Office of the Historian

404. Memorandum From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Gilpatric) to the Secretary of Defense’s Assistant for Special Operations (Lansdale)0

Washington, May 5, 1961.

SUBJECT

  • Thailand

At this afternoon’s meeting at State1 there was discussed, in addition to the question of disregarding the Geneva Accords in the MAAG [Page 851] augmentation schedule for South Viet Nam, the possible stationing of combat units in either South Viet Nam or Thailand or both. On this point the decision was that, for the time being, nothing would be done about putting such units, into South Viet Nam but that the matter of stationing U.S. forces in Thailand would be taken up with Marshal Sarit, presumably by Ambassador Young when he reaches his new post. This decision is, of course, subject to Presidential approval which we hope to secure at next week’s NSC meeting when the program for South Viet Nam comes up for further consideration.2

Meanwhile, we should, I think, here in Defense, be giving some thought to what kind of a U.S. force we propose be stationed in Thailand. Should it not be part of a SEATO force? Should it be conceived of and fashioned as a deterrent to guerrilla infiltration from across the Mekong rather than simply as a U.S. “presence” to serve as a “plate glass window” or “trip wire”, as discussed by Walt Rostow at our Task Force meeting yesterday?3 There are also to be considered such other questions as whether the U.S. force should include engineers and civic action teams as well as special forces and straight combat units.

In advance of next week’s NSC meeting we should have a paper on this subject coordinated not only within DOD but also shown to State.

Roswell Gilpatric4
  1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, Lansdale Files: FRC 63 A 1803, Thailand. Top Secret.↩
  2. Reference is to a meeting among Rusk, officials of FE, and officials of ISA from 2 to 2:43 p.m. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Book) Ostensibly the issue was Laos, but as described in this memorandum and a May 5 memorandum for the record (printed in United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967, Book 11, pp. 67–68), the stationing of combat troops in South Vietnam and Thailand were the issues primarily discussed.↩
  3. The 484th meeting of the NSC, May 19, discussed Vietnam. (Department of State, NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95) The President approved on May 5; see Document 403.↩
  4. For an account of this meeting, see vol. I, pp. 115–123.↩
  5. Printed from a copy that indicates Gilpatric signed the original.↩