Office of the Historian

Eisenhower Library, Dulles papers, “Indochina”

Draft Prepared in the Department of State1

[Washington,] April 2, 1954.

Joint Resolution

Whereas the Chinese Communist regime and its agents in Indochina are engaging in armed attack against Vietnam and the duly-constituted [Page 1212] and friendly government of that country, and are committing aggression against the friendly states of Laos and Cambodia, and threaten other friendly states, with the object of dominating all Southeast Asia, and

Whereas such warlike activities if continued will gravely endanger the peace and security of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including the security interests of the United States and of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, with whom the United States has treaties of mutual security and defense, and

Whereas peace and order may be restored and this aggression ended if it is known that the United States is prepared, in pursuance of a decision or recommendation of the United Nations, or by united action with other free nations or in the exercise of the inherent right of individual or collective self defense recognized by Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, to restrain and retaliate against such armed attack;

Therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled

That the President of the United States be and he hereby is authorized, in the event he determines that such action is required to protect and defend the safety and security of the United States, to employ the Naval and Air Forces of the United States to assist the forces which are resisting aggression in Southeast Asia, to prevent the extension and expansion of that aggression, and to protect and defend the safety and security of the United States.

This Resolution shall not derogate from the authority of the Congress to declare war and shall terminate on June 30, 1955, or prior thereto if the Congress by concurrent resolution shall so determine.

  1. The source text is filed with a draft bearing handwritten corrections and a typewritten notation reading “Draft taken to WH by JFD 4/2/54.” The source text is a clean copy of that draft, reflecting the handwritten modifications. (Eisenhower Library, Dulles papers, “Indochina”)↩