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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, FT 1 S VIET. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Received at 2:39 a.m. and passed to the White House at 4:50 a.m.

240. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, State and Defense Cables. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Repeated to Bangkok for Felt. Attached to the source text was a signed note from Krulak to McGeorge Bundy stating that Taylor asked that this message, which had been shown only to McNamara at Defense, should be conveyed to Bundy. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, Vol. 11, pp. 784-785.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, AID (US) S VIET. Secret; Limit Distribution. Received at 6:30 a.m. and passed to the White House at 7:35 a.m.

242. Telegram From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge) to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET Top Secret; Flash; Eyes Only. The source text is CIA Station telegram 2063 from Saigon sent to the Department of State eyes only for Rusk, Harriman, Ball, Hilsman, and Hughes. Also sent to the Office of the Secretary of Defense eyes only for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, Krulak, and William Bundy; to the White House eyes only for McGeorge Bundy and repeated to Honolulu eyes only for Felt and to CIA eyes only for McCone, Carter, and Helms. Received at the Department of State at 7:16 a.m. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, Vol. 11, pp. 789-792.

243. Telegram From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge) to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 S VIEI Top Secret; Immediate. The source text is CIA Station telegram 2077 from Saigon sent to the Department of State eyes only for Rusk, Harriman, Ball, Hilsman, and Hughes. Also sent to the Office of the Secretary of Defense eyes only for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, Krulak and William Bundy; to the White House eyes only for McGeorge Bundy; and repeated to Honolulu eyes only for Felt and to CIA eyes only for McCone, Carter, and Helms. Received at the Department of State at 10:50 a.m.

244. Memorandum From the Director of the Vietnam Working Group (Kattenburg) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Hilsman)

Source: Kennedy Library, Hilsman Papers, Countries-Vietnam. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Initialed by both Kattenburg and Hilsman.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 S VIET. Top Secret. Received at 12:32 p.m. and passed to the White House at 12:45 p.m.

246. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, State and Defense Cables. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Attached to the source text was a signed note from Krulak to McGeorge Bundy stating that Taylor asked that this message, which had been shown only to McNamara, be conveyed to Bundy. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, Vol. 11, pp. 785-787.

247. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, State and Defense Cables. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Repeated to Bangkok for Felt. Attached to the source text was a signed note from Krulak to McGeorge Bundy stating that Taylor asked that this message, which had been shown only to McNamara, be conveyed to Bundy.

248. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman) and the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Dolores P Perruso of Harriman’s staff.

249. Telegram From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Flash; Eyes only. The source text is CAS telegram [document number not declassified] to Saigon. Repeated to the Office of the Secretary of Defense eyes only for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, Krulak, and William Bundy; to the Department of State eyes only for Rusk, Harriman, Ball, Hilsman, and Hughes; to Honolulu eyes only for Felt; and to the CIA eyes only for McCone, Carter, and Helms. Also printed in United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967, Book 12, pp. 604-605.

250. Telegram From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge) to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Immediate; Eyes Only. The source text is CIA Station telegram 2114 from Saigon sent to the Department of State eyes only for Rusk, Harriman, Ball, Hilsman, and Hughes. Also sent to the Office of the Secretary of Defense eyes only for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, Krulak, and William Bundy; to the White House eyes only for McGeorge Bundy repeated to Honolulu eyes only for Felt and to CIA eyes only for McCone, Carter, and Helms. Received at the Department of State at 9:33 a.m.

251. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to the Director of the National Security Agency (Blake)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret; Flash. The source text is the copy sent for information Flash to the Department of State. Also sent for information Flash to USIB agencies. Received at the Department of State at 1:44 a.m.

252. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Director of the National Security Agency (Blake)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret Flash. The source text is the copy sent for information Flash to the Department of State. Also sent for information Flash to USIB agencies. Received at the Department of State at 2:34 a.m.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIEI Confidential; Flash. Repeated Flash to CINCPAC. Received at 2:15 a.m. and passed to the White House, CIA, Assistant Chief of Staff (Intelligence), Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Defense Intelligence Agency at 3:20 a.m.

254. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Top Secret; Immediate. Sent eyes only for Rusk, Harriman, Ball, Hilsman, and Hughes. Received at the Department of State at 3:18 a.m. Also sent to the Office of the Secretary of Defense eyes only for McNamara, Gilpatric, Taylor, Krulak, and William Bundy; to the White House eyes only for Bundy; and repeated to CIA eyes only for McCone, Carter, and Helms and to Honolulu and Hong Kong eyes only for Felt.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Confidential; Flash. Repeated Flash to CINCPAC. Received at the Department of State at 3:19 a.m. and passed to the White House at 3:25 a.m. and to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and CIA at 3:39 a.m.

256. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Director of the National Security Agency (Blake)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret; Flash. The source text is the copy sent for information Flash to the Department of State. Also sent Flash to USIB agencies. Received at the Department of State at 3:40 a.m.

257. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Director of the National Security Agency (Blake)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET Secret; Flash. The source text is the copy sent for information Flash to the Department of State. Also sent Flash to USIB agencies. Received at the Department of State at 3:55 a.m.

258. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Director of the National Security Agency (Blake)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET Secret; Flash The source text is the copy sent for information Flash to the Department of State. Also sent Flash to USIB agencies. Received at the Department of State at 4:11 a.m.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret; Flash; Limit Distribution. Received at the Department of State at 5:11 a.m. and passed to the White House, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and CIA at 5:31 a.m. Printed in part in United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967, Book 3, pp. 57-58.

260. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency Station in Saigon to the Director of the National Security Agency (Blake)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret; Flash. The source text is the copy sent Flash to the Department of State. Also sent Flash to USIB agencies. Received at the Department of State at 6:08 a.m.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15-1 S VIET. Secret; Priority. Repeated to CINCPAC. Received at 7:26 a.m. and passed to the White House at 8:35 a.m.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET/UN. Secret; Priority. Received at 9:18 a.m. and passed to the White House at 9:37 a.m. William Colby, in Honorable Men, p. 215, describes this cable and notes that because it was sent only priority, it arrived in Washington well after the coup had begun.

263. Memorandum for the Record of Discussion at the Daily White House Staff Meeting

Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-646-71. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by W.Y Smith.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET Secret; Flash. Drafted by Hilsman and Sullivan, cleared by the White House, and approved by Rusk.

At 10 a.m., President Kennedy met with his principal advisers: Rusk, McNamara, McCone, Robert Kennedy, Taylor, Harriman, Hilsman, McGeorge Bundy, Robert Manning, Colby, Krulak, Forrestal, and Kline. Many had been awake most of the night following the coup developments as the reports came into Washington. During the meeting, which is described as “Off the Record,” the President attended Holy Trinity Church’s All Saints Mass from 10:55 to 11:29 a.m. Kennedy then returned to the meeting which had continued without him. The President and his advisers met until 12:15 p.m. (Kennedy Library, President’s Appointment Book) No other substantive record of this meeting has been found. Both Taylor, Swords and Plowshares, p. 301, and Hilsman, To Move a Nation, p. 519, recall being awakened early on the morning of November 1 to follow the coup situation. Taylor states that Kennedy received the news of Diem’s death at this meeting when, in fact, he received the news at the 9:35-10:05 a.m. meeting on November 2; see Document 274.

Telegram 673 was apparently drafted before the 10 a.m. meeting.

265. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and Senator J. William Fulbright

Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 190, Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Phyllis D. Bernau. Rusk left the meeting at the White House at 11:05 a.m. and returned to the Department of State. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Book) Senator Fulbright was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET Secret; Flash; Eyes Only. Drafted by Hilsman and McGeorge Bundy and approved by Rusk. Apparently drafted before the 10 a.m. meeting at the White House; see footnote 1, Document 264.

267. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret; Exclusive; Eyes Only. Repeated to CINCPAC. The source text is the copy sent by the JCS to the Department of State exclusive for Rusk, Ball, Harriman, and Hilsman. The telegram was also sent to the White House exclusive for Bundy. Received at the Department of State at 2:35 p.m.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 26 S VIET. Secret; Immediate. Drafted by Koren; cleared by McGeorge and William Bundy and Harriman; and approved by Hilsman and Rusk.