The Vietnam War

631 Pages·2019·49.365 MB·English

by  Robert Buzzanco

The
Vietnam
- -
Nunn McGinty Reader Series
CONTENTS
PART I: 1943-1952 1
Roosevelt and Stalin Discuss the Furure of 3
French Rule in Indochina, Teheran Conference
Franklin Roosevelt Memorandum ·ro Cordell Hull 5
Franklin Roosevelt on French Rule in Indochina, 7
Press Conference
Abdication of Bao Dai, Emperor of Annam 9
Declaration of Independence of the Democratic 11
Republic of Vier-Nam
Report by rhe National Security Council on 15
,he Position of the United States with Respect to Indochina
Memorandum from General Omar Bradley, 19
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary
of Defense on rhe Strategic Assessment of Southt>ast Asia
US, Depanmem of State, Press Release on an 25
Economic Aid Mission to Indochina
George Kennan, Memoirs 29
Memorandum of Conversation between Secretary 31
of State Acheson and British Ambassador Oliver Franks
Statement of Policy by the National Security Council 33
on United States Objectives and Courses of Action with
Respect to Southea.sr Asia, NSC 124/2
Eisenhower on che Scraregic Unk berween French Forces 43
in Europe and Viemam
President Eisenhower's Remarks on rhe Importance of 45
lndochina at the Governors' Conference
jjj
iv THE VIETNAM WAR
NSC Staff Smdy on United States Ol>jeccives and Courses 47
of Action wirh Re-speer co Communist Aggression
in Southeast Asia
PART IT: 1953-1954 57
Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense 59
by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Scaff
on the Navarre Concept for Operations in lndochina
Joint Franco·American Communique., AdditionaJ 63
United Scates Aid for France and Indochina
US, National Security Council, NSC 5405, "United Scates 65
Objectives and Courses of Action with Respecr
ro Sourheasr Asia ..
Telegram from Secretary of Srate Dulles to Dillon 79
and Aldrich on Conversations with the French
President Eisenhower's News Conference, February 10, 1954 81
President Eisenhower's News Conference, April 7, 1954 83
President Eisenhower's News Conference, May 12, 1954 85
US, National Security Council, Action No. 1074-a, 87
on Possible US lmervenrion in Indochina
US, Army Position on NSC Action No. 1074-a 103
Report by Secretary of State Dulles on Geneva 105
and Indochina, NSC 195th Meecin_g
Memorandum from Secretary of rhe Army, 107
Robert T. Stevens, on Indochina
Nacional Intelligence Estimate-91, "Probable Developments 109
ia Indochina Through 1954"
Telegram from Secretary of State Dulles to rhe 129
Paris Delegacion
US, Central Intelligence Agency, SNIJE 10--4-54,
"'Communisr Reaccions ro Certain Courses of Action
with Respect to Indochina,"
Telegram from Smirh in Moscow ro Secretary 143
of State Dulles on Molotov's Views
Con1e11ts v
Minutes, Zhou Enlai's Meeting with [Pierre] 149
Mendes-France, 23 June, 1954
The Geneva Conference 159
Telegram from Secretary of Stare Dulles on the Need 185
to Inform Diem About Negotiations
Telegram from Secrerary of State Dulles with Text 187
of a Letter to Mendes-France
Minutes of Zhou Enlai's Meeting wirh [Pierre] 191
Mendes-France, 17 July, 1954
U.S. lnvolvemenr in ,he Franco-Viet Minh War 195
PART ID: 1954-1960 229
Memorandum for the President's Special Commirree, 231
"Mi~tary Implications of the US Position on
Indochina in Geneva ..
Indochina: Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference 237
on the Problem of Resroring Peace in lndo-China
Indochina: Statemenc by rite Under Secretary of State at 241
rhe Concluding Plenary Session of the Geneva Conference
Indochina: Unificarion of Vier-Nam Through Free Elections: 243
Starement by the Secretary of Stare a.t a News Conference
Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy at the Conference 245
on Vietnam Luncheon in the Hotel Willard,
Washington, D.C.
Eisenhower's Views on the Popularicy of Ho Chi Minh 253
President Dwight D. Eisenhower on che Likelihood 255
that Ho Chi Minh would Win a National Election
in Viemam in 1955
Memorandum for the Record 259
Memorandum of Discussion a, the 246th Meeting 261
of the National Securiry Council, Washingron
Le Duan, "Duong Loi Cach Mang Ml.ien Nam," 265
[The Parh of Revolution in rhe Souch]
Manifesto of the Eighteen, Saigon 271
Vi THE VIETNAM WAR
279
Letter from the Secretary of Defense's Deputy Assistant 281
for Special Operations (Lansdale) ro President Diem
The Strategic Hamlet Program 285
Kennedy and McNamara Prepare for War 291
Talking Paper for the Chairman, JCS, for Meeting with 295
the President of the United States on Current US Military
Actions in South Viemarn
JCS Memorandum on the "Srrategic llmporrance 303
of the Southeast Mainland"
Response to a Question on American Involvement in 311
Sourh Vietnam, President Kennedy's News Conference
Memorandum to Presidenr Kennedy from 315
Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith on Viemam
Memorandum to Secretary of Defense McNamara 319
from L.l.. Lemnitzer, Chairman, Joint Cbiefs of Staff,
on Ambassador Galbraith's Memo.randum
President Kennedy's News Conference, Response 323
ro a Question About Criticisms by 5"nator Mansfield
on US Southeast Asian Policy
Michael V. Forrestal, .Memorandum for the President, 325
"'A Report on South Viemam.,
US, Central Intelligence Agency, National lnrelligence 337
Estimate 53~3, "Prospects in South Viemam"
The Overrhrow of Ngo Dinh Diem 339
Cable from US Department of State 10 Ambassador 351
Lodge Supporring a Coup in South Viemam
Lodge Cable to 5"crerary Rusk on U.S. Policy Toward a Coup 353
Memorandum of Conversation 355
lnsrructions for Ambassador Lodge on Dealing with 361
Diem Regime Repression
Secretar)' of Defense, Robert McNamara, Memorandum 365
for the President, "'Viemam Situation"
Was Kennedy Planning to Pull Our of Viemam' 371
Contents vii
375
Telephone Conversation Berween President Johns.on and 377
Senator Ric ha rd Russell
Telephone Conversacion Becween President Johnson 389
and rhe President•s Special Assistant for
National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Presidenr•s Message ro Congress 395
Text of Joinr Resolution (The Tonkin Gulf Resolution), 399
August 7, Department of Stare Bulletin
W.P. Bundy, Second Draft of "Next Courses of Action 401
in Southeast Asia ..
$NIE 53-2-64, The Situation in South Vietnam 409
Cable (Saigon 1129) from the Saigon Embassy to the 417
Deparrmenr of State on rhe Dere.riorating Situation
in South Vietnam
Personal Note from W.W. Rosrow to Roberr McNamara 419
on ":Vlilirary Dispositions and Poliitical Signals"
Briefing by Ambassador Taylor on the Currenr Situation 423
in South Vietnam
McNaughton•s Observations abour South Viemam 435
Haas Morgenrhau, a.\Y/e Aie Deludin_g Oursehres in Viemam" 437
Clare M. Clifford Lener to the President May 17, 1965 447
Memorandum for rhe Presidem from George Ball, 449
"A Compromise Solution in South Vietnam.,.
Nation: The Debate 457
Report by McNamara After Visit to Viemam 461
Notes for Memorandum from McNamara to Lyndon Johnson, 465
"Recommendations of Additional Deployments ro Vietnam"
The Advisory Build-Up 471
483
Telegram from the Commander in Chief, Paci£c (Sharp) 485
to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Selected Press Reactions to the Honolulu Conference 493
yjjj Tl-IE VlETNAM WAR
Statement by Secretary R,uk Before the Senate 501
Committee on foreign Relations on 1'-fay 9, 1966,
"Background of U.S. Policy in Southeast Asia"
Moscow and the Vietnam Peace Talks 505
Ao Analysis of the Viernamese Communists' Strengths, Capabilities, 509
and \Vilt to Persist in Their Present Strategy in Vietnam
Memorandum for rhe Director, The Outlook ln Vietnam 513
Intelligence Memorandum Pacification in the Wake 519
of the Te t Offensive in Sourh Viemam
Memorandum of Conversation, !v1eeuing 525
of President-Elect Nixon with Henry Cabot lodge,
Stader Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC
Conversations between rhe Soviets and the Viemamese, 1969 527
~1eeting Bet\\1een Presidential Assistant Kis.~inger 533
and Ambassador Dobrynin
Memorandum of Conversation (USSR) 545
Ron Ridenhour Lener 553
Peers Reporr Directive for Investigation from C.,neral Wesonoreland 559
Peers Report Summary 561
Address to the Nation on the Situation in Southeast Asia 575
President Richard M. Nixon
PART VO: I9T2-I975 583
~1eeting Bet\\1een Presidential Assistant Kis.~inger 585
and Ambassador Dobrynin
Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker's Cable Concerning 593
Corruption in South Viemam
Excerpts from the Paris Accord.s 595
Ominous Developments in Viernam 601
Assessment of C.,neral Fred C. Weyand's Report on Viernam 605
President Ford's Speech on the Fall of Vietnam 611
President Minh's Inaugural Address in Saigon Palace 613
"lessons of Viernam" by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger 617
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Indocbina,.July 1954
IX

I
P A R T
1943-1952