751G.00/5–954: Telegram
The Chargé at Saigon (McClintock) to the Department of State1
2299. Limit distribution. If recommendation made my telegram 22982 meets with favorable consideration in our government, might it not be a convenient stratagem to invite General Van Fleet to come here at once to make a study of military and training situation and to make recommendations with General O’Daniel as to what profitably could be done.
I have greatest admiration for General O’Daniel’s faith, tenacity, and bull-dog courage. I fear, however, he may be over sanguine as to possibilities of making an effective Vietnamese fighting force in six months time. Irrespective of General O’Daniel’s abundant military virtues, there are many obstacles in his path. Not least of these is complete apathy of Vietnamese populace coupled with increasing tendency of fence-sitters to go over to enemy, absolute breakdown of mobilization plan, internecine rivalries between few men capable of showing leadership, and lack of leadership from Bao Dai and his Ministers. I do not say the job cannot be done but that we should take a close look at its dimensions before we come in.3
- The text of this telegram was sent by the Department to Paris as telegram 4026 (repeated to Geneva as Tosec 126), May 11. (751G.00/5–954)↩
- Supra.↩
Telegram 2251 to Saigon (repeated to Paris as 4025 and to Geneva as Tedul 55), May 11, read as follows: “ReEmbtel 2299. We believe Van Fleet’s presence Indochina might raise false hopes unless and until we have considered and agreed with French and Associated States re a possible US participation Indochina war, in view his widely known experience in training native troops for effective resistance against Communist forces.
“You should consider Tedul 46 rpt Saigon 2238 Paris 4002 as preliminary answer to Embtel 2298.” (751G.00/5–954)
Tedul 46 is identified in footnote 1, p. 1516.
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