41. Editorial Note
President Kennedy and a number of his advisers, including Secretary of State Rusk, Secretary of Defense McNamara, Director of Central Intelligence Dulles, and the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, discussed the Congo at a meeting at the White House from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. on March 3. A March 3 memorandum from Department of State Counselor George C. McGhee to Rusk summarized the meeting’s conclusions as follows:
“In the discussions with the President today on the Congo, it was agreed that:
- “(1) The Department and Mr. Stevenson were to continue their efforts to have Mr. Dayal replaced as UN Representative in the Congo;
- “(2) The CIA was to expedite its ‘silver bullets’ program in the Congo.” (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Congo)
Notes of the meeting by JCS Chairman General Lemnitzer add little to this, but indicate that, after discussion of Laos, the President said they should move on to their “next legacy.” Rusk then reviewed the situation in the Congo, speaking critically of Dayal and stating that information was lacking on Gizenga. Dulles stated that the Congolese were unanimous on one point: they would not disarm. (National Defense University, Lemnitzer Papers)