III. Beginning of the Buddhist Crisis, May 9-June 16, 1963:
Incident
in Hue, the Five Buddhist Demands, Use of Tear Gas in Hue, Self Immolation
of Quang Duc, Negotiations in Saigon To Resolve the Crisis, Agreement on the
Five Demands
112. Telegram From the Consulate at Hue to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 25 S VIET. Secret; Operational Immediate. Received at 8:33 a.m.
113. Minutes of a Meeting of the Special Group for Counterinsurgency
Source: Department of State, Special Group Counterinsurgency Files: Lot 68 D 451, Special Group (CI). Secret. Drafted by Dingeman who is not listed among the participants.
114. Memorandum From the Deputy Director of the Vietnam Working Group (Heavner) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman)
Source: Department of State, Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 67 D 54, AID-7, CIR Secret. Drafted by Heavner and Montgomery and sent to Hilsman through Robert W. Barnett.
115. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET. Secret; Operational Immediate. Drafted by Heavner and cleared by Rice. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD.
116. Telegram From the Consulate at Hue to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET. Secret; Operational Immediate. Also sent to Saigon.
117. Telegram From the Consulate at Hue to Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET. Secret; Operational Immediate. Also sent to Saigon.
118. Manifesto of Vietnamese Buddhist Clergy and Faithful
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 13-6 S VIET. Unclassified; Translation. Transmitted as attachment A to airgram A-781 from Saigon, June 10. A slightly variant translation of this manifesto was transmitted as enclosure 5 to airgram A-20 from Hue, June 3. (Ibid., SOC 14-1 S VIET) The manifesto was issued at a mass meeting of Buddhist clergy and faithful at Tu Dam Pagoda in Hue on May 10. The five demands put forward in this declaration are those which have been described in some of the memoir accounts dealing with the Buddhist crisis as having been addressed to the Diem government on May 13. (Hilsman, To Move a Nation, p. 469; Mecklin, Mission in Torment, p. 154)
119. Letter From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Nolting) to Secretary of State at the Presidency and Assistant Secretary of State for National Defense Thuan
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26-1 S VIET. Confidential. Drafted by Nolting and Trueheart and transmitted as enclosure 2 to airgram A-718 from Saigon, May 16.
120. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, 4/63-5/63. Secret.
121. Memorandum From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Felt) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files:FRC 69 A 3131, Vietnam 091.3 MAR. Secret. A marginal note on the source text indicates that a copy was sent to Secretary McNamara and he saw it.
122. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 6 US. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Heavner and cleared by Hilsman, Rice, Koren and in DOD/ISA by Heinz. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD.
123. Letter From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to President Diem
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 334, MAC/V Files:FRC 69 A 702, 204-58 Command Reporting (1963). Secret.
124. Letter From the Assistant Administrator for the Far East, Agency for International Development (Janow), to the Assistant Director for Rural Affairs, United States Operations Mission in Vietnam (Phillips)
Source: Department of State, Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 67 D 54, AID-7 CIF. Secret.
125. Memorandum from the Deputy Director of the Vietnam Working Group (Heavner) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman)
Source: Department of State, Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 67 D 54, POL-1 (Gen. Pol. Secret; Limit Distribution.
126. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL S VIET-US. Secret. Repeated to Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Paris, London, and CINCPAC. On May 18, Michael Forrestal sent a copy to President Kennedy with a covering memorandum that reads:
128. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 6 US. Secret; Operational Immediate; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Hilsman, cleared by Heavner and in draft in FE/P by Abram E. Manell. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD.
129. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET Confidential; Priority. Repeated to CINCPAC.
130. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, PR 11 Saigon. Confidential; Routine. Drafted by Heavner and cleared by Manell, Hilsman, Manning, and with Defense and USIA. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD.
131. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET. Secret; Priority. Repeated to CINCPAC.
132. Minutes of a Meeting of the Special Group for Counterinsurgency
Source: Department of State, Special Group Counterinsurgency Files: Lot 68 D 451. Secret. Drafted by Dingeman who is not listed among the participants.
133. Letter From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Nolting) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 1-1 S VIET-US. Top Secret; Official-Informal. A note on the source text indicates that the contingency plan was “approved by White House” on June 6.
134. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15-S VIET Secret; Limited Distribution. Repeated to Bangkok, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and CINCPAC.
135. Letter From the Charge in Vietnam (Trueheart) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET Top Secret; Official-Informal.
136. Memorandum From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Felt) to the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins)
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 334, MAC/V Files: FRC 69 A 702, 201-42.1 (63). Secret. Copies were also sent to COMUSARPAC, CINCPACFLT, CINCPACAF, JCS, CSA, CNO, CSAF, and DODPRO.
137. Telegram From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Nitze) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Felt)
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 69 A 3131, Viet 091.3 MAR Secret; Priority. Drafted on May 27 by Woods in the Planning Division of OASD/ISA/ODMA and cleared by Milton H. Thick, Director of the Division, and several Defense Department officials, including William Bundy, Krulak, and Kent. Repeated to COMUSMACV.
138. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIEI Secret. Drafted by Wood. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD.
139. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET. Confidential. Repeated to CINCPAC.
140. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to CINCPAC.
141. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to CINCPAC.