IV. The Rusk Mission To Vietnam, April 17–19, and Planning for Pressures Against the North, April 4–May 7


108. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vol. VII, Cables and Memos. Top Secret.


110. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the President

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. 3. Confidential.


111. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Source: Department of State. Central Files. ORG 7 S. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted and initialed by Rusk.


112. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country Series, Vol. VII, Cables and Memos. Top Secret. McGeorge Bundy initialed the memorandum, and an “L” on the source text indicates that the President saw it.


113. Memorandum of a Conversation, U.S. Embassy Chancery,

Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 330. Secret. Drafted by Salans and approved by Rusk on April 16. The source text is labeled “Part II of II.” Rusk and Couve de Murville were in Manila as the heads of their respective delegations to the Ninth Ministerial Council Meeting of SEATO, April 13–15.


114. Memorandum of a Conversation, U.S. Embassy Chancery, Manila, April 12, 1964

Source: Department of State, Bundy Files, WFB Chron. Secret. Drafted by Bundy on April 13.


115. Telegram From the Delegation at the SEATO Ministerial Council Meeting to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, SEATO 3 PHIL (MA). Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Repeated to Saigon, Paris, London, and Vientiane. Passed to the White House on receipt in the Department of State.


116. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the Secretary of State, at Taipei

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Intelligence File, Vietnam, Rusk/Lodge, WM. BUNDY Correspondence. Top Secret; Eyes Only; Personal; No Other Distribution. There is no indication on the source text how this memorandum was transmitted to Rusk in Taipei, which he visited after the SEATO Council Meeting.


117. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vol. VII, Cables and Memos. Top Secret.


118. Memorandum of a Conversation Between Secretary of State Rusk and Prime Minister Khanh,

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 1 US–VIET S. Top Secret; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy.


119. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 1 US–VIET S. Secret; Priority; Limdis. Passed to the White House on receipt in the Department of State at 5:48 a.m.


120. Memorandum of a Conversation, U.S. Embassy,

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country Series, Vol. IX, Memos. Top Secret. Drafted by John M. Dunn, Special Assistant to the Director of USOM in Saigon.


121. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the President

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. 3. No classification marking.


122. Memorandum From the Director of the United States Information Agency (Rowan) to the President

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country Series. Vol. VII. Cables and Memos. Secret.


123. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 VIET S. Secret; Limdis. Repeated to CINCPAC.


124. Summary Record of the 528th Meeting of the National Security Council,

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Meetings, Vol. 1, Tab 9. Top Secret


125. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Exdis.


126. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 VIET S. Secret; Exdis.


127. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for Vietnam (Sullivan) and the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret. Drafted by Sullivan. A note on the source text indicates that Secretary Rusk saw the memorandum.


128. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vol. VII, Cables and Memos. Top Secret.


129. Message From the President to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, AID (US) VIET S. Secret; Priority; Exdis. Transmitted as telegram 1791 to Saigon, which is the source text. According to a draft of telegram 1791, the message was drafted by Sullivan and revised by McGeorge Bundy. Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country Series, Vol. VII, Cables and Memos)

McGeorge Bundy sent a copy of this draft telegram to the President under cover of a memorandum, April 26, which reads as follows:

“This is a draft dispatch from you to Lodge which argues out a general proposition that people should not be timid in asking for what they need. It has been cleared in substance with Rusk, McNamara, and Bell, although this draft is a revision of a State Department original. The one point of substance on which there may not be full agreement is that Sarge Shriver hates to have his Peace Corps graduates tapped for unpeaceful missions. None of the rest of us agrees with him, and I think you are safe in going ahead.” (Ibid.)


130. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to the President

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. 111. Secret.


131. Summary Record of the 529th Meeting of the National Security Council,

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Meetings, Tab 1. Secret. Drafted by Bromley Smith.


132. Message From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge) to the President

Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 19–9 US–VIET S. Secret; Priority; Exdis. Transmitted as telegram 2089 from Saigon, which is the source text. Passed to the White House on receipt in the Department of State.


133. Letter From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Lodge) to the Secretary of State

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Intelligence File, Rusk/Lodge/Wm Bundy Correspondence. Confidential, Nodis.


134. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Exdis. Drafted by Sullivan and initialed by Rusk. Repeated to Ottawa. McGeorge Bundy sent the President a copy of this telegram under cover of a brief memorandum on which the President wrote: “OK, LBJ.” Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. 4)


135. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 1 US–VIET S. Top Secret; Limdis. Repeated to CINCPAC. Also published in Declassified Documents, 1984, 001242.


136. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Exdis. Passed to the White House and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for McNamara on receipt in the Department of State. Also published in part in Declassified Documents, 1984. 001244.


137. Memorandum for the Secretary of State

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam Country File, Vol. VIII. Top Secret. There is no indication on the source text who sent this memorandum to Rusk, but it was apparently from William Bundy. A copy of the memorandum is in Department of State, Bundy Files, Special Papers.