306. Editorial Note

Secretary of Defense Clifford held a regular morning meeting with his staff on July 22, 1968, to discuss Vietnam. The meeting started at 8:30 a.m., but neither the ending time of the meeting nor its participants is recorded. Deputy Secretary of Defense Nitze took the following notes of Clifford’s remarks during the meeting:

“Must get out of there.

  • “1. Use all influence on those in Washington.
  • “2. Persuade our negotiators of the rightness of our cause.
  • “3. Convey to our representatives in Saigon they seeing it too narrowly, from GVN pt. of view. Shld. look at it from interest of U.S.

“Convictions.

  • “1. No way can we terminate war militarily.
  • “2. GVN doesn’t want war to stop now. Money flows. Compulsion to build up ARVN will be lessened. List includes 300/400 H’s [helicopters], T–39 planes, artillery. Corruption runs through everything.
  • “3. What do we do? Candidates moving away.” (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Nitze Papers, Defense Department, Deputy Secretary of Defense Notes, 1968, 4 of 6)