439. Editorial Note
On May 13, 1962, at 4:50 p.m., President Kennedy met with Secretaries Rusk and McNamara, Attorney General Kennedy, Deputy Secretary Gilpatric, Assistant Secretary Harriman, General Taylor, Director of Central Intelligence McCone, Charles Bohlen, Roger Hilsman, McGeorge Bundy, Carl Kaysen, and Michael Forrestal. Most of the discussion at the meeting concerned Laos, but the related question of deployment of U.S. troops to Thailand was also discussed. According to Forrestal’s memorandum of conversation:
‘The President requested that an intelligence estimate be prepared on the reaction of SEATO nations to a request from us for their cooperation in our proposed military moves in Thailand. The President asked that in any press coverage, the question of our military intentions with respect to Laos be left open. The President desired to maintain vis-à-vis the Communist bloc an attitude of Veiled ambiguity’.
“The President asked the Secretary of State to get the approval of the Thai Government to the proposed landings. General Taylor suggested that an attempt be made by General Harkins, who is to be the Commander of the U.S. Forces in Thailand, to obtain from Marshal Sarit a promise of cooperation. The President asked that the Secretary of State get in touch with the Congressional leadership to inform them that he was planning to authorize the landing of American forces in Thailand.”
The meeting concluded with the following discussion of the military moves in Thailand:
“The President said that cables should go to Ambassadors Brown, Young and Nolting explaining the military movements. The Secretary of State observed that these military moves should be taken under the SEATO umbrella but that formal SEATO approval would not be requested at this time.
“The President repeated that he wished to retain the element of reversibility in all military actions. He wanted no public announcement of landings until after he had ordered such landings. Furthermore, he wanted it again made clear to the Lao that we were undertaking no new commitment towards them.”
The full text of this memorandum is printed in volume XXIV, pages 758–760.