75. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McNaughton) to Secretary of Defense McNamara1
SUBJECT
- Additional ROK Forces for SVN
Negotiations for the ROK division/brigade are now at the point where Ambassador Brown will submit almost immediately a negotiating letter to ROK stating a fairly firm US position on what the US will offer for these forces. Based upon this submission, there is a good chance that we will obtain an ROK decision in principle to dispatch the troops and to submit a request to the ROK National Assembly promptly after President Park’s return in mid-February from a trip to Southeast Asia.
The negotiating letter is within the authority the various Washington agencies gave to the Ambassador. However, the US offers still are substantially short of some ROK requests. Among the DoD items, two require your action:
- (a)
-
ROK request for increased overseas allowances. MND Kim has pressed hard for a 100% increase. This would increase the annual cost of ROK troop allowances in SVN by $24 million to total of $48 million (either MAP or Service-funded, depending upon disposition of pending legislative proposals). Ambassador Brown and General Beach agree to hold the line on this issue for the time being in the letter to be submitted to ROK, but state that they require fall-back authority to accept a 25% increase ($6 million annually).
I recommend that you authorize our acceding to the 25% increase but that we withhold giving Ambassador Brown this authority until a point in the negotiations at which he can indicate to us that our accession will “cinch the deal.”
- (b)
-
ROK request for additional
military equipment.
MND Kim has requested about $65
million of additional equipment. Many of the items are already
included in the 1967–71 MAP plan
for Korea. Ambassador Brown and General Beach recommend that we consider adding to the
previously authorized “modernization” package ($10 million in
each of FY66 and FY67) items costing $6.88 million as
follows:
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- (1)
- One DD ($3.24 million);
- (2)
- Six 155 mm howitzers and prime movers ($0.09 million);
- (3)
- Armored bridge launch vehicle ($.81 million);
- (4)
- One assault transport ship ($1.02 million);
- (5)
- S-2A anti-infiltration patrol aircraft ($1.72 million).
I recommend that you authorize an increase in the FY67 Korea MAP for the S-2A aircraft, the 105 howitzers and the bridge launch vehicle. These items appear to be best suited to priority requirements of the ROK forces. (Note: On his visit here two weeks ago the ROK CNO repeatedly showed interest in the S-2A aircraft (to be ROKAF-crewed) but made no mention of a DD or of an assault transport.) If you approve, the result will be to increase the $10 million FY67 “modernization” package by $2.7 million, the cost of the above three items.2
- Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/OASD/ISA Files: FRC 70 A 1265, Korea 370.02. Secret. Attached to a January 27 transmittal note from Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Alvin Friedman to McNamara. In that note Friedman indicated that McNaughton harbored significant reservation about paragraph (a) of his memorandum and intended to fight its implementation unless absolutely necessary. (Ibid.)↩
- Both recommendations were approved by McNamara on January 28.↩