June 1964 to January 1965: U.S. Support of Operation Triangle; Diplomatic Efforts To Revive the Geneva Settlement; the Beginnings of the Air War Against Infiltration Through the Laos Panhandle


101. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret; Immediate. Drafted by Trueheart and William Bundy, cleared in substance with McGeorge Bundy and McNaughton, cleared by U. Alexis Johnson, and approved by William Bundy. Also sent to Bangkok and repeated to Saigon, London, Paris, New Delhi, and CINCPAC.


102. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/Admin Files: FRC 69 A 7425, Laos 381, Jan-June 1964. Secret. A note on the source text indicates McNamara saw it.


103. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 69 A 926, Laos 000.1—Sensitive, (092 Laos), 1964. Top Secret; Sensitive.


104. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy, cleared with McNamara and in substance with Rusk, and approved by William Bundy. Also sent to Thailand and repeated to Saigon, Paris, London, and CINCPAC.


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

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Muong Soui, Operational Triangle, Vol. I, 6/64–7/64. Secret.


106. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (McCone) Files, Job 80–B 1285A, Meetings with the Pres, 1 May–31 Oct, 1964. Secret; Eyes Only. Dictated by McCone and transcribed by his secretary. The meeting lasted from 5:38 to approximately 6 p.m. (Johnson Library, President’s Daily Diary)


107. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by Trueheart and William Bundy; cleared in draft with Rusk, McNamara, and McGeorge Bundy; and approved by William Bundy.


108. Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Hughes) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. VII, Memos, 7/64. Secret; No Foreign Dissem.


109. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Harriman Papers, Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, Laos 2. Secret; Personal.


110. Note From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, July/Dec 1964. Secret.


111. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McNaughton) to Secretary of Defense McNamara

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/Admin Files: FRC 69 A 7425, Laos 381 (9 Apr 64), Laos Operations. Secret. A note on the source text indicates that McNamara saw it.


112. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy; cleared with McGeorge Bundy, Trueheart, and McNaughton; cleared in substance with Rusk and Forrestal; and approved by William Bundy. Also sent to Bangkok and repeated to Saigon, MACV, and CINCPAC for POLAD.


113. Memorandum From James C. Thomson of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. XII, Memos, 7/64. Top Secret.


114. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret; Limdis, Drafted by William Bundy; cleared in draft with Green, Trueheart, Barbis, and Sol Polansky of EUR/SOV; and approved by William Bundy. Also sent to Moscow and Vientiane, and repeated to Paris, Ottawa, New Delhi, Warsaw, Bangkok, Saigon, and CINCPAC for POLAD.


115. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for Vietnam Affairs (Sullivan) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, Jul/Dec 1964. Top Secret. Sent through William Bundy.


116. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, Jul/Dec 1964. Secret. Bundy’s handwritten note on the source text indicates it was probably dated July 28.


117. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Johnson Library, John McCone Memoranda, Meetings with the President, 1/4/64–4/28/65. Secret; Eyes Only. Dictated by McCone and transcribed by his secretary on July 29. Bromley Smith also prepared an account of this meeting. (Ibid., National Security File, NSC Meetings, Vol. 2, Tab 9, 7/28/65)


118. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Confidential; Priority; Exdis; Verbatim Text. Drafted by Rusk; cleared by Trueheart, the White House, and Richard H. Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs; and approved by Rusk.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Repeated to London, Moscow, Warsaw, Paris, New Delhi, Ottawa, Bangkok, Saigon,CINCPAC, and USUN, and passed to the White House,DOD, and CIA.


121. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Diplomatic and Other Posts

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Confidential. Drafted by Barbis; cleared by Trueheart, Klein at the White House, and by Vladimir Toumanoff of EUR/SOV; and approved by Green. Sent to Moscow, London, Paris, Vientiane, Bangkok, Saigon, Phnom Penh, Rangoon, New Delhi, Ottawa, Warsaw, Hong Kong, USUN, and CINCPAC.


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

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. VI. Top Secret. The source text indicates that the President saw it.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis. Also sent priority to the White House, DOD, and CIA, and repeated to Bangkok, Vientiane, and CINCPAC for POLAD.


124. Memorandum From James C. Thomson of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. IX, Memos, 8/64. Secret.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Top Secret; Limdis. Repeated to CINCPAC to pass to Defense.


126. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McNaughton) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. IX, Memos, 8/64. Secret.


127. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. Drafted by Green and Trueheart, cleared by McNaughton in draft and with McGeorge Bundy, and approved by Rusk. Repeated to CINCPAC.


128. Memorandum From the Commander of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland) to the Ambassador to Vietnam (Taylor)

Source: Johnson Library, Westmoreland Papers, History Backup, 27 July–31 August, 1963. Top Secret.


129. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/Admin Files: FRC 69 A 7425, Laos 381. Top Secret.


130. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy, cleared by McNaughton, and approved by William Bundy.