255. Special Staff Note Prepared by the Department of Defense1
From Defense:
Indochina.—Because of the worsening of internal security conditions in Viet Nam, Defense is considering the possibility of giving 11 H–34 helicopters to the Vietnamese as an emergency measure. (S)2 …3 Defense and State have developed a list of equipment to be provided under the additional $900,000 in military aid that we recently promised to grant to Cambodia for political reasons. The list includes engineer construction battalion equipment, 3 medium landing craft, 3 M–26 tanks, 10,000 carbines, and rifles and crew-served weapons. We have also decided to reduce by only 5% rather than 10%, for one year, our annual contribution to the Cambodian forces (which will give Cambodia $1 million more than we had previously agreed), and to provide jet training for 6 Cambodian pilots, and additional police training and equipment under ICA programs. Cambodia also requested 6 jet aircraft but we will not commit ourselves because there is no military justification for the aircraft and granting them might have an adverse effect in Viet Nam and Thailand. (C)
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Staff Secretary Record, International Series. Secret. The source text was initialed by President Eisenhower.↩
- See the memorandum supra. At this point, President Eisenhower wrote the following comment in the margin: “If we do—then now! D.” John S.D. Eisenhower wrote the following note at the end of the source text: “Secretary Irwin notified by memo. J.S.D.E.” A copy of that memorandum, December 12, is in Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/ISA Files: FRC 64 A 2170, 452.1 Vietnam.↩
- Ellipsis in the source text.↩