289. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson 1
Your comments to the Malaysian Finance Minister about the need for more assistance in Viet-Nam generated some action.2
Through Secretary Rusk, the Malaysian Prime Minister has sent his assurances to you that Malaysia will not only continue to train South Vietnamese officers, but will increase the size of that program.3
[Page 640]The Malaysians have also sent a note to the Department of State itemizing the assistance they have provided to South Viet-Nam.4 Their contribution is considerably greater than was described to you in the meeting with the Finance Minister.
- —Over 5,000 Vietnamese officers trained in Malaysia.
- —Training of 150 U.S. soldiers in handling Tracker Dogs.
- —A rather impressive list of military equipment and weapons given Viet-Nam after the end of the Malaysian insurgency (for example, 641 armored personnel carriers, 56,000 shotguns).
- —A creditable amount of civil assistance (transportation equipment, cholera vaccine, and flood relief. Our Ambassador to Malaysia, Jim Bell, is all revved up to work with the Malaysians on an increased program of training assistance for the Vietnamese. I expect there will be some developments on this within the next month or so.
Secretary Rusk undertook to convey the Prime Minister’s assurances to you, and this memorandum is intended to discharge that undertaking.5
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, 5 D (2), Allies Troop Commitments and Other Aid, 1967–1969. Confidential.↩
- See Document 283.↩
- These assurances were contained in an October 13 note. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, 5 D (2), Allies Troop Commitments and Other Aid, 1967–1969)↩
- This note is dated October 17. (Ibid.)↩
- Rusk informed Ambassador Ong in an October 27 letter that he had conveyed the Prime Minister’s assurances.↩