Office of the Historian

211. Telegram From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Felt) to the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam (McGarr)1

Pearl Harbor, October 28, 1960–6 p.m.
1.
290412Z. Am in accord with necessity taking corrective action in military field your 19 Oct ltr refers.2 Considering all factors involved, concur in your recommendation to increase VN force ceiling to 170,000 as temporary measure during present emergency. This force ceiling should be recommended to CT for inclusion in development of plan in response to State–DOD 658 to Saigon, 192020Z Oct. Pasep.3
2.
In addition to pure military aspects your recommended force increase, this proposal would provide U.S. bargaining material in seeking GVN acceptance of our plan.
  1. Source: Stanford University, Hoover Institution, Lansdale Papers, Vietnam, Lansdale Trip January 1961. Secret. Repeated for information to JCS and OSD/ISA.↩
  2. Not found.↩
  3. Document 206.↩