V. Raids on the Pagodas and a Possible Coup, August 21-28,
1963:
Martial Law, Lodge’s
Arrival, Responsibility for the Crackdown on the Buddhists, the Cable of
August 24, NSC Subcommittee Meetings on
Vietnam, New Assessments From the Field, U.S. Support of the Coup
291. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-172-69. Top Secret. There is no telegram number indicated on the source text.
292. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL US-S VIET. Secret; Priority; Eyes Only; Limit Distribution. Repeated priority to CINCPAC. Received at 3:36 p.m. Passed by the Department of State to the White House.
293. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, INF 8 US. Top Secret; Operational Immediate. Drafted by Hilsman, cleared with Forrestal, and approved by Ball.
294. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-172-69. Top Secret. The source text is a copy sent by the CIA to the Joint Chiefs of Staff exclusive for Krulak who was to pass it exclusive to Lansdale. Copies were also sent to the White House for Forrestal and the Department of State for Hughes and Hilsman.
295. Telegram From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor) to the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins)
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-172-69. Top Secret; Operational Immediate. Repeated to CINCPAC for Felt. The source text is labeled as a draft, but has a date-time-group and JCS number written on it, indicating that it was sent.
296. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President
Source: Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, Countries, Vietnam Security, 1963. Top Secret.
297. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, INF 8 US. Top Secret; Eyes Only; handling indicator not declassified. Relayed by the Department of State to the White House, CIA, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
298. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 S VIET-US. Secret; Eyes Only; Limit Distribution. Repeated to CINCPAC. Received at 11:30 a.m. and relayed to the White House, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and CIA exclusive for principal officers there.
299. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-172-69. Top Secret. The source text is a copy sent by the CIA to the JCS exclusive for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, and Krulak. Copies were also sent to the Department of State exclusive for Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman and to the White House exclusive for Bundy. This copy was received at the JCS at 11:36 a.m.
300. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff(Taylor)
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-172-69. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Repeated to Honolulu for Felt.
301. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman) and the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman)
Source: Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Dolores P. Perruso of Harriman’s staff.
302. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, 8/24/63-8/31/63, Memos and Miscellaneous. Top Secret.
303. Memorandum of Conference With the President
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda, Meetings on Vietnam. Top Secret. Drafted by Bromley Smith. The meeting was held at the White House Also published in Declassified Documents, 1982, 648 B. A memorandum for the record of this meeting by Krulak is in the National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Vietnam, chap. XXIII.
304. Memorandum for the Record by the Secretary of Defense’s Assistant for Special Operations (Lansdale)
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, 8/24/63-8/31/63, Memos and Miscellaneous. Secret. Lansdale passed this memorandum to Forrestal on August 28 and wrote on an attached covering note: “You might find this of interest.” Forrestal passed it on to Bundy on the same day with the written comment: “Mac: This is not hard stuff.”
305. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET Top Secret; Emergency. Drafted by Hilsman and cleared in draft with McGeorge Bundy, McNamara, and Taylor and in substance with Rusk. Repeated to CINCPAC POLAD exclusive for Felt.
306. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET Top Secret; Emergency. Repeated to CINCPAC Operational Immediate. Received at 7:18 a.m. and relayed to the White House, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and CIA at 8:30 a.m.
307. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Agency
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, 8/24/63-8/31/63, CIA Cables. Secret. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, Vol. II, p. 736.
308. Memorandum From the Director of the United States Information Agency(Murrow) to the President
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA/TOP Files: FRC 67 A 222, IAF-1963. Drafted by B. Anderson of the Office of Plans and Research, USIA. Copies were sent to Donald M. Wilson, Ralph Bunce, and Orem Stephens, all of USIA.
309. Telegram From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor) to the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins)
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, 8/24/63-8/31/63, Defense Cables. Secret; Eyes Only. The source text indicates that copies were to be sent to Bundy at the White House; to Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman at the Department of State; and to each of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hilsman refers to this cable as a back-channel message in To Move a Nation, p. 492, and recalls that he never saw it. (Department of State, Office of the Historian, Vietnam Interviews, Roger Hilsman, May 15, 1984) Michael V. Forrestal also remembers it as a back-channel message, but does recall seeing it. (Ibid., Michael V. Forrestal, May 16, 1984) Harriman saw a copy of it and subsequently complained to General Carter of the CIA that this was the first occasion he could recall of the military backing off their commitments. Harriman maintained to Carter that Taylor had cleared telegram 243 to Saigon, Document 281. (Memorandum for the record by Krulak, August 28; National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Vietnam, chap. XXIII) On the morning of August 29, Hilsman called Krulak about clearance of telegram 243 to Saigon. According to Krulak’s record of the conversation, Hilsman admitted “that he was probably wrong to say that Taylor was involved [with clearance], but that Defense concurrence originated with Mr. Gilpatric.” (Memorandum for the record by Krulak, August 29; Ibid.)