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

289. Memorandum for the President’s File by the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)¹

Washington, January 13, 1972.

SUBJECT

• Meeting with Hon. Melvin R. Laird, Secretary of Defense, on 13 January 1972, at 10:30 a.m.

PARTICIPANTS

• The President
• Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird
• Brigadier General Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

The President met with Secretary Laird to discuss the need for further modernization of the South Vietnamese armed forces.² The President indicated that he was not satisfied with the level and types of equipment being provided under the Vietnamization program. He stressed that there was a need for increased mobility through a greater density of helicopters. He questioned whether or not sufficient main force units were being developed. Finally, he pointed out that there were some serious doubts about whether the South Vietnamese Air Force was being adequately equipped to cope with the threat of offensive North Vietnamese actions following the withdrawal of U.S. air forces.

Secretary Laird reassured the President that he would review in detail further modernization requirements for the South Vietnamese armed forces. He noted, however, that President Thieu in his discussions with him had conveyed the impression that he did not want any additional main force South Vietnamese units.³ General Haig interjected that this was contrary to discussions he had had with President Thieu who had told him personally that he was in fact concerned and especially wished to create another ARVN Division in I Corps and perhaps an additional division as a strategic reserve.⁴

The President instructed Secretary Laird to look carefully at this problem and to ensure that we were not withdrawing at a rate and equipping South Vietnamese forces at a rate which would leave them vulnerable to a major North Vietnamese attack following our withdrawal. Secretary Laird reviewed for President Nixon the impressions he had obtained as a result of his just completed visit to South Vietnam. In general, his assessment was extremely optimistic, and he portrayed the definite picture that South Vietnamese forces would before long be able to meet any threat posed by residual North Vietnamese capabilities.⁵

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 998, Haig Chronological Files, Memcons, Jan–Dec 1972 (3 of 3). Top Secret; Sensitive. There is an extensive tape of this conversation with Laird in which he and the President discussed what Laird should say to the press and in which they talked more generally about Vietnam than Haig’s summary account indicates. (Ibid., White House Tapes, January 13, 10:35–11:05 a.m., Conversation 647–7)
2. In a December 3 memorandum to Nixon, Laird reported on the progress by ARVN, noting improvements in leadership citing a 12 percent decline in the number of combat troops in the last 21 months. He had proposed an increase in combat pay for all soldiers. (Ibid., NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–225, Policy Papers, NSDM 118)
3. See Document 275.
4. For a report on Haig’s September 23 meeting with Thieu, see Document 268.
5. Following the meeting, at 11:06 a.m., Nixon announced to the press the withdrawal of 70,000 troops over the next 3 months, bringing the troop ceiling to 69,000. Laird answered questions on the announcement. Nixon’s statement is printed in Public Papers: Nixon, 1972, p. 30. Both the statement and the transcript of Laird’s press conference are in the Department of State Bulletin, January 31, 1972, pp. 113–116.