Office of the Historian

39. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Bundy) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Gilpatric)1

I-25146/62
Washington, January 31, 1962.

SUBJECT

  • Air Operations in South Vietnam

You gave me yesterday, for comment, General Taylorʼs request for a report on the “Binh Hoa” operation of 21 January.2 Action on this request remains with General Lansdaleʼs office.

Our inquiries from General Taylorʼs staff indicate that his concern stems from an account brought back by Roger Hilsman to the effect that the operation was far too much of a “set piece” and was not an effective form of counter-guerrilla warfare.3

I see that Hilsman is appearing before the Special Group tomorrow,4 and urge that you bring out his criticisms to the fullest extent. If necessary, I could arrange to follow up further.

Depending on the validity of Hilsmanʼs criticisms, I think we should reconsider the question of a guidance message to the air people in South Vietnam, responding to Alexis Johnsonʼs letter mildly rebuking us for the Cambodian village incident.5 This came up at the SecDef/JCS meeting on Monday, and you will recall the sentiment was against sending such a message. However, my staff got the draft that had been prepared within the Joint Staff, which I attach.6 It seems to me a quite reasonable message and not to interfere with the necessary freedom of action.

After the meeting tomorrow, I suggest that you reconsider whether such a message would not be a good thing to do. A marginal benefit, of course, would be in our relations with State.

William P. Bundy7
  1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 71 A 6489 Sensitive 7-61. Top Secret. Secretary McNamara also received a copy.↩
  2. Taylorʼs request, dated January 30, stated that the President wanted to learn more about the Binh Hoa operation. (Ibid.)↩
  3. For Hilsmanʼs report on the Binh Hoa operation, see Document 42.↩
  4. The minutes of the meeting of the Special Group (CI) on February 1 indicate only that Hilsman briefed the group on his recent trip to Vietnam and outlined his February 2 paper. (Department of State, Special Group Counterinsurgency Files: Lot 68 D 451, 1/1/62-7/31/62)↩
  5. Document 32.↩
  6. Not printed.↩
  7. Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩