January 31, 1965 to December 1967: Demise of the Rightists; Controversy Over Interdiction Strategies; Souvanna’s Visits to the United States


162. 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. VIII, 1/1/65–2/19/65. Secret. An initial on the source text indicates that Johnson saw this memorandum. All four attached telegrams are Secret, Flash and were repeated Priority to Bangkok, Saigon, and CINCPAC. For Sullivan’s account of this episode, see his Obbligato: Notes on a Foreign Service Career, pp. 221–227.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 6 LAOS. Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Drafted by Barbis, cleared by Trueheart and Green, and approved by William Bundy. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, and CINCPAC.


164. Memorandum From Bromley Smith of the National Security Council Staff to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. XIV, Memos, 2/65–3/65. Secret.


165. Special National Intelligence Estimate

Source: Department of State, INR/EAP Files: Lot 90 D 99, SNIE 10–65. Top Secret. Prepared by the CIA and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State and Defense, and the NSA. All members of the USIB concurred with it on February 4 except the representative of the FBI who abstained on the grounds that the topic was outside his jurisdiction.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 23–9 LAOS. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Trueheart, cleared by Barbis, and approved by Green. Repeated to Bangkok, Canberra, London, Paris, Phnom Penh, Saigon, and CINCPAC for POLAD.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 23–9 LAOS. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to Bangkok, Canberra, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, New Delhi, Ottawa, Paris, Phnom Penh, Saigon, and CINCPAC for POLAD.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, CINCPAC, sent with instructions that the Department pass a copy to the JCS and Saigon a copy to MACV.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27–14 LAOS. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Barbis; cleared by Trueheart, Unger, and William Bundy; and approved by Rusk. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, London, Paris, and CINCPAC.


170. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 1–1 ASIA SE. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Robert Owen of SOV and approved in S on March 9. The meeting was held in Rusk’s office.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Repeated to Bangkok and Saigon. Passed to the White House and Department of Defense.


172. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27–14 LAOS. Secret; Priority. Repeated to London, Paris, Saigon, Vientiane, and CINCPAC for POLAD.


173. 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; No Distribution Outside Department. Drafted by Barbis and approved by Unger.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. Drafted by Trueheart, cleared in substance with Hamilton of OSD/ISA, and approved by Unger. Repeated to Saigon, Bangkok, and CINCPAC for POLAD.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to Bangkok, Saigon, and CINCPAC. Beginning in spring 1965, the dates and transmission times of all incoming Department of State telegrams were in six-figure date-time-groups. The “Z” refers to Greenwich mean time.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Drafted by Barbis; cleared by Miller, Dexter, Blouin, and Mustin; and approved by Unger. Repeated to Saigon, Bangkok, CINCPAC, and COMUSMACV.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Confidential; Priority; Limdis. Drafted by Trueheart and Barbis and approved by Green and Ball. Repeated to Tehran for Rusk (who was attending the CENTO meeting), Bangkok, London, Paris, Saigon, and Moscow.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 1 ASIA SE. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis; No Distribution Outside Department. Repeated to Bangkok and Saigon. The substantive portion of this telegram was retyped in the White House, but there was no indication on the retyped copy whether or not it was submitted to the President.


179. 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 Bangkok,CINCPAC, Saigon, and USUN.


180. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, White House Central File, Confidential File, FO. Secret. The first page of this memorandum is on White House stationery and the type font is different from the following pages; apparently it was retyped at the White House.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27–14 ASIA SE. Secret; Priority; Limdis. Drafted by Trueheart, cleared in draft by William Bundy, and approved by Rusk. Also sent to Bangkok, Saigon, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Moscow.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to Bangkok and Saigon.


183. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 LAOS. Secret. Repeated to Vientiane, Saigon, and Bangkok. Rusk was in London to attend the NAC Ministerial meeting May 11–12.


184. 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. XV, 4/65–1/66. Confidential.


185. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Unger)

Source: Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Harriman Papers, Chronology, Telephone Conversations, Nov. 1964–1965. No classification marking. Transcribed in Harriman’s office. “PM” appears on the dateline on the source text.


186. 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 Bangkok, Saigon, CINCPAC, and JCS.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Repeated to Saigon, Bangkok, and CINCPAC. Passed to DOD and CIA. The substance of this telegram was retyped in the White House and a note on it reads: “send to Pres.”


188. Memorandum From the Deputy Director of the Office of Southeast Asian Affairs (Dexter) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Unger)

Source: Department of State, EA/Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Files: Lot 75 D 394. Top Secret; Limdis.


189. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 US/HARRIMAN. Confidential; Limdis. Repeated to Vientiane, London, Moscow, and New Delhi.


190. Memorandum From Chester L. Cooper 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. XV, Memos, 4/65–1/66. Secret.


191. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (Raborn) Files, Job 80–B01285A, Memos for the Record, 22 July–3 Nov 1965. Secret. Drafted by Colby on July 27.