson (G) for the Acting Secretary, and repeated to CINCPAC for PolAd.
Document 213: Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs(Johnson) to the Secretary of State
Washington, November 5, 1961.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/11-561. Top Secret. Drafted and initialed by Johnson and sent through S/S. Rusk returned to Washington on November 5 from his trip to Japan.
Document 214: Draft Memorandum From the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) to the President
Washington, November 5, 1961.
Source: Department of State, Bundy Files, 1961 Chron. Top Secret. Drafted by William P. Bundy on November s and attached to Bundy's memorandum of that date to McNamara, in which he asked whether the draft “at least raises the basic points you wanted” and noted that “one possible omission is the issue of nuclear weapons as part of a punitive action.” On the source text are McNamara's handwritten revisions and interpolations, apparently done on November 6 since he wrote November “6” over the “5”. McNamara's changes are described in footnotes below.
Document 215: Editorial Note
Document 216: Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Saigon, November 6, 1961, 7 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/11-661. Top Secret; Niact.
Document 217: Notes by the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)
Washington, November 6, 1961.
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71 A 3470, SE Asia 1961. Handwritten by McNamara. The source text does not indicate whether the views of the Joint Chiefs were communicated orally or in writing, but they may have been given to McNamara by Lemnitzer at a luncheon meeting which, according to Lemnitzer's journal, took place in the Secretary of Defense's dining room at 1 p.m. on November 6. (National Defense University, Lemnitzer Papers, L-419-71)
Document 218: Memorandum of a Conversation, The White House
Washington, November 7, 1961, 10–10:32 a.m.
Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 65 D 366, CF 1990. Secret. Drafted by Talbot and approved in the Office of the Secretary on November 26 and in the White House on December 4. (Kennedy Library, JFK Appointment Books) For Galbraith's account of the conversation, see Ambassador's Journal, p. 248.
Document 219: Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Saigon, November 7, 1961–1 a.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/11-761. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution; Eyes Only. Repeated to CINCPAC for PolAd. Received in the Department of State at 3:30 p.m.
Document 220: Editorial Note
Document 221: Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State
Washington, November 7, 1961, 5:13 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 65 D 366, CF 1990. Confidential. Drafted by Horgan, approved in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Political Affairs on November 17, and in the Office of the Secretary on November 26. The time of the meeting is taken from Rusk's Appointment Book. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Books)
Document 222: Draft Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President
Washington, November 7, 1961.
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 150, Taylor Report on VN. Top Secret. Drafted by U. Alexis Johnson. The similarity between certain sections of the source text and Document 214 suggests that Johnson consulted with William Bundy in the preparation of this draft.
Document 223: Note From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Bundy) to the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)
Washington, November 7, 1961.
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71 A 3470, SE Asia 1961. Secret.
Document 224: Memorandum From Lieutenant Commander Worth H. Bagley to the President's Military Representative (Taylor)
Washington, November 7, 1961.
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-127-69. Top Secret.
Document 225: Editorial Note
Document 226: Draft Memorandum From the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Lemnitzer)
Washington, November 8, 1961.
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 64 A 2382, Viet-Nam 092 Nov. 1961. Top Secret. Drafted by William Bundy on November 8. A handwritten note in the margin reads: “Not used. All other copies destroyed.”
Document 227: Memorandum From the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) to the President
Washington, November 8, 1961.
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71 A 3470, SE Asia 1961. Top Secret. Also printed in United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967, Book 11, pp. 343-344.
Document 228: Draft Memorandum for the President
Washington, November 8, 1961.
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-2~71. Top Secret. No drafting information is given on the source text except for the date, but the memorandum was apparently drafted in the Department of State. Document 230 refers to what apparently is this draft memorandum as the “State SEA Paper”. Moreover, it seems to be an enlarged version of Document 222, which is five pages in manuscript form. A handwritten notation on the source text indicates that it is the “initial draft” of the November 11 memorandum to the President (see Document 234). Another handwritten notation indicates that the source text was discussed at the meeting with the Secretary of State on November 9, apparently a reference to the meeting described in Document 232.
Document 229: Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State
Washington, November 9, 1961, 1:40 a.m.
Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 6s D 366, CF 1990. Secret. Drafted by Horgan and approved in the Office of the Secretary on November 17. The time of the meeting is taken from Rusk's Appointment Book. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Books)
Document 230: Memorandum From Lieutenant Commander Worth H. Bagley to the President's Military Representative (Taylor)
Washington, November 9, 1961.
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-127-69. Top Secret.
Document 231: Memorandum From the Acting Secretary of Defense (Bundy) to the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)
Washington. November 9, 1961.
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71 A 3470, SE Asia 1961. Top Secret. The time of receipt in the Office of the Secretary of Defense is stamped on the source text as 2:20 p.m., November 9.
Document 232: Notes of a Meeting, Department of State
Washington, November 9, 1961, 4:36 p.m.
Source: National Defense University, Lemnitzer Papers, L-216-71. Secret. Handwritten by Lemnitzer. According to the source text, the following people were present at the meeting: Rusk, McNamara, Gilpatric, Nitze, Lemnitzer, William Bundy, Harriman, Ball, U. Alexis Johnson, Taylor, and Rostow. According to Rusk's Appointment Book, he met at 4:36 p.m. on November 9 to discuss Viet-Nam with Ball, McNamara, Gilpatric, Lemnitzer, Rostow, Nitze, Taylor, William Bundy, and U. Alexis Johnson. Harriman joined the meeting at 5:06 p.m. The next appointment shown was a 6:41 p.m. meeting with McNamara alone. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Books)
Document 233: Memorandum From the President's Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Rostow) to the President
Washington, November 11, 1961.
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-628-71. Top Secret. A handwritten note on the source text reads: “Gen. Taylor only-no further distribution.” Neither the original nor any other copy of this memorandum has been found at the Kennedy Library.
Document 234: Editorial Note
Document 235: List of Questions Prepared by the President
Washington, November 11, 1961.
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-642D-71. Secret. Also printed in Declassified Documents, 1976, p. 210F.
Document 236: Notes of a Meeting, The White House
Washington, November 11, 1961, 12:10 p.m
Source: National Defense University, Lemnitzer Papers, L-214-71. Top Secret. Handwritten by Lemnitzer. According to the notes, the meeting was attended by the President, Rusk, U. Alexis Johnson, McConaughy, Robert Kennedy, Cabell, Taylor, Rostow, McGeorge Bundy, Nitze, Lemnitzer, and McNamara. According to the President's log book, he met on November 11 from 11:50 a.m. to noon with Taylor and Rostow and from noon to 1:55 p.m. with Rusk, McNamara, Lemnitzer, and Taylor. (Kennedy Library, JFK Log Books) No other record of this meeting has been found.
Document 237: Editorial Note
Document 238: Memorandum From the President's Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Rostow) to the President
Washington, November 12, 1961.
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Viet-Nam Country Series. Top Secret. Initialed by Rostow.
Document 239: Letter From the Ambassador at Large (Harriman) to the President
Washington, November 12, 1961.
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Viet-Nam Country Series. Personal. Handwritten by Harriman.
Document 240: Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Washington, November 12, 1961, 7:31 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/11-1361. Secret; Priority; Eyes Only. Drafted by McConaughy, cleared in draft with Johnson (G) and the Secretary, and signed for the Secretary by McConaughy.
Document 241: Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State
Washington, November 13, 1961, 10:33 a.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/11-1361. Secret. Drafted by Brown and approved in the Office of the Secretary of State on November 26. The time of the meeting is from the Secretary of State's Appointment Book. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Books)
Document 242: Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
Washington, November 13, 1961, 2:08 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Telephone Calls. Transcribed by Mildred Asbjornson of the Office of the Secretary.
Document 243: Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State
Washington, November 13, 1961, 3:16 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Secretary's Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 330, November 1961. Secret. Drafted by Cross on November 24 and approved in the Office of the Secretary on December 1. The time and location of the meeting are taken from the Rusk Appointment Book in the Johnson Library.
Document 244: Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the President's Military Representative (Taylor)
Washington, November 13, 1961, 15:37 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Telephone Calls. Transcribed by Phyllis D. Bernau of the Office of the Secretary.
Document 245: Memorandum From the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Lemnitzer)
Washington, November 13, 1961.
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71 A 3470, Southeast Asia 1961.
Document 246: Memorandum From the Secretary of Defense (McNamara) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Lemnitzer)
Washington, November 13, 1961.
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, McNamara Files: FRC 71 A 3470, Southeast Asia 1961. Top Secret.
Document 247: Draft National Security Action Memorandum
Washington, November 13, 1961.
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Viet-Nam Country Series. Top Secret. Attached to the source text is a memorandum of November 13 from Bromley Smith to the National Security Council that reported that the draft NSAM was being circulated for discussion in connection with an NSC meeting scheduled for 10 a.m., November 15.
Document 248: Letter From Prime Minister Nu to President Kennedy
Rangoon, November 13, 1961.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/11-1861. Attached to the source text is a copy of a brief memorandum of transmittal from Battle to Bundy, November 18, indicating that it was the signed original of the Prime Minister's letter. settle already apparently sent Bundy a copy of telegram 380 from Rangoon, November 14, containing the text of the letter. (Ibid., 751K.00/11-1461) A note on the Department of state s copy of telegram 380 indicates that it was passed to the White House at 1121 a.m. on November 15.
Document 249: Memorandum From the Deputy Director of the Viet-Nam Task Force (Wood) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Steeves)
Washington, November 14, 1961.
Source: Department of State, Viet-Nam Task Force Files: Lot 66 D 193, 1-A2-Briefing Papers GVN 1961. Secret. Drafted by Heavner and sent to Steeves through Anderson.
Document 250: Memorandum From Robert H. Johnson of the National Security Council Staff to the President's Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Rostow)
Washington, November 14, 1961.
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Viet-Nam Country Series. Top Secret. A note on the source text indicates that a copy was also sent to McGeorge Bundy.
Document 251: Memorandum From the President's Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Rostow) to the President
Washington, November 14, 1961.
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Viet-Nam Country Series. Initialed by Rostow.
Document 252: Memorandum From the President to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)
Washington, November 14, 1961.
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Viet-Nam Country Series. The source text bears the following handwritten notation by Bundy: “used by President as talking paper Nov. 14 P M-before NSC. MGB”
Document 253: Memorandum From the President's Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the President
Washington, November 15, 1961.
Source: Kennedy Library, Sorensen Papers, Vietnam. Top Secret.
Document 254: Notes on the National Security Council Meeting
Washington, November 15, 1961, 10 a.m.
Source: Johnson Library, Vice Presidential Security File, National Security Council (11). Top Secret. The drafter is not indicated, but it was probably Howard L. Burris, the Vice President's military aide. According to the President's log, the following people, in addition to the President, attended the meeting: Byron R. White, Acting Attorney General; David E. Bell; Allen W. Dulles; John A. McCone; Robert S. McNamara; Roswell L. Gilpatric; Paul Nitze; William P. Bundy; Lyman L. Lemnitzer; Edward A. McDermott; Dean Rusk; Fowler Hamilton, U. Alexis Johnson, George C. McGhee; Walter P. McConaughy; Henry H. Fowler; Edward R. Murrow, McGeorge Bundy; Walt R. Rostow; Maxwell Taylor; Chester V. Clifton; Theodore C. Sorensen; Howard L. Burris; and Bromley Smith. (Kennedy Library; JFK Log, Book 11) From the notes themselves it is evident that Robert Amory was also present.
Document 255: Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Saigon, November 15, 1961, 7 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/11-1561. Secret; Priority; Eyes Only. Received in the Department of State at 10:29 a.m.
Document 256: Memorandum From the President's Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the President
Washington, November 15, 1961.
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Viet-Nam Country Series. Top Secret.