Vietnam and the Deterioration of Relations; February-December 1965


121. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 27 VIET S. Secret. The telegram bears no time of transmission, but it was received in the Department of State at 8:01 a.m. on August 20. A notation on another copy of this telegram indicates that President Johnson saw it. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. X) The cable was also summarized for the President in the items for his evening reading on August 20. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, S/S Files: Lot 74 D 164)


122. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, CON 4 USUSSR. Confidential; Priority; Limdis. No time of transmission appears on the telegram, but it was received in the Department of State at 10:29 p.m. on August 21.


123. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, CUL 8 USSR. Confidential; Priority. No time of transmission appears on the telegram, but it was received in the Department of State at 5:31 p.m. on August 21.


124. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of the Treasury (Barr) to President Johnson

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, INCO-WHEAT USSR. Confidential. The memorandum bears no drafting information. Copies were also sent to the Secretaries of Agriculture, Labor, and Commerce, and to the Under Secretary of State.


125. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL USUSSR. Confidential. No drafting information appears on the memorandum; it was transmitted as enclosure 1 to airgram A–425 from Moscow, September 13. The meeting was held at Kohler’s residence.


126. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, CON 4 USUSSR. Confidential. Drafted andinitialed by Thompson and approved in S/AL on September20. Memoranda of their conversation on the India-Pakistan dispute and Moscow’s Foreign Office personnel are ibid., POL 27 INDIA–PAK and POL–USSR.


127. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Dobrynin/Thompson Memcons, Vol. I. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Thompson and approved in S/AL on September 27. Also discussed were the cultural exchanges agreement, leadership problems in the Soviet Union, the location of the new Soviet Embassy, non-proliferation, Pravda and Izvestia, Arthur Schlesinger’s articles on Secretary of State Rusk, the Soviet economy, and Vietnam. A memorandum of the discussion on Vietnam is printed in Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, vol. III, Document 154. Memoranda of the other conversations are in Department of State, S/S-I Files: Lot 73 D 154, S/AL Memcons.


128. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the Ambassador at Large (Thompson)

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 77 D 163. Secret.


129. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, INCO-WHEAT US. Secret. Drafted by Thompson on October 1. The conversation was held during the Secretary’s reception at the Waldorf Astoria.


130. Memorandum From Harold Saunders of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Komer Files, USSR, November 1963–March 1966. Confidential. A notation on the memorandum indicates that Bundy wrote on the original, “You have it about right.”


131. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Read) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. X. Limited Official Use. According to another copy, this memorandum was drafted by William H. Edgar (SOV) and cleared by Toon and Stoessel. At the bottom of the memorandum Bromley Smith, NSC Executive Secretary, wrote in a note to Francis Bator: “What a pity-and a real loss to the U.S. No one who ever lived through a Cuban missile crisis could accept the inadequate communication facilities to our Embassy in Moscow.”


132. Research Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Hughes) to Acting Secretary of State Ball

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 1 USSR. Secret; Exdis. No drafting information appears on the memorandum, but it was signed by Hughes.


133. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, EDX USUSSR. Limited Official Use. No time of transmission appears on the telegram, but it was received in the Department of State on October 28 at 3:59 p.m.


134. Intelligence Memorandum

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, S/P Files: Lot 72 D 139, USSR. Secret. Prepared in the CIA’s Directorate of Intelligence.


135. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 29 USSR. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Thompson and approved in S/AL on November 15. A summary of this conversation was transmitted to Moscow in telegram 1260, November 15. (Ibid.)


136. Memorandum for the Files

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL USUSSR. Secret; Limdis. Drafted by Kohler, who was in Washington for consultations, and cleared by Bator. Copies were sent to Thompson, Leddy, and Toon.


137. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL USUSSR. Secret. Drafted and initialed by Kohler on November 19.


138. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 29 USSR. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Thompson and approved in S/AL on November 18.


139. Research Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Hughes) to Acting Secretary of State Ball

Source: Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files. Secret. No drafting information appears on the memorandum but it was signed by Hughes.


140. Information Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Leddy) to the Under Secretary of State (Ball)

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, LEG 7 MANSFIELD. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by James W. Pratt (SOV).


141. Memorandum of Conversation Between the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) and the Soviet Ambassador (Dobrynin)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Dobrynin Conversations, Vol. I. Secret. Bundy forwarded the memorandum to the President on November 25. (Ibid.)


142. Memorandum From David E. Murphy of the Central Intelligence Agency to Peter Jessup of the National Security Council Staff

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. XI. Secret.


143. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL USUSSR. Secret. Drafted by Harriman, approved by S/AH, and initialed by Harriman.


144. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 15 USSR. Confidential. Also sent to all East European posts, Berlin, and Hong Kong, and repeated to Saigon, Paris, London, Bonn, and Rome.


145. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL USUSSR. Confidential. Repeated to Saigon.