Office of the Historian

247. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Harkins) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor)1

Saigon, October 30, 1963, 7 p.m.

MAC 2034. When I said last week I was out of the coup business I did not realize I was going to be out of touch. In fact the Ambassador agreed to keep me informed. So I was a bit shocked when the Ambassador called me today on instructions from Washington to collaborate on reply on message (I don’t have the number) seeking further info from here. I was shocked because I had not seen any of the Saigon 20 series [document number not declassified],2 20413 etc.

I did not know there had been further contacts between Don and Conein. I really did not realize how imminent Don’s plan is to implementation.

As we do not know the plan I can not say how good it is. To me it just looked like Don has run down the Army roster indicating troops to be used.

How the 21st, 9th, 7th, 23rd, and 5th Divisions can lend any immediate support to an effort in Saigon is hard to visualize. If they are brought into the area the V.C. will certainly take advantage and I can not guess how long it would take to reestablish G.V.N. in the abandoned areas. If he plans to use only the loyal local troops the effort may well be a flop.

I read the Ambassador’s reply4 to today’s message and non-concurred that we should go along feeling we should have more information. Even though Don says his effort is purely Vietnamese, U.S. will soon be involved whether we like it or not. I feel we should go along with only a sure thing: This or continue to go along with Diem until we have exhausted all pressures. The prestige of the U.S. is really involved one way or the other and it must be upheld at all costs.5

  1. 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.↩
  2. Document 226.↩
  3. Document 229.↩
  4. Document 242.↩

  5. JCS 4230-63, from Taylor to Harkins, October 31, reads as follows:

    “Refs: MAC 2028, 2033, 2034.

    “References most useful here and are receiving attention at highest levels. CAS Washington [document number not declassified] is designed to clear the air and further clarify USG position. Regards.” (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam Country Series, Top Secret Cables, October 1963 (B))

    The cable referred is Document 249.

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