February 1964–October 1966: Consideration of Reintroduction of U.S. Troops Into Thailand; U.S.-Thai Bilateral Military Planning; Concern Over the Insurgency in the Northeast; Deliberations Over the Level of Military Assistance
294. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense McNamara to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McNaughton)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19–8 US–THAI. Confidential.
295. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McNaughton)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19 US–THAI. Secret.
296. Letter From the Assistance Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McNaughton) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19–8 US–THAI. Secret.
297. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Thailand
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19 US–THAI. Secret; Priority; No Distribution Outside Department. Drafted by Pickering, cleared by Dexter, and approved by Bundy.
298. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to the Presidentʼs Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Thailand, Vol. III, Memos, 4/65–12/65. Secret. Also sent to Rusk and McNamara.
299. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 6 THAI. Secret. Drafted by Pickering. The date is handwritten on the source text.
300. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McNaughton) to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 72 A 1266, Thailand 091.3 MAP. Secret.
301. Note From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, Miscellaneous Chron. Secret.
302. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Thailand
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19 US–THAI. Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Drafted by Solbert, cleared with McNaughton and Trueheart, and approved by Berger.
303. Special Memorandum Prepared by the Board of National Estimates, Central Intelligence Agency
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Thailand, Vol. III, Memos, 4/65–12/65. Secret.
304. Memorandum From Richard K. Stuart of the Office of the Deputy Director for Coordination to the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Hughes)
Source: Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, Thailand, 1965. Secret. Also sent to Deputy Director of INR Denney and Deputy Director for Research Evans. Sent through Albert E. Carter of INR/DDC.
305. Memorandum Prepared for the 303 Committee
Source: Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, 303 Committee, 10/7/65. Secret; Eyes Alone. For background information on the role of the 303 Committee and its predecessors in approving U.S. covert actions, see U.S. Covert Actions and Counter-Insurgency Programs, pp. XXXV–XLI.
306. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, 303 Committee, 10/14/65. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Peter Jessup.
307. Memorandum From the Deputy Director for Plans of the Central Intelligence Agency (Helms) to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI/Executive Registry Files: Job 80–BO1676R, Box 4, Defense, Jan.–Dec., 1966. Secret.
308. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 US/HUMPHREY. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. There was no time of dispatch on the source copy, which was received in the Department of State at 4:39 p.m. on February 14. The DTG used here is from telegram 1618 from Karachi, Document 309. Vice President Humphrey was in Thailand February 12–15—with a brief trip to Vientiane, Laos, on February 14. Humphrey was on a trip of East and South Asia and he visited in addition to Thailand and Laos, South Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and South Korea. Memoranda of Humphreyʼs conversations with Foreign Minister Thanat en route between Udorn and Bangkok on February 13, and with Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn at 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 12, prepared in Bangkok by Deputy Chief of Mission James M. Wilson, Jr., are ibid., POL THAI–US.
309. Telegram From the Embassy in Pakistan to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 US/HUMPHREY. Secret; Exdis. There was no time of transmission on the source text, which was received in the Department of State at 3:44 a.m. on February 16. A memorandum of this conversation between Humphrey and the King, 3 p.m., February 12, prepared by Deputy Chief of Mission Wilson in Bangkok, is ibid., POL THAI–US.
310. Report From Chester L. Cooper of the National Security Council Staff to the Special Group (Counter Insurgency)
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 70 A 4662, Thailand 091.3 MAP. Top Secret. Komer sent this report to Harriman, Vance, Bell, Wheeler, Raborn, and Leonard Marks of the Special Group, CI. In an attached covering note, Komer noted that McGeorge Bundy sent Cooper and him to Bangkok “to have a close look.” Komer stated that Cooper was “an old hand at this game and his report is first class.”
311. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Raborn to the Executive Chairman of the Senior Interdepartmental Group (Ball)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, SIG, Memos & Misc. [IV]. Confidential. The Senior Review Group (SIG) was created in early March 1966 and chaired by Under Secretary of State Ball. Under the SIG were Interdepartmental Regional Groups chaired by the appropriate Assistant Secretary of State. The idea was to return to the Department of State primary responsibility for foreign policy and the supervision of interdepartmental activities abroad. Copies also sent to the other members of the SIG.
312. Telegram From the Ambassador to Thailand (Martin) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 THAI. Secret; Eyes Only. [text not declassified]
313. Information Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL THAI–US. Secret;Nodis. Drafted by Trueheart on May 16. The memorandum is hand dated May 16.
314. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL THAI. Secret. No drafting officer is indicated on the source text, but it was approved in S on July 19. Rusk was in Canberra, Australia, for meetings of SEATO and ANZUS. The meeting was held at the U.S. Ambassadorʼs residence in Canberra. This memorandum is part VII of VII that comprised the Rusk-Thanat conversation. Part V is printed as Document 315. A complete series of Ruskʼs memoranda of conversation at Canberra, including the other parts of this conversation with Thanat, is in Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 67 D 305, CF 47 and 57.
315. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 15–3 THAI–US. Secret. No drafting officer is indicated on the source text, but it was approved in S on July 19. This memorandum is Part V of VII. For further information on these memoranda, see footnote 1, Document 314.
316. National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, INR/EAP Files: Lot 90 D 165, NIE 52–66. Secret; Controlled Dissem. A covering note on the source text indicates that the Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, Defense, and the NSA prepared this estimate. It was approved on July 1 by all the members of the USIB except the representatives of the AEC and FBI who abstained on the grounds that the subject was outside their jurisdiction. A table of contents and a map of Thailand indicating areas of “Communist Activities and Major U.S. Military Bases” are not printed. In a June 29 memorandum to Hughes, Allen S. Whiting of INR/RFE stated that CIA/ONE initiated this estimate primarily “to put the intelligence communityʼs seal of approval on conclusions that have already become the basis for policy decisions.” Whiting described those agreed conclusions as, “that there is an insurgent threat in Thailand, that it is likely to expand somewhat in the next year or so but not to the point of menacing government stability or control, but that, notwithstanding its present and potential limits, insurgency will be quite an expensive nuisance.” Whiting stated that the DIA was most worried about Thailand becoming “another Vietnam,” but it backed down when challenged by the rest of the intelligence community. (Ibid.)
317. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19 THAI–US. Secret; No Distribution Outside Department. No time of transmission appears on the source text, which was received at the Department of State at 9:06 a.m. on July 7.
318. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Analysis (Enthoven) to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19 US–THAI. Secret.
319. Letter From Secretary of State Rusk to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19 US–THAI. Secret. An attached covering memorandum from U. Alexis Johnson to Rusk, indicated that Johnson drafted this letter after discussion with Rusk. Johnson stated: “I deliberately avoided tying you to any figure but I believe $60 million would be satisfactory.”
320. Report by the Chief of the Far Eastern Division, Directorate of Plans of the Central Intelligence Agency (Colby)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Harriman Papers, Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, Far East General. Secret.
321. Intelligence Memorandum Prepared by the Directorate of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency
Source: Johnson Library, National Security Files, Country File, Thailand, Vol. IV, Memos, 1/66–10/66. Secret; No Foreign Dissem. A note on the source text reads: “Prepared by the Directorate of Intelligence and coordinated with the Office of National Estimates.”
322. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19–8 US–THAI. Secret; Exdis. Ruskʼs initials are on the source text.
323. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL THAI–US. Secret; Nodis. No drafter is indicated on the source text, but it was approved in S on November 10.