115. Editorial Note
When Averell Harriman met with the Shah in Tehran on January 3, 1966, he conveyed President Johnson’s greetings and warm appreciation for his support on Vietnam. The Shah said that he had made his position clear on trips to various world capitals, i.e., that stopping aggression in Vietnam, as elsewhere, was a matter of vital principle. Emphasizing the need to recognize world opinion, however, he also stated that he unqualifiedly supported the President’s initiative in the bombing pause. He pointed out that resuming the bombing too early would lend credence to Soviet propaganda claiming the U.S. peace moves were a “facade” before further escalation. (Text of telegram 954 from Tehran, January 4; Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. 18, 1/3–2/23/66. Another copy of telegram 954 is in Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S)