Increase in U.S. ground forces in Vietnam and consideration by the U.S. Government of a bombing pause, March 8–May 8
249. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received in the Department of State at 9:23 a.m.
250. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Vietnam Working Group Files: Lot 72 D 219, Rolling Thunder Memos 1965. Secret. Drafted by Unger.
252. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to CINCPAC. Received in the Department of State at 7:57 a.m.
253. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. IX. Top Secret.
255. Intelligence Memorandum From the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Denney) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State,INR Files: Lot 81 D 343, Vietnam—April 1, 1965. Confidential; No Foreign Dissem.
256. Telegram From the Department of Defense to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXXII, Cables. Top Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Drafted by McNaughton; concurred in by McGeorge Bundy, Rusk, and McNamara; and repeated to CINCPAC and COMUSMACV. The message as received by Taylor was also identified by the date-time group, 152339Z. (National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Box 52, Folder D)
257. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Nodis.
258. 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. Received in the Department of State at 3:10 a.m.
259. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Box 52, Folder D. Top Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Also captioned “White House Attn. Mr. Bundy.” Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. III, pp. 704–705.
260. 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.
261. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Box 52, Folder D. Top Secret; Exdis.
262. Telegram From the White House to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXXII, Memos. Top Secret; Nodis.
264. Diary Entry by the Ambassador to Vietnam (Taylor)
Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Diaries, T-272–69. Secret.
265. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense McNamara to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXXVIII. Top Secret. Also printed in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. III, pp. 705–706. The memorandum follows very closely McNaughton’s minutes of the Honolulu meeting. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Minutes of the 4/20/65 Honolulu Mtg.) For another account of the meeting, see Document 264; for recollections, see Taylor, Swords and Plowshares, pp. 342–343; Westmoreland, A Soldier Reports, p. 132; Sharp, Strategy for Defeat, pp. 77–80; and William Bundy’s unpublished manuscript, chap. 25, pp. 2–8. (Johnson Library, Papers of William Bundy)
266. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Johnson Library, John McCone Memoranda of Meetings with the President. Top Secret. Apparently dictated by McCone and transcribed in his office. The meeting was held from 11:15 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. (Ibid., President’s Daily Diary) McGeorge Bundy’s handwritten notes of the meeting are ibid., Papers of McGeorge Bundy. For Ball’s recollection of the meeting, which he incorrectly dates April 20, see The Past Has Another Pattern, p. 393.
267. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Ball) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Political Track Papers. Top Secret.
268. Intelligence Memorandum
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG, 330, OSD Files: FRC 70 A 5127, 381 Vietnam Sensitive. Top Secret; Sensitive; Limited Distribution. The covering note, April 22, states that the memorandum was prepared by the Board of National Estimates with the assistance of senior personnel from CIA, DIA, and the Department of State; and that the “line-in, line-out changes were incorporated as a result of agreements reached on the morning of 22 April, 1965 during a review of the document” by McCone, Raborn, Hughes, and Carroll. Deletions in the text are set in canceled type [red text used here]; additions are in italics. A first draft of the memorandum, completed on April 21 before the views of Hughes and Carroll could be obtained, is in the Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXXIII. A covering note for the first draft indicates that McCone sent a copy to the White House on the morning of April 22 for study prior to the advisory meeting scheduled for later that day (see Document 269).
269. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (McCone) Files, Job 80 BO 1285A, Meetings with the President, 1 Feb-30 Apr 65. Secret; Eyes Only. Apparently dictated by McCone and transcribed in his office. The time of the meeting is taken from the President’s Daily Diary. (Johnson Library)
270. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to CINCPAC and received in the Department of State at 9:51 p.m. on April 22.
271. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Eyes Only; Nodis. Drafted by McNamara, cleared by McGeorge Bundy and Rusk (in draft), and approved by Unger.
272. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, White House Central Files, EX CO 312. No classification marking. Marked with an indication that the President saw it.
273. 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. There is no time of transmission on the source text, but the telegram was received in the Department of State at 11:49 p.m. on April 23.
274. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret. Repeated to CINCPAC, Bangkok, and Vientiane.
275. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (McCone) Files, Job 80 BO 1265A, Memos for the Record, 1 Mar-28 Apr 65. Secret; Eyes Only. Apparently dictated by McCone and transcribed in his office. The time of the meeting is taken from Rusk’s Appointment Book at the Johnson Library. The meeting was held at the Department of State. (Ibid.)
276. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. X. Top Secret;Nodis. The source text is a typed unsigned transcript that McGeorge Bundy forwarded to the President under an April 27 memorandum stating: “Max now recommends a 9-battalion decision. My own view is that we ought to decide something more limited—perhaps the items (a) and (b) in his third paragraph (6 battalions).”
277. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis. No time of transmission appears on the source text, but it was received in the Department of State at 2:06 a.m.
278. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Johnson Library, John McCone Memoranda of Meetings with the President. Secret; Eyes Only. Apparently dictated by McCone and transcribed in his office. McCone retired as Director of Central Intelligence on April 28 and was replaced by Admiral William F. Raborn, Jr. (USN, Ret.)