Office of the Historian

154. Summary of Conclusions of a Meeting of the Washington Special Actions Group1

Washington, March 16, 1971, 5:10–6:40 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Intelligence on North Vietnamese Supply Movements

PARTICIPATION

  • Chairman—Henry A. Kissinger
  • State
    • Mr. U. Alexis Johnson,
    • Ambassador William Sullivan
    • Mr. Ray Cline
  • Defense
    • Mr. David Packard
    • Col. Harold Belles
    • Lt. Gen. Donald V. Bennett
    • Mr. Donald Linker
  • CIA
    • Mr. Richard Helms
    • Mr. George Carver
    • Mr. Paul Walsh
  • JCS
    • Lt. Gen. John W. Vogt
  • OMB
    • Mr. James Schlesinger
  • NSC Staff
    • Col. Richard T. Kennedy
    • Mr. John H. Holdridge
    • Mr. K. Wayne Smith
    • Mr. Keith Guthrie

SUMMARY

The WSAG received a briefing on the methodology employed in preparing intelligence estimates of supply movements along the Ho Chi Minh [Page 465] Trail. In the accompanying discussion, the WSAG considered the discrepancies between CIA and DIA estimates and the problems involved in comparing data from different years and in assessing the impact of the Lam Son operation on enemy supply throughput. It was agreed to hold a second WSAG meeting to discuss these topics further.

[Omitted here are the minutes of the meeting.]

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–115, WSAG Meetings Minutes, Originals, 1971. Top Secret; Nodis; COMINT. The meeting took place in the Situation Room of the White House.↩