Office of the Historian

111. Notes of Meeting1

Washington, October 23, 1968, 4-4:31 p.m.

NOTES ON MEETING WITH FOREIGN POLICY ADVISERS

THOSE ATTENDING THE MEETING WERE

  • The President
  • Secretary Rusk
  • General Wheeler
  • Secretary Clifford
  • Walt Rostow
  • Tom Johnson

The Group read over the Text.2

Secretary Clifford: You have firm military support.

The President: We do not know yet what we have from Hanoi.

General Momyer said you couldn’t do much because of weather. If we get what we are asking for, he’ll support it.3

General Wheeler: The Chiefs said that the other day.

The President: I want maximum civilian and military support.

The people will ask why did I stop bombing if I had no firm agreement.

Secretary Rusk: There is a 5% chance the other side would like to put the President in the spot of stopping the bombing, then restarting.

Secretary Clifford: What we did yesterday was to get principles upon which this was based.4

General Wheeler: This language sounds like an ultimatum. I would go back to earlier language: “The President cannot maintain bombing cessation in the face of violations.”

Walt Rostow: I would use “facts of life” formulation.

Secretary Rusk: That’s good. Soviets know the three facts of life well.

[Page 314]

The President: We will stop bombing on October 31. They can make their announcement as they wish.

Secretary Rusk: We could argue all day about an “agreed minute.”

Secretary Clifford: Bus and I had a wonderful time with Ike5 this morning.

General Wheeler: He was alright on Vietnam. He was concerned about the political situation in Saigon. He said if something comes up he should know about, let him know.

  1. Source: Johnson Library, Tom Johnson’s Notes of Meetings. No classification marking. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room.↩
  2. Reference is to draft instructions to Harriman and Vance, attached to a memorandum to the President from Rostow, October 23, 12:55 p.m. (Ibid., National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Memos to the President/Bombing Halt Decision, Vol. 2 [2 of 2]) See Document 113.↩
  3. See Document 110.↩
  4. See Document 103.↩
  5. Former President Eisenhower.↩