Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume VII, Vietnam, July 1970–January 1972

240. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon¹

Washington, August 3, 1971.

SUBJECT

• Air Activities in Southeast Asia: FY 1972 and FY 1973

As you know there has been disagreement within the government over the appropriate U.S. air activities rates for Southeast Asia in FY 1972 and FY 1973.

MACV and the JCS on the one hand and OSD on the other have urged that the following plans be adopted:

	Sorties per month
	JCS/MACV	OSD
tactical air	10,000		7,500
B–52	1,000		800

While OSD has favored a lower sortie rate, Secretary Laird in a memorandum to me (at Tab B)² before my recent trip to Saigon, stated: “I plan to recommend for FY 72 sortie levels consonant with MACV’s recommendations.”

I raised the issue with General Abrams, even suggesting a lower sortie level. His response cited in detail at Tab C,³ was a strong appeal for the MACV/JCS position. Based on General Abrams’ view, I have drafted a memorandum for Secretary Laird reporting your decision in favor of the MACV/JCS position and also adding six more C–130 gunships in CY 72—a proposal OSD probably favors.

Recommendation⁴

I recommend you approve the decision just described and contained in my draft memorandum for Secretary Laird at Tab A.⁵

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 156, Vietnam Country Files, Viet Aug 71. Top Secret; Sensitive. Sent for action. A stamped notation on the memorandum reads, “The President has seen.”
2. Attached but not printed at Tab B is a July 1 memorandum from Laird to Kissinger.
3. Attached but not printed at Tab C is an undated transcript of a meeting among Kissinger, Abrams, and Bunker. Abrams stated in the transcript: “The 10,000 sortie figure is a reasoned figure based on considerable planning. To retreat from 10,000 will start a flood of further reductions to 9,000, 8,000, 7,000, 6,000 and so on.”
4. Nixon initialed his approval. According to an August 11 memorandum for the record by Haig of a discussion between Kissinger and Laird on July 20, the Secretary of Defense stated that he did not believe the level could be sustained for 1973. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1025, Presidential/HAK Memcons, MemCon, Sec. Laird, HAK, Gen. Pursley, Gen. Haig, and Adm. Murphy 7/28/71)
5. Attached but not printed at Tab A is an August 6 memorandum from Kissinger to Laird, in which he wrote that Nixon had decided on the following monthly levels: for FY 1972—10,000 Tactical Air, 1,000 B–52, and 750 gunships (from the deployment of six C–130 gunships); and for FY 1973 the tactical air sortie levels would be reduced to 8,000 and the other levels would remain the same. He added that the sortie levels would be fully budgeted at a level rate for the period and that the FY 1973 decisions would be reviewed after the 1971–1972 dry season.