Office of the Historian

VIII. General Taylorʼs Visit to Vietnam, September 10-13, and Vietnamese Secretary of State at the Presidency Thuanʼs Trip to the United States, September 11-25

280. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Saigon, September 22, 1962—1 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 120.1590/9-2262. Secret. Repeated to CINCPAC for Polad.

281. Memorandum From Robert H. Johnson of the Policy Planning Staff to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Cottrell)

Washington, September 11, 1962.

Source: Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 69 D 121, Vietnam 1962. Secret. Copies were also sent to Trueheart, Rostow, Wood, INR, CIA, and DOD/ISA.

282. Letter From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Cottrell) to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Nolting)

Washington, September 11, 1962.

Source: Department of State, Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 66 D 307, Vietnam Correspondence. Confidential. No drafting or clearance information is given on the source text.

283. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President

Washington, September 18, 1962.

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series. Secret. Drafted by Forrestal.

285. Memorandum of Conversation, Department of State, Washington, September 19, 1962, noon

Washington, September 19, 1962, noon.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/9-1962. Secret. Drafted by Wood, approved in S on October 4, and initialed by Harriman.

286. Minutes of the Eighth Meeting of the Southeast Asia Task Force, Washington, September 19, 1962, 2:30–4 p.m.

Washington, September 19, 1962, 2:30–4 p.m.

Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 219. No drafting information is given on the source text.

287. Memorandum of Conversation Between the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Harriman) and the Vietnamese Secretary of State at the Presidency (Thuan), Department of State, Washington, September 20, 1962, noon

Washington, September 20, 1962, noon.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.51K11/9-2062. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Harriman on September 21. Copies were sent to FE, INR, EUR, Saigon, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and CINCPAC.

288. Paper Prepared by the Presidentʼs Military Representative (Taylor)

Washington, September 20, 1962.

Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-22-69. Top Secret. A 4page draft of this paper, September 14, is ibid.

289. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Washington, September 21, 1962—12:50 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 651J.51K/9-2062. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Cottrell and cleared in substance with Harriman. Repeated to Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, London, and Paris.

290. Memorandum of Conversation, United States Information Agency, Washington, September 21, 1962, 5 p.m.

Washington, September 21, 1962, 5 p.m.

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306,USIA/IAF Files: FRC 68 A 1415, Vietnam General and Personal. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Moore on September 25. The meeting was held at the U.S. Information Agency. A “Talking Points” memorandum for this conversation, dated September 20, is ibid., USIA/I/S Files: FRC 68 A 4933, Field Far East (IAF), 1962.

291. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Washington, September 22, 1962—10:45 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.51KII/9-2262. Secret. Drafted by Wood. Repeated to CINCPAC.

292. Memorandum of Conversation Between President Kennedy and the Vietnamese Secretary of State at the Presidency (Thuan), Washington, September 25, 1962, 10:10–10:45 p.m.

Washington, September 25, 1962, 10:10–10:45 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/9-2562. Secret. Drafted by Wood and approved by the White House on October 16. Copies were sent, inter alia, to S/S,S/P, FE, SEA, TF/SEA, WG/VN, DOD/OSD, and Saigon. A summary of the conversation was transmitted to Saigon in telegrams 364 and 375, September 25 and 27. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series) In a memorandum dated September 24, Forrestal stressed that the President should impress Thuan with the strong views that the United States had on Diemʼs breaking diplomatic relations with Laos. Copies of the memorandum and another dated September 22, which suggested topics that the President might raise with Thuan, are in Declassified Documents, 1977, 108E and 247A.

293. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Washington, September 25, 1962—3:54 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 951K.6211/9-2262. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Cottrell and cleared with Harriman, Heavner, and USIA. Repeated to CINCPAC for Polad.

294. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Saigon, September 26, 1962—8 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751K.00/9-2662. Secret; Niact. Repeated to CINCPAC for Polad.

295. Letter From the Director of the Vietnam Working Group (Wood) to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Nolting)

Washington, October 1, 1962.

Source: Department of State, Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 66 D 193, Thuan Visit, September 62. Secret; Official-Informal.

296. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Saigon, October 4, 1962—11 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 651H.51K/10-462. Secret; Priority. Repeated to Vientiane, Phnom Penh, CINCPAC, Bangkok, London, and Paris.

297. Paper Prepared in the Department of State

Washington, undated.

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series. Confidential. Drafted by Heavner and Wood on October 5. The source text was attached to a memorandum to McGeorge Bundy, dated October 8, which stated that it had been prepared in response to a request by the President.