May-July 1962: Deployment of U.S. Troops to Thailand; Lao Agreement on a Coalition; The Geneva Accords on Laos


354. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between President Kennedy and Acting Secretary of State Ball

Source: Kennedy Library, Ball Papers, Laos. No classification marking. Transcribed in Ball’s office.


355. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between President Kennedy and Acting Secretary of State Ball

Source: Kennedy Library, Ball Papers, Laos. No classification marking. Transcribed in Ball’s office.


356. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 66 A 3542, 381 Laos. Top Secret. McNamara made notes in the margin of the first page of the source text about numbers of U.S. troops available, the fighter aircraft strength of China within range of Laos and potential fighters from North Korea and Shanghai, and the capabilities of the 13th Air Force and U.S. carriers against South China and North Vietnamese airfields.


357. Memorandum of Conversations

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/17/62–5/25/62. Top Secret. Drafted by Forrestal on May 23.


358. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/10/62–5/16/62. Top Secret.


359. Memorandum From the Director of Intelligence and Research (Hilsman) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Harriman)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.51/5–1562. Top Secret. The Deputy Director of INR, Thomas Hughes, sent this memorandum to Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Cleveland under cover of a May 15 memorandum. Hughes stated that “while the paper has served as the basis for the important discussions at the White House in the last few days, it should not be assumed that all the contingencies mentioned in the paper are now being planned for.”


360. Telegram From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Felt)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1362. Top Secret; Niact. Repeated to CINCUSARPAC, CINCPACFLT, PACAF HICKAM, COMUSMACV Saigon, CHJUSMAG Thailand, CHMAAG Laos, CINCSTRIKE, CSA, CNO, CSAF, CMC, and the Department of State. The source text is the Department’s copy.


361. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1262. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Sullivan; cleared by Forrestal, Harriman, and McNamara; and approved by Rusk. Repeated niact to Bangkok and CINCPAC for POLAD, and to Moscow.


362. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/17/62–5/25/62. Top Secret. Drafted by Forrestal on May 23. According to the President’s appointment book, this was the last meeting on Sunday, May 13, and no time for the conclusion is indicated. (Ibid., President’s Appointment Book)


363. Memorandum of Discussion With Former President Eisenhower

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/10/62–5/16/62. Secret; Eyes Only. The time and place of the meeting are not indicated on the source text. A notation on the source text indicates that the original went to the President.


364. Message [text not declassified] to Director of Central Intelligence McCone

Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Laos # 2, 7 T–265–69. Secret.


365. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1362. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Sullivan; cleared by Koren, Cross, Forrestal, and Harriman; and approved by Rusk. Repeated priority to Moscow and to Bangkok and CINCPAC POLAD.


366. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, Countries, Laos Security, 5/11/62–5/28/62. Top Secret. No drafting information appears on the source text, but the last sentence of the fifth paragraph was added in Forrestal’s handwriting.


368. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos, 5/17/62–5/25/62. Top Secret. Drafted by Forrestal on May 23. McGeorge Bundy drafted a memorandum of this discussion on May 21. He asked Forrestal to incorporate his version into a memorandum for the record, which apparently is the memorandum printed here. (Ibid.)


369. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/10/62–5/16/62. No classification marking.


370. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 65 A 3501, Laos 092, Jan.–Dec. 1962, Secret. Drafted by p. Wesley Kriebel of S/S. The meeting took place in Harriman’s office.


371. Memorandum From the President’s Military Representative (Taylor) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Harriman)

Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T–026–69. Secret.


372. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–1662. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Sullivan; cleared by Wallace G. Magathan of G/PM, William Bundy of DOD/ISA, Forrestal, and Emory Swank, Rusk’s Special Assistant; and approved by Harriman. Repeated priority to Bangkok, 2nd to Moscow, New Delhi, London, Paris, Geneva Fecon, and CINCPAC POLAD.


373. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/54–1862. Secret. Drafted by Sullivan; cleared in draft by Cross and Rice and in substance by Harriman; and approved by Koren. Repeated to Bangkok, Paris, London, Geneva, Fecon, and CINCPAC.


374. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Staff to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/17/62–5/25/62. Secret.


376. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, Countries, Laos Security, 5/11/62–5/28/62. Secret.


377. Memorandum From the President’s Military Representative (Taylor) to President Kennedy

Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Laos SEATO 1962, T–641–71H. Secret.


378. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, NSAM 157. Top Secret. Also sent to the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. McGeorge Bundy sent this memorandum to the above addresses as NSAM 157, May 29. (Department of State, S-S/NSC Files: Lot 72 D 316, NSAM 157)


379. Memorandum for the Record

Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Laos SEATO, 1962, T–641–71H. Top Secret. Prepared by Bagley.


380. Memorandum of Discussion

Source: Central Intelligence Agency DC1-McCone Files, [text not declassified]. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by McCone on May 28.


381. Memorandum From the President’s Military Representative (Taylor) to Secretary of Defense McNamara

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/26/62–5/31/62. Secret. Also sent to U. Alexis Johnson.


382. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council to the President’s Special Assistant for National Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security File, Countries Series, Laos: General, 5/26/62–5/31/62/ Top Secret.


383. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.51J/6–162. Top Secret. Drafted by Johnson