Editorial Note
In the course of discussion at the 194th meeting of the National Security Council on April 29 on the possibility of armed United States intervention in Indochina, the following exchange took place:
“Governor Stassen suggested that it would be possible to take some of the U.S. forces out of Korea for use in Indochina, but the President pointed out that President Rhee was screaming and yelling because we had already redeployed two divisions. Moreover, it was well to remember that there were a million Chinese soldiers across the border ready to pounce on South Korea if its defenses were weakened. Governor Stassen observed that he thought that the ultimate sanction of an all-out attack on Communist China if they renewed their aggression against South Korea, was sufficient to prevent a Communist Chinese attack on South Korea in the event more of our own forces were withdrawn. The President, however, insisted on his view that if the United States fought unilaterally against the Vietminh in Indochina, the Chinese Communists would move against Korea.”
For the complete text of this discussion on item 8. “Reports on the Geneva Conference and the Indochina Situation”, see memorandum of discussion at the 194th meeting of the National Security Council, April 29, volume XIII, Part 2, page 1431.