Office of the Historian

List of Sources

Part A. Unpublished Sources

  • Department of State
    • 1. Indexed Central Files. Papers in the indexed central files of the Department for the years 1955–1957 are indicated by a decimal file number in the first footnote. Among the most useful of these files are 751G.00, 751G.5, 751G.5–MAP, 751G.5–MSP, and 851G.00.
    • 2. Lot Files. Documents from the central files have been supplemented by lot files of the Department, which are decentralized files created by operating areas. A list of the lot files used in or consulted for this volume follows:
  • Conference Files, Lot 60 D 627
    • Collection of documentation on certain official visits of heads of government and foreign ministers to the United States and on major international conferences attended by the Secretary of State for the period 1953–1958, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat. This file is a continuation of Lot 59 D 95.
  • Conference Files, Lot 62 D 181
    • Collection of documentation on official visits by heads of government and foreign ministers to the United States and on major international conferences attended by the Secretary of State for the period 1956–1958, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat.
  • Conference Files, Lot 63 D 123
    • Collection of documentation on official visits by heads of government and foreign ministers to the United States and on major international conferences attended by the Secretary of State for the period 1955–1958, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat of the Department of State.
  • FE Conference Files, Lot 60 D 514
    • Files of conferences and meetings maintained by the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs for the years 1956–1958.
  • FE Files, Lot 56 D 679
    • Files maintained by the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs for the year 1955. Subjects included are country files, memoranda of conversation, and conference files.
  • FE Files, Lot 58 D 209
    • Files maintained by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Economic Affairs for the years 1954–1957.
  • FE Files, Lot 59 D 19
    • Files maintained by the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs for the year 1957. Sub-files include country files and memoranda of conversation.
  • FE/SEA Files, Lot 58 D 207
    • Consolidated files on Southeast Asia, primarily Indochina and Burma, for the years 1949–1956, as maintained by the Office of Southeast Asian Affairs (combines Lots 58 D 339 and 58 D 207).
  • FE/SEA Files, Lot 58 D 266
    • Miscellaneous files of the Office of Southeast Asian Affairs relating mostly to Vietnam and Cambodia for the years 1954–1956.
  • FE/SEA Files, Lot 59 D 630
    • Chronological and general files of the Office of Southeast Asian Affairs relating to Cambodia for the years 1953–1958.
  • FE–VN Files, Lot 66 D 193
    • Subject files of the Vietnam Working Group dealing with political, military, economic, aid, and administrative affairs for the years 1955–1962.
  • INR Files
    • Active files of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
  • INR Files, Lot 58 D 776
    • Country, subject, and administrative files relating to U.S. intelligence organizations and activities for the years 1945–1960, as maintained in the Office of the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (combines Lots 62 D 42, 61 D 67, 60 D 644, 58 D 776, 58 D 159, and 53 D 500).
  • INR–NIE Files
    • Files retained by the Bureau of Intelligence and Research containing copies of National Intelligence Estimates and Special National Intelligence Estimates, including NIE’s and SNIE’s for the 1952–1954 period.
  • OCB Files, Lot 61 D 385
    • Master set of the administrative and country files of the Operations Coordinating Board for the years 1953–1960, as maintained in the Operations Staff of the Department of State.
  • OCB Files, Lot 62 D 430
    • Master files of the Operations Coordinating Board for the years 1953–1960, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat.
  • PPS Files, Lot 66 D 70
    • Subject files, country files, chronological files, documents, drafts, and related correspondence of the Policy Planning Staff for the year 1955.
  • PSA Files, Lot 58 D 207
    • Certain files of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs for the years 1949–1955, containing primarily material on Indochina.
  • Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation, Lot 64 D 199
    • Chronological collections of the Secretary of State’s memoranda of conversation and the Under Secretary of State’s memoranda of conversation for the years 1953–1960, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat.
  • S/P–NSC Files, Lot 62 D 1
    • Serial and subject master file of National Security Council documents and correspondence for the years 1948–1961, as maintained by the Policy Planning Staff.
  • S/S–NSC Files, Lot 63 D 351
    • Serial master file of National Security Council documents and correspondence and related Department of State memoranda for the years 1947–1961, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat.
  • S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files, Lot 66 D 95
    • Administrative and miscellaneous National Security Council documentation, including NSC Records of Action, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat for the years 1947–1963.
  • Saigon Embassy Files, Lot 58 F 125; Lot 61 F 22; Lot 62 F 52; Lot 66 F 89
    • See entries under Washington National Records Center.
  • State–JCS Meetings, Lot 61 D 417
    • Top Secret records of meetings between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and representatives of the Department of State for the period 1951–1959 and selected problem files on the Middle East for the period 1954–1956, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat.
    • 3. Memoranda of Interviews. Conducted by the Staff of the Office of the Historian.
  • J. Lawton Collins. Conducted January 23, 1984.
  • Elbridge Durbrow. Conducted April 2, 1984.
  • Paul M. Kattenburg. Conducted December 15, 1983.
  • Edward G. Lansdale. Conducted September 6, 1984.
  • Foreign Operations Administration and International Cooperation Administration
    • See entries under Washington National Records Center.
  • Department of Defense
    • See also entries under Washington National Records Center.
  • Center of Military History, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C.
    • O’Daniel Papers
      • Papers of Lieutenant General John W. O’Daniel, United States Army, as Chief of the United States Military Assistance Advisory Group in Indochina, January 1954–October 1955.
    • Williams Papers
      • Papers of Lieutenant General Samuel T. Williams, United States Army, pertaining to his tour as Chief of the United States Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam, November 1955–August 1960.
  • The Joint Chiefs of Staff
    • JCS Files
      • Documents obtained upon request from the Secretariat of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  • Naval Historical Center
    • CINCPACFLT Message Files (microfilm)
      • Microfilm reels of messages to and from CINCPAC and CINCPACFLT to July 1, 1959.
    • Radford Papers
      • Papers of Admiral Arthur W. Radford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1953–1957.
  • National Defense University
    • Taylor Papers
      • Papers of General Maxwell D. Taylor, Chief of Staff, United States Army, 1955–1959.
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, Kansas
    • Dulles Papers
      • Records of John Foster Dulles, 1952–1959.
    • National Security Council Staff Records
      • Includes the following elements: OCB Central Files, PSB Central File, NSC registry, OCB Secretarial Series, Executive Secretary’s Subject File, Planning Coordination Group, Special Staff File, Executive Secretary’s Chronological File, Miscellaneous Staff Files, and Disaster File.
    • Special Assistant for National Security Affairs Records
      • Records of the Office of the Special Assistant, 1952–1961 including records of Robert Cutler, Dillon Anderson, and Gordon Gray.
    • Staff Secretary Records
      • Records of the Office of the White House Staff Secretary, 1952–1961, including records of Paul T. Carroll, Andrew J. Goodpaster, L. Arthur Minnich, Jr., and Christopher H. Russell.
    • White House Office Files
      • Several White House office collections, including files of the Office of the Staff Secretary, and Project “Clean Up.”
    • Whitman File
      • Papers of Dwight D. Eisenhower as President of the United States, 1953–1961, as maintained by his personal Secretary, Ann C. Whitman. The Whitman File includes the following elements: Name Series, Dulles–Herter Series, Eisenhower Diaries, Ann Whitman (ACW) Diaries, National Security Council Records, Miscellaneous Records, Cabinet Papers, Legislative Meetings, International Meetings, Administration series, and International File.
  • Hoover Institution, Palo Alto, California
    • Williams Papers
      • Papers of Lieutenant General Samuel T. Williams, United States Army. These papers pertain to General Williams’ entire career.
  • Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections, East Lansing
    • Fishel Papers
      • Papers of Wesley J. Fishel, adviser to President Ngo Dinh Diem and Chief Adviser of the Michigan State Vietnam Advisory Group, 1956–1958.
    • Hannah Papers
      • Papers of John A. Hannah, President of Michigan State College, later University, 1948–1969. Contains correspondence concerning the Michigan State Vietnam Advisory Group and a number of the group’s reports.
    • Vietnam Project Archive
      • General Records of the Michigan State Vietnam Advisory Group, including summary reports and reports of components in public administration, economics, and police administration.
  • University of Montana Library, Missoula
    • Mansfield Papers
    • Papers of Senator Michael J. Mansfield of Montana.
  • National Archives, Washington, D.C.
    • J. Lawton Collins Papers (Vietnam File)
      • Papers of General J. Lawton Collins pertaining exclusively to his service as Special Representative in Vietnam, November 1954–May 1955. (Scheduled for transfer to Collins Papers, Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, Kansas.)
    • JCS Records
      • National Archives Record Group 218, Records of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
    • National Security Council Records
      • National Archives Record Group 273, Records of the National Security Council. As of the fall of 1984, holdings included materials from the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. Principal units of this collection are National Security Policy Paper Files, Operations Coordinating Board Central Files, National Security Council Meeting Minutes, and Planning Board Records of Meetings.
  • Princeton University Library, Princeton, New Jersey
    • Dulles Papers, Dulles Daily Appointment Book
      • Daily log of the meetings and appointments of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles for the years 1953–1959.
  • Washington National Records Center, Suitland, Maryland
    • FOA–ICA Message Files, FRC 57 A 248, W–130 and W–131
      • Incoming and outgoing cables of the International Cooperation Administration for the period July 1955–June 1956.
    • ICA Director’s Files, FRC 61 A 32, W–3057
      • General subject and country files from the Office of the ICA Director for the years 1955–1958.
    • ICA Message Files, FRC 58 A 403, W–130 and W–131
      • Incoming and outgoing cables of the International Cooperation Administration for the period July 1956–June 1957.
    • OASD/ISA Files, FRC 60 A 1025 and FRC 60 B 1025
      • Country files of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs) for the year 1955.
    • OASD/ISA Files, FRC 60 A 1339 and FRC 60 B 1339
      • Country files of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs) for the year 1956.
    • OASD/ISA Files, FRC 60 A 1672 and FRC 60 B 1672
      • Country files of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of State (International Security Affairs) for the year 1957.
    • Saigon Embassy Files, FRC 59 A 543, Part 8
      • Lot 58 F 125: Classified files of the Embassy in South Vietnam for the years 1950–1955.
    • Saigon Embassy Files, FRC 63 A 172
      • Lot 62 F 52: Classified and unclassified files of the Embassy in South Vietnam for the years 1956–1958.
    • Saigon Embassy Files, FRC 68 A 5159, Item 132
      • Lot 61 F 22: Top Secret files of the Embassy in South Vietnam for the years 1953–1955.
    • Saigon Embassy Files, FRC 68 A 5159, Item 133
      • Lot 66 F 89: Top Secret files of the Embassy in South Vietnam for the years 1955–1963.

Part B. Published Sources

  • The following publications, including secondary accounts, were particularly useful in the preparation of this volume. No responsibility is taken by the Department of State for the truth or accuracy of these sources.
  • Joseph Buttinger, Vietnam: A Dragon Embattled, volume II, Vietnam at War (New York: Praeger, 1967).
  • Allan W. Cameron, Viet-Nam Crisis: A Documentary History, volume I, 1940–1956 (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1971).
  • King C. Chen, “Hanoi’s Three Decisions and the Escalation of the Vietnam War,” Political Science Quarterly, 90 (summer 1975) 239–259.
  • J. Lawton Collins, Lightning Joe: Autobiography (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979).
  • J. Lawton Collins, Jr., The Development and Training of the South Vietnamese Army, 1950–1972 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1975).
  • Paul Ely, Mémoires: L’Indochine dans la tourmente (Paris: Librairie Plon, 1964).
  • Bernard B. Fall, The Two Vietnams: A Political and Military Analysis, 2d rev. ed. (New York: Praeger, 1967).
  • Russell H. Fifield, The Diplomacy of Southeast Asia: 1945–1958 (New York: Harper, 1958).
  • George C. Herring, America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950–1975 (New York: John Wiley, 1979).
  • Edwin Bickford Hooper, Dean C. Allard, and Oscar P. Fitzgerald, The United States Navy and the Vietnam Conflict, volume I, The Setting of the Stage to 1959 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1976).
  • Paul M. Kattenburg, The Vietnam Trauma in American Policy, 1945–1975 (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Books, 1980).
  • Jean Lacouture, Vietnam: Between Two Truces (New York: Random House, 1966).
  • Edward Geary Lansdale, In the Midst of Wars: An American’s Mission to Southeast Asia (New York: Harper and Row, 1972).
  • Robert Scigliano, South Vietnam: Nation Under Stress (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1964).
  • Robert Scigliano and Guy Fox, Technical Assistance in Vietnam: The Michigan State University Experience (New York: Praeger, 1965).
  • Robert Shaplen, The Lost Revolution (New York: Harper and Row, 1965).
  • Ronald H. Spector, Advice and Support: The Early Years, 1941–1960, a volume in the series United States Army in Vietnam (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1983).
  • United States Department of Defense Study for Use of House Committee on Armed Services, United States–Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967 (The Pentagon Papers), Book 10 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1971).
  • United States Department of State, Bulletin, 1955–1957.
  • ———, American Foreign Policy, 1950–55: Basic Documents, 2 volumes (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1957).
  • ———, American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1956 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1959).
  • ———, American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1957 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1961).
  • United States President, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1955 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1959).
  • ———, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1958).
  • ———, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1958).
  • Denis Warner, The Last Confucian: Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and the West, rev. ed. (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1964).
  • Robert H. Whitlow, U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Advisory and Combat Assistance Era, 1954–1964 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1977).
  • Franklin B. Weinstein, Vietnam’s Unheld Elections: The Failure to Carry Out the 1956 Reunification Elections and the Effect on Hanoi’s Present Outlook (Ithaca: Cornell University Southeast Asia Program, Data Paper No. 60, 1966).