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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Flash; Limdis. Repeated to CIA, JCS, the Secretary of Defense, the White House, and CINCPAC. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Taylor. (Ibid., Saigon Embassy Files: Lot 68 F 8) Received at 10:07 p.m., October 31.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Flash; Exdis. Repeated to CIA, JCS, the Secretary of Defense, the White House, and CINCPAC. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Johnson and Taylor. (Ibid., Saigon Embassy Files: Lot 68 F 8) Received at 3:23 a.m., November 1.

395. Telegram From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Sharp)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/ISA Files: FRC 69 A 7425, 381 Vietnam. Top Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Repeated to COMUSMACV, Saigon, CIA, the White House, and the Department of State. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. III, p. 587.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy and cleared with Rusk, McNamara, and McGeorge Bundy. Repeated to CINCPAC and the Department of Defense.

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

Source: Department of State, Bundy Files, 1964 Files. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by William Bundy and approved by Rusk.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Also sent to CIA, the Department of Defense, and the White House and repeated to CINCPAC. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Taylor. (Ibid., Saigon Embassy Files: Lot 68 F 8) Received at 6:07 a.m.

399. Telegram From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Sharp)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vol. XXI, Cables. Top Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Drafted by Wheeler. Repeated to the White House and the Department of State.

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

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vol. XXI, Cables. Top Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy, cleared by McGeorge Bundy, and approved by Ball. Repeated to CINCPAC.

401. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Office of the Secretary of Defense

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to the Secretary of State, the White House, and CINCPAC. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Taylor. (Ibid., Saigon Embassy Files: Lot 68 F 8) Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. III, pp. 590–591

402. Telegram From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Sharp) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 319, HQDA Message Center, Reel 12009. Top Secret; Limdis. Repeated to COMUSMACV, four other Pacific commands, and readdressed to the White House and Department of State on November 4.

403. Editorial Note

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Bangkok, London, Paris, and CINCPAC for POLAD. Received at 10:53 a.m.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 VIET S. Secret; Limdis. Repeated to CIA, the Department of Defense, the White House, Vientiane, Bangkok, and CINCPAC. Received at 2:06 p.m.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to CIA, the Department of Defense, JCS, Bangkok, Vientiane, and CINCPAC.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Bundy and Forrestal and cleared in substance with Rusk.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 1–1 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. Also sent to CIA, Department of Defense, and the White House and repeated to CINCPAC. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Taylor. (Ibid., Saigon Embassy Files: Lot 68 F 8)

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Taylor. (Ibid., Saigon Embassy Files: Lot 68 F 8)

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 10 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Repeated to CINCPAC. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Taylor. (Ibid., Saigon Embassy Files: Lot 68 F 8) Also published in Declassified Documents, 1983, 000533.

411. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)

Source: Department of State, Bundy Files, Working Papers, Nov 1964, Vol. IV JCS. Top Secret.

412. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Policy Planning Council (Rostow) to the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/ISA (Admin) Files: FRC 69 A 7425, Vietnam 381. Top Secret; Personal. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. III, pp. 632–633. Rostow sent a similar, but more extensive memorandum to Rusk on November 23. For text, see ibid., pp. 645–647.

413. Message From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Taylor) to the President

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis. Transmitted as telegram 1536 from Saigon, which is the source text. According to another copy of telegram 1536, it was drafted by Taylor. (Ibid., Saigon Embassy Files: Lot 68 F 8) Received at 6:21 p.m.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 17–5 US–VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Forrestal, cleared with William Bundy and the White House, and initialed by Rusk.

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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 VIET S. Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Also sent to CIA, the Department of Defense, and the White House and repeated to CINCPAC. Received at 10:10 a.m.

416. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State’s Special Assistant (Ehrlich) to the Under Secretary of State (Ball)

Source: Department of State, Ball Files: Lot 74 D 272, Courses of Action in Southeast Asia, Book One. Top Secret.

417. Memorandum for the Record of a Meeting, White House

Source: Kennedy Library, Thomson Papers, Southeast Asia—Vietnam, 1964 General. Top Secret. Drafted by Thomson on November 24. According to an agenda and list of participants, in addition to those mentioned in this memorandum, Humphrey, McCone, Vance, Ball, and Bromley Smith were present at the meeting. (Johnson Library National Security File, Aides File, McGeorge Bundy, Misc Mtgs, Vol. 1)

418. Paper Prepared by the National Security Council Working Group

Source: Department of State, Bundy Files, Master Files, Late Nov 1964. Top Secret. Drafted by William Bundy and McNaughton. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. 111, pp. 656–666. The first draft of this summary, prepared on November 17 by Bundy (not found), was revised following the November 19 meeting (see supra) and dated November 21. No copy of the full text of the November 21 draft has been found, but the text printed here is the same as that draft except for changes on seven pages, made on November 26. (Memorandum from Bundy to the NSC Working Group; ibid., Working Papers, Nov 1964, Vol. 1) These changes are indicated in footnotes below and were made as a result of the discussion at the Working Group meeting on November 24 (see Document 424).

419. Telegram From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Sharp) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler)

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 319, HQDA Message Center, Reel 12009. Top Secret.

420. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (McNamara)

Source: Department of State, Ball Files: Lot 74 D 272, Vietnam. Top Secret; Sensitive.

421. Message From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Taylor) to the President

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Nodis. Transmitted as telegram 1630 from Saigon, which is the source text.

422. Letter From the Deputy Ambassador in Vietnam (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Correspondence—J. No classification marking. The source text is handwritten.