30. Letter From the Director of Central Intelligence (McCone) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)1

Dear Mac:

Attached is Ray Cline’s report of his briefing of senior [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] officials on the ChiCom nuclear detonation.2 You will note that [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] requested that their gratitude for this briefing be brought to the attention of the President.

Sincerely,

John A. McCone

Attachment

[1 page of source text not declassified]

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security Files, Subject File, Nuclear-Testing— China. The letter has no classification markings; the attachment is Secret, Eyes Only.
  2. The briefing resulted from a White House meeting held on October 17. McCone spoke about the briefings with President Johnson, and both were willing to follow the wishes of Rusk and Ball regarding who would be sent to conduct the briefing. Rusk expressed “concerns about pitching this at too high a level” and thought Ray Cline would be a good choice for Japan. (Memoranda of telephone conversations between Talbot and Ball and Greene and Ball, October 17, and between McCone and Ball, October 19; Johnson Library, Ball Papers, Japan)