Office of the Historian

221. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant (Cater) to the President1

Washington, June 23, 1964.

Pursuant to your urging this morning that we consider all the things we need to be doing in Viet Nam and Laos,2 I would like to raise the following questions which need to be asked of the appropriate experts. Some have been raised in the past but laid aside because conditions were not so urgent. Certainly, they deserve to be examined before General Taylor and Alexis Johnson depart for Saigon.

1.

What new projects of real or symbolic value can we sponsor to affirm (a) our determination not to retreat from this area, (b) our overriding interest in building peace rather than waging war?

The Mekong River Development Plan certainly falls into this category. We have already contributed financially to five tributary dams under construction there. It might be highly appropriate to select an additional project, either in Laos or South Viet Nam and publicly call on the Soviets to join us in building it.

AID might be called on to provide a list of the economic and social projects that have been put on the shelf which would constitute an impact program for the area.

2.
What reform measures—land, tax, credit system, etc.—could we persuade General Khanh to pursue vigorously as signal of a new deal in Viet Nam? An indication of Presidential interest might give the necessary push to reforms which have been long postponed.
3.
What is the current status of the Pentagon’s effort to apply all the skill of modern weaponry to the problem of waging guerrilla warfare? Have we utilized every conceivable device for detection of Viet Cong fighters?
4.
Senator Humphrey has sent you a report3 which contained a number of action proposals by Major General Edward Lansdale. My understanding is that he was extremely effective in waging anti-guerrilla warfare in the Philippines. The question arises whether he and his team might accompany General Taylor to Viet Nam.

I suggest the above questions as ones you may wish to put at the next meeting of your Secretaries. Alternatively, I would be happy to forward them to the appropriate working groups, including the Sullivan Committee and John McNaughton in the Pentagon.

Hold for your own use?

Forward to appropriate officials?4

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Southeast Asia, Vol. 111, Memos (A). No classification marking.↩
  2. Apparent reference to the statement on Vietnam at the President’s press conference at 11:04 a.m.; see Document 220.↩
  3. Document 208.↩
  4. President Johnson checked this option and wrote the following note: “Doug, This good—carefully comb Humphrey for all ideas and then forward to appr. officials. L”.↩