Southeast Asia Region
1. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Steeves) to Secretary of State-Designate Rusk’s Liaison (McGhee)
Source: Department of State, FE/SEA/Laos Files: Lot 65 D 169, 320.1 SEATO, Jan.–Feb. 1961. Secret.
2. Brief Prepared in the Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 64 A 2382, Asia 000.1. Secret. Attached to a transmittal memorandum from Major General Robert A. Breitweiser, Director for Intelligence, the Joint Staff, to Secretary of Defense McNamara, which indicates that the U.S. Intelligence Board approved NIE 50–61 on March 28. A note on the memorandum indicates that Lieutenant General John A. Dabney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of ISA, saw it. The full text of NIE 50–61 is in Department of State, INR/EAP Files: Lot 90 D 165, NIE 50–61.
3. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/3–2861. Secret; Niact. Rusk was attending the Seventh Meeting of the SEATO Council in Bangkok March 27–29.
5. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to the Under Secretary of State (Bowles)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.00/6–2461. Confidential. Initialed by Johnson.
7. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 379/8–2261. Top Secret. Repeated to Canberra, Paris, Wellington, Karachi, Manila, London, New Delhi, Rangoon, Saigon, Vientiane, Geneva, CINCPAC, and CINCPACPOLAD.
8. Memorandum From Robert H. Johnson of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Rostow)
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Regional Security Series, SEATO, General, 1961. Secret. Initialed by Rostow.
9. Memorandum From the SEATO Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs (Peters) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.5/9–1861. Secret.
10. Memorandum From the SEATO Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs (Peters) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.5/9–1961. Secret.
11. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.5/9–2661. Secret. Initialed by Rusk. For additional documentation, see Documents 433 and 435.
12. Letter From the President’s Special Representative and Adviser on Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Bowles) to the Representative to the United Nations (Stevenson)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.00/10–761. Secret.
13. Memorandum From the Ambassador to Thailand (Young) to the President’s Military Representative (Taylor)
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Regional Security Series, Southeast Asia, General, 10/11/61–12/31/61. Secret.
14. Paper Prepared in the Policy Planning Council
Source: Kennedy Library, Thomson Papers, Southeast Asia, 11/3/61. Secret. An attached transmittal memorandum from George C. McGhee, Counselor and Chairman of the Policy Planning Council, to Secretary Rusk proposed this paper for discussion at the Policy Planning meeting scheduled for November 16. The meeting was held from 12:04 to 1 p.m., but no substantive record has been found. (Johnson Library, Rusk’s Appointment Book) The memorandum and the paper were sent to all the principal officers of the Department as well as Fowler Hamilton, Administrator of AID, and Edward R. Murrow, Director of USIA.
15. Memorandum From the President’s Military Representative (Taylor) to President Kennedy
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, NSC, T–624–71. Secret. Taylor sent this memorandum under a covering memorandum that informed the President that it summarized the current Thai attitude toward SEATO and suggested that the President might wish to look it over before his meeting with Harriman. Kennedy met with Harriman, Taylor, and McGeorge Bundy from 4:15 to 6:20 p.m. The meeting was described as “Off the Record,” and no substantive account of it has been found. (Kennedy Library, President’s Appointment Book)
17. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.5/2–1062. Secret. Initialed by Johnson. A note on the source text indicates that Rusk saw the memorandum.
18. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 379/2–1262. Secret; Limit Distribution.
19. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, Chron File, 1/62–6/62. Secret. Prepared by Hilsman.
20. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Thailand
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 379/2–1662. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Peters; cleared by Rusk, Harriman, Bell, Czyzak, Koren, and James P. Grant, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs; and approved by U. Alexis Johnson. Also sent to Canberra, Karachi, London, Paris, Wellington, and Manila and repeated niact to Djakarta and CINCPAC for POLAD.
21. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.1100–KE/2–2062. Confidential. Repeated to Canberra, London, Manila, Karachi, Paris, Wellington, CINCPACPOLAD, and priority to Rome.
22. Brief Prepared in the Defense Intelligence Agency
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 65 A 3501, Asia 350.09–676, 1962. Secret. Sent to Secretary McNamara under a covering memorandum by Captain Paul L. Stahl, Acting Assistant Director for Processing, DIA, who explained the brief was being sent to McNamara for his information in advance of the regular distribution of the SNIE.
23. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 379/3–662. Secret; Priority. Repeated priority to Vientiane, Saigon, and CINCPAC for POLAD.
24. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Thailand
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 379/3–1062. Secret. Drafted by Peters, cleared by Rice and Koren, and approved by U. Alexis Johnson. Repeated to CINCPACPOLAD.
25. Memorandum From the Regional Planning Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs (Usher) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Rice)
Source: Department of State, FE Files: Lot 65 D 25, SEATO. Secret.
26. Department of State Policy Directive
Source: Department of State, FE Files: Lot 65 D 25, Policy Directives. Secret. Drafted by Peters.
27. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Thailand
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 379/3–3062. Secret. Drafted by Peters and cleared in draft by Czyzak, Salans, Howard Elting, Regional Planning Adviser of EUR, James N. Cortada, Director of the Office of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, U. Alexis Johnson, Koren, Rice, and Arthur B. Emmons, Deputy Director of the Office of Southwest Pacific Affairs. Also sent to Manila, Paris, and Karachi and repeated to London, Canberra, Wellington, and CINCPACPOLAD.
28. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda, Staff Memorandum, Bowles, 4/5/62–6/62. Secret.
29. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to Secretary General Pote Sarasin
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 379/4–1862. Personal. Drafted by Johnson with assistance from Peters.