Office of the Historian

79. Memorandum for the Record1

Washington, February 19, 1966, 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • White House Meeting, 19 February

PRESENT WERE

  • The President
  • For State: Mr. Rusk (part time) and Mr. Ball
  • For Defense: Mr. McNamara and General Wheeler
  • For the White House: Messrs. Bundy and Moyers and General Taylor
  • For CIA: Richard Helms
1.
The meeting convened at 10:00 A.M. and adjourned at 1:30 P.M. without interruption.
2.
The following matters were among those discussed.
a.
Relations with the Congress on the whole problem of Vietnam. In this connection, there was considerable discussion of difficulties caused for the Administration by speeches of individuals such as Senator Stennis which had the effect of scaring other members of Congress.2
b.
Senator Robert Kennedyʼs responsibility for the first pause in the air bombing of North Vietnam.
c.
A detailed discussion of the motivation of those Senators, fifteen in number, who signed a letter to the President3 opposing any escalation of the war in Vietnam.
d.
Constitutional problems connected with presidential authority to wage the war in Vietnam.
e.
The Presidentʼs desire to have cheap TV sets placed in Vietnam for purposes of education and indoctrination, the cost of this program to run around $3,000,000.
f.
A discussion of how to handle the build-up of United States forces in Vietnam.
g.
A schedule of meetings with congressional leaders.4
h.
The problems posed by the testimony of General Gavin and Ambassador Kennan.
i.
The advisability of using the White House for large meetings of Senators and Congressmen.
j.
A poll on Vietnam taken in the State of Rhode Island and certain counties in New York and New Jersey.
k.
Telegrams to the White House from citizens around the country on General Taylorʼs testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
l.
Discussion of a possible candidate for the back-up job in Washington on the non-military aspects of United States programs in Vietnam, this individual to be the Washington counterpart of Ambassador Porter in Saigon.
RH5
  1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (Helms) Files: Job 80–B0125A, Memos for the Record, 01 Jan 65–31 Dec 1972. Secret. Prepared by Helms on February 22.↩
  2. According to McGeorge Bundyʼs personal notes of the meeting, the President stated: “Real source of our trouble is Stennis. The wild figures in the papers come from him & thatʼs what scares Mansfield & Fulbright.” Johnson continued, “the problem is that he gets our figures.” McNamara stated: “We have not indicated our plans.” Johnson responded: “The real plans do get to Stennis & letʼs try to prevent it.” (Johnson Library, McGeorge Bundy Papers)↩
  3. See footnote 3, Document 50.↩
  4. According to McGeorge Bundyʼs notes, at one point in the meeting Johnson said, speaking of Congress, “maybe we consult with ʼem too much—that and the press may be the root of our trouble.”↩
  5. Helms handwrote the following note below his initials: “A recurrent theme of this meeting was the question of a Congressional resolution, although no decision was reached. The President is weighing in his mind whether to stand on the 1964 Tonkin Gulf resolution or push for a new one in this Session which would reaffirm his authority.” For a discussion of Senator Wayne Morseʼs amendment, introduced on January 29, to repeal the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and of growing interest among some Senators in a new resolution to augment or replace it, see William C. Gibbons, The U.S. Government and the Vietnam War, Part IV, pp. 251–259.↩