January 31, 1965 to December 1967: Demise of the Rightists; Controversy Over Interdiction Strategies; Souvanna’s Visits to the United States
192. Special National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, INR/EAP Files: Lot 90 D 165, SNIE 58–65. Secret; Controlled Dissem. Prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, Defense, and the National Security Agency. The Directors of Intelligence and Research of the Department of State, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency concurred with its release by the Director of Central Intelligence. The AEC and FBI representatives on the USIB abstained because the subject was outside their jurisdiction.
193. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, DOD/OSD Admin Files: FRC 70 A 1265, Viet 381. Top Secret.
194. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Limdis. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, and CINCPAC.
195. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Limdis. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, and CINCPAC.
196. Special National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 72 D 139, Top Secret Material. Top Secret; Sensitive. Prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency, the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State and Defense, and the National Security Agency. All members of the USIB concurred with its release on September 10 except the representatives of the AEC and FBI who abstained because the subject was outside their jurisdiction.
197. Memorandum From the Director of the Office of Southeast Asian Affairs (Trueheart) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, EA/Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Files: Lot 75 D 394. Top Secret. Drafted by Slutz and cleared by Barbis. A copy was sent to Unger.
198. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Top Secret. Drafted by Trueheart; cleared by Unger, George H. Aldrich of L/FE, and McNamara; and approved by Bundy. Repeated to CINCPAC, COMUSMACV, and DEPCHIEFJUSMAG.
199. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. XV, Memos, 4/65–1/66. No classification marking. This memorandum was also from Chester Cooper and was sent through Valenti, who wrote on the memorandum that he agreed that the President should see Souvanna.
200. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Confidential. Drafted by George Carroll.
201. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL LAOS-US. Secret. Drafted by Jose DeSeabra of Language Services and Barbis and cleared in Rusk’s office on October 26.The time of the meeting is from Rusk’s Appointment Book. Rusk’s next appointment was at 4:56 p.m. (Johnson Library)
202. Memorandum From the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (Bell) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. XV, Memos, 4/65–1/66. Confidential.
203. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to the Department of State as telegram 466, which is the source text, and to Bangkok, Saigon, CINCPAC, DOD, and JCS.
204. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Acting Secretary of State Ball
Source: Department of State,EA/Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Files: Lot 75 D 394. Top Secret. Drafted by Barbis and cleared by Unger.
205. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Top Secret; Nodis; No Distribution Outside Department. There was no time of dispatch on this telegram, which was received at the Department of State at 4:42 a.m.
206. Memorandum From the Officer in Charge of Laos Affairs (Barbis) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Unger)
Source: Department of State, EA/Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Files: Lot 75 D 394. Top Secret.
207. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to Saigon, London, Moscow, and CINCPAC.
208. Information Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 Laos. Top Secret, Drafted by Unger. Rusk’s initials appear on the source text. Copies were sent to Ball, U. Alexis Johnson, Ewing and Barbis of SEA, Miller of FE/VN, and Sullivan in Vientiane.
209. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, CINCPAC,COMUSMACV, DEPCHJUSMAG, DOD, and JCS.
210. Memorandum From the Deputy Director for Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency (Cline) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. XV, Memos, 4/65–1/66. Secret; No Foreign Dissem.
211. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, and CINCPAC.
212. Memorandum From the Deputy Director of the Office of Southeast Asian Affairs (Ewing) to the Director (Trueheart)
Source: Department of State, EA/Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Files: Lot 75 D 394. Top Secret; Limdis. Drafted by Barbis.
213. Memorandum From James C. Thomson of the National Security Council Staff to Vice President Humphrey
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. XV, Memos, 4/65–1/66. Confidential.
214. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Top Secret; Flash; handled by S/S-O as Limdis. Repeated to the Department of State as 678, which is the source text, Saigon, CINCPAC, COMUSMACV, and JCS.
215. Memorandum From the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (Bell) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. XV, Memos. 4/65–1/66. No classification marking. A note on the source text indicates it was sent to Johnson at his ranch in Texas on December 31.
216. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis; Privacy Channel. No time of transmittal appears on the source text, but it was received at the Department of State at 1:29 a.m., January 3.
217. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. McGeorge Bundy sent a copy of this telegram to President Johnson, under a covering memorandum, January 5, 5:30 p.m., in which Bundy suggested that the President might be interested in Symington’s views as expressed to Sullivan. McGeorge Bundy wrote: “It may be that we ought to talk to him [Symington] before he starts to say this sort of thing in public. He doesn’t much like being muzzled by the White House, but he has played ball with us before.” An initial on the memorandum indicates that Johnson saw it. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Memoranda to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. XVIII)
218. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Limdis. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, CINCPAC, and COMUSMACV. No transmittal time appears on the source text, which was received at the Department of State at 6:37 a.m., January 6.
219. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret; Immediate; Exdis/Pinta. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, Moscow, and Warsaw. Passed to the White House.
220. Memorandum From Vice President Humphrey to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memoranda to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. XV. Secret. An initial on the source text indicates that Johnson saw it.
221. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Embassy in the Philippines
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret. Repeated to the Department of State as telegram 905, which is the source text, and to CINCPAC and Seoul.