Office of the Historian

8. Memorandum of Conversation1

Washington, April 1, 1969.

SUBJECT

  • Meeting With The President

PARTICIPANTS

  • Foreign
  • Air Chief Marshal Dawee Chullasapya, Thai Minister of Communications Arun Panupong, Thai Chargé d’Affaires
  • United States
  • U. Alexis Johnson, Under Secretary for Political Affairs
  • Moncrieff J. Spear, Country Director, Thailand/Burma

Referring to his meeting with the President at the reception the previous evening,2 Dawee said he had had a good talk. The President has asked his views on Viet-Nam. He had replied that every day that went by was a loss of time because American casualties continued to grow. He also relayed a message from the Prime Minister that following the bombing halt the situation in Southeast Asia had gotten worse. One way or another, we should find a way to resume bombing in North Viet-Nam. Dawee also felt that we should be prepared to use South Viet-Nam ground forces to cut the infiltration. They were both capable and had the will to do this job.

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL US. Secret. Drafted by Spear and approved in J on April 9. The meeting was held in Johnson’s office. The memorandum is part 6 of 6; parts 1 through 5 are ibid.↩
  2. A memorandum of this conversation, March 31, is ibid.↩