135. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State1
Secto 14. For the President and Acting Secretary. For your preparation for talks with Erhard I should report a conversation with Schroeder on further German help for Viet-Nam.2 I pointed out to him that the full revelation to the Congress of the extent of our requirements in Viet-Nam will raise major questions about what others are doing in the face of our own continuing commitments in such areas as NATO. I told him it was of the utmost importance that Germany find a way to send considerable numbers of people to South Viet-Nam. I mentioned specifically engineers of all types, medical personnel, private contractors to undertake building programs, police personnel, etc. Schroeder’s reaction was very negative. He mentioned that they were the second largest contributor to Viet-Nam economically but said that they had not been successful in getting volunteers to go to perform services. He had talked with a number of organizations with little result. He commented that people in Germany are under the impression that all of South Viet-Nam is a war zone. I told him this was in effect true and that it was a dangerous place and that was a major reason why free countries ought to take a hand in it.
When he discounted the possibility of private citizens I raised the question of military or police units to perform similar services. He seemed to think they had legal as well as policy obstacles to any such answer.
I report this because I was very disappointed with his general attitude. It seems to me that we should marshal a strong case for Erhard and put to him some very specific suggestions as to units or type personnel that we strongly want from the Federal Republic. I would advise against combat units as such but it is important that we get some Germans into the field.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files,POL GER W–US. Secret; Immediate; Nodis.↩
- See also Document 136.↩