13. Editorial Note
On April 2, the National Security Council, the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, adopted by memorandum rather than at a National Security Council meeting NSC 5809, “U.S. Policy in Mainland Southeast Asia.” The following extract from the paper relates to South Vietnam:
“Viet Nam
- “54. Assist Free Viet Nam to develop a strong, stable and constitutional government to enable Free Viet Nam to assert an increasingly attractive contrast to conditions in the present Communist zone.
- “55. Work toward the weakening of the Communists in North and South Viet Nam in order to bring about the eventual peaceful reunification of a free and independent Viet Nam under anti-Communist leadership.
- “56. Support the position of the Government of Free Viet Nam that all-Viet Nam elections may take place only after it is satisfied that genuinely free elections can be held throughout both zones of Viet Nam.
- “57. Assist Free Viet Nam to build up indigenous armed forces, including independent logistical and administrative services, which [Page 35] will be capable of assuring internal Security and of providing limited initial resistance to attack by the Viet Minh.
- “58. Encourage Vietnamese military planning for defense against external aggression along lines consistent with U.S. planning concepts based upon approved U.S. policy, and discreetly manifest in other ways U.S. interest in assisting Free Viet Nam, in accordance with the SEATO Treaty, to defend itself against external aggression.”
Included in the paper was a supplemental statement of policy on North Vietnam, which reads:
“VI. Supplementary Statement of Policy on the Special Situation in North Viet Nam
- “71. Prevent the Viet Minh from expanding their political influence and territorial control in Free Viet Nam and Southeast Asia.
- “72. Deter the Viet Minh from attacking or subverting Free Viet Nam or Laos.
- “73. Probe weaknesses of the Viet Minh and exploit them internally and internationally whenever possible.
- “74. Exploit nationalist sentiment within North Viet Nam as a means of weakening and disrupting Sino-Soviet domination.
- “75. Assist the Government of Viet Nam to undertake programs of political, economic and psychological warfare against Viet Minh Communists.
- “76. Apply, as necessary to achieve U.S. objectives, restrictions on U.S. exports and shipping and on foreign assets similar to those already in effect for Communist China and North Korea.” (Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, NSC 5809 Series)
Revision of the Laos, Thailand, Malaya, and Singapore sections of NSC 5612/1, dated September 9, 1956, was the purpose of drafting NSC 5809. The Vietnam sections of the latter paper are identical to those in NSC 5612/1, except for the renumbering of some of the paragraphs. The sections titled “General Considerations”, “Policy Conclusions”, “Objectives”, and “Regional Courses of Action” are also identical in the two papers. A partially declassified text of NSC 5612/1 is printed in United States–Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967, Book 10, pages 1082–1095.
The text of NSC 5809 and related documentation are scheduled for publication in a forthcoming volume of Foreign Relations. A revised copy is also printed in Department of Defense, United States–Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967, Book 10, pages 1113–1133.