The bombing pause; Assessment of the bombing program and U.S. troop requirements; Change of government in South Vietnam, May 10–June 12


319. 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. Passed to the White House, the CIA, and the Department of Defense.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Unger and cleared by William Bundy.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. No time of transmission is indicated on the source text, but it was received in the Department on June 1 at 9:11 a.m. and forwarded to the White House.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Flash; Nodis. Drafted and approved by Ball.


325. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense McNamara to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. XI. Top Secret. Copies were sent to Rusk and McGeorge Bundy. The covering memorandum indicates that McGeorge Bundy forwarded the memorandum to President Johnson on June 5.


326. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (Helms) Files, Job 80 BO 1285A, Chrono as DDP and DDCI, 1 Jan-31 Dec 65. Secret. Prepared by Helms on June 3.


327. Memorandum of Senator Mike Mansfield

Source: University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Mansfield Papers, Series 13, Box 69, Vietnam. Confidential. The meeting began at 10:39 a.m. Attending were the President, Vice President, O’Brien, Reedy, Valenti, and the following Congressional Democratic leaders: Senators Mansfield and Long, Speaker McCormack, and Representatives Albert and Boggs. Mansfield left at 11:43 a.m., along with McCormack and Albert. The Vice President and O’Brien left at 11:50, and Long and Boggs stayed until 11:55. Information on time and attendance is taken from the President’s Daily Diary at the Johnson Library.


328. 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. No time of transmission is indicated on the source text, but it was received in the Department of State at 11:35 a.m.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 VIET S. Secret; Flash; Limdis. Received in the Department of State at 12:40 p.m. Repeated to CINCPAC, Bangkok, and Vientiane. Passed to the White House, CIA, and the Department of Defense.


330. 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. XI. A handwritten “L” in the margin of the source text indicates the President saw this memorandum.


331. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret. Drafted by Harry Obst of the Office of Operations/Language Services Division and Robert Kent of EUR/GER and approved in the White House on June 29. The meeting was held in the President’s Office.


332. 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. No time of transmission is indicated on the source text, but it was received in the Department of State at 9:06 a.m. A copy of the telegram was passed to the White House, and McGeorge Bundy sent it to the President on June 5 with a covering note emphasizing the final two pages dealing with the military balance, which Bundy noted were “interesting, and also troubling.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Nodis, Vol. II (A))


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

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXXV, Memos (B). Top Secret. The source text indicates that the President saw it.


334. Memorandum From Senator Mike Mansfield to President Johnson

Source: University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Mansfield Papers, Series 13, Box 69, Vietnam. No classification marking.


335. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, June 1965. Top Secret.


336. Telegram from the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, EA Files: Lot 69 D 412, Vietnam Negotiations, Seaborn. Confidential;Limdis. Repeated to Ottawa, Moscow, Djakarta, Vientiane, Bangkok, Paris, London, and CINCPAC for POLAD. Printed also in part in Herring (ed.), The Secret Diplomacy of the Vietnam War, p. 44


337. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Sent to JCS personal for General Wheeler and sent to CINCPAC personal for Admiral Sharp. Repeated to CINCUSARPAC for General Waters, CINCPACAF for General Harris, CINCPACFLT for Admiral Johnson, and C G FMFPAC for General Krulak. Sent to JCS with a request to pass to Ambassador Taylor.


338. Diary Entry by the Ambassador to Vietnam (Taylor)

Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-272–64, Box 52. Secret.


340. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (Helms) Files, Job 80 BO 1285A, Chrono as DDP and DDCI, 1 Jan-31 Dec 65. Secret. Prepared by Helms.


341. Memorandum From Senator Mike Mansfield to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Name File, Vietnam—Mansfield Memo and Reply. No classification marking.


342. 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 William Bundy. Bundy initialed the source text to indicate that he had cleared the message in the Department of State with Rusk and in the Department of Defense with McNamara.


343. Personal Notes of a Meeting With President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, Papers of McGeorge Bundy. No classification marking. The notes were handwritten by McGeorge Bundy for his personal use and were not an official record of the meeting. Bundy’s attendance list includes the President, Rusk, McNamara, Ball, Vance, McGeorge Bundy, William Bundy, Raborn, Taylor, Reedy, Moyers, and Russell. The President’s Daily Diary at the Johnson Library also lists Wheeler as attending. The time of the meeting is taken from the President’s Daily Diary.

William Bundy also took notes at the meeting and used them several years later to prepare a 5-page summary of the discussion, which is cited in several footnotes below. (Johnson Library, Papers of William Bundy, chap. 26, pp. 10–15)


344. Memorandum Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXXV. Top Secret; Sensitive. The source text does not indicate the originating office.


345. Memorandum From Attorney General Katzenbach to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, 7B Legality Considerations. No classification marking. The date is handwritten on the source text.


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

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, JCS Memos, Vol. I. Top Secret.


347. Summary Notes of the 552d Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Meetings File, Vol. 3. Top Secret; Sensitive; For the President Only. Drafted by Bromley Smith. A list of participants at the meeting is ibid.