Pentagon Papers Part v a Vol IC

8/6/2019 Pentagon Papers Part v a Vol IC

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Declassifie d pe r Executive Order 13526. Section 3.3NNO Project Number: NNO 63316. By: NWO Date: 20 II


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Dccl:l ss ili cd I>cr Executive Order 1 3526. Sec tion 3.3NND Project Number: NN D 6 33 16. B y: NWD Date : 201 I

v. C. JUSTIFICATION OF T!iE HAR - - RlBLIC STATEME !ITS

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KENNEDY ADtmliSTRATION

CONTENTS

Kennedy st resses th e need fo r a force balance t h a t can deal'efe c t ivcly with guer r i l l a sca le ac t iv i t i es being u t i l i z edby Communist aggression (29 February 1960) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy ~ m p h a s i z e sth e importance of a mobile and versa t i l eforce s t ructure which can intervene s\'fiftly en d effec t ive lyin support o f ou r global commitments (14 June 1960) . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy' comments on the importance o f India) J apan , and ar egional grouping of the smaller nations to counter the th rea tof an aggressive China (22 September 1960) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy corr.mcnts on f r ic t ion betv;een Russia and China; emphasizes th e importance of India as an indicator of Asia ' s futUre(2 2 October 1960) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy st resses th e importance of Laotian securi ty to tha t ofSoutheast Asia and the U. S . ; also our obl igat ion under theSEATO agreement (23 ~ ~ c h1961) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy emphasizes threat of l imited ,rar and th e need to main

t a in powerful and mobile forces to prevent erosion of FreeWor ld (2 8 March 1961 ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy speaks of gl obal exploi ta t ion o r discontent and yearnin g people by C o n ~ i s tsubversion; Vietnam c i ted as example(2 0 Apr i l 1961) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy discusses Communist threat to emerging nations ofAfrica, Asia and Latin America \-lith specif ic mention of Vietnam; c i tes U. S . responsibi l i t ies as chief d.efender of freedom(2 8 Apr i l 1961) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy ( in response to question) s ta tes tha t the question ofsend ing troops to Vi etnam is being considered (5 14ay 1961) . . . . . .

Johnso::l - Diem communique expressing U. S . a .nreness of Communistsubversion in Vietnam and U. S . r esponsibi l i t ies and i n t e r e s tin assis t ing the Saigon Govern"nEnt (13 Hay 1961) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11 . Kennedy st resses the subversive th rea t facing the southern

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ha l f o f th e globe (2 5 J.lay 1961) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C - l l

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12 . Kennedy enuoerates bcrder violations to Southeast Asian nations ,denounces the "'rIar of l iberat ion" jus t i f ica t ion , and stressesth e consequences of successful C o ~ u n i s teffor ts in Laos and .Vi etnam (25 September 1961) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C- 12

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Ken.nedy conm:ents on evidence that guerr i l la act i vi y in SouthV ie t n a ~i s originating outside tha t country (11 October 1961) . . .

Kennedy aCknowledges Hanoi direct ion of guerr i l la effor t inviolat ion of Geneva Accords ; indic ates th e U. S . i s prepared toass is t in th e defense of Vietnam i n d e ~ e n d e n c cthrough increase da id (14 December 1961) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy acknO'lJledges a step - up in U. S . e ffo r t to res i s t aggression in Vietn am under the guise of a IIwo.r of l ibera t io n"

(11 January 19 62 ) . . . .................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kennedy ' s response to a question on th e h'lzards o f a coali t iong o v e r ~ e n tin Lao s provides insight into his thinking on military intervention as the other alternative (15 January 1962) . . . .

Kennedy discusses U. S . i n v o l v e ~ e n tin Vietnam in general terms ;specif ics avoided in in teres t of securi ty (7 February 1962) . . . . .

Kennedy revie "$ th e development of U. S . involvement in Vietnami n response to question suggesting a credibi l i ty problem(1 4 February 1962) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy gives an excellent assessment of the s ta te of th e Com-munist ",orld (23 liarch 1962) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy emphasizes the need to pursue our established goal ofnon - Co:rcmunist Vietne.m ( l l April 1962) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : . . .

Kennedy , c ~ e n t i n gon cease-f ire violations i n Laos , stressesth e des i rabi l i ty of a po l i t i ca l solution as contrasted tomili tary intervention (9 r . ~ y1962 ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy a P ~ l o u n c e sth e movement o ~ troops to Thailand as evidence of U. S. concern over th e Laotian cease - f i re violat ions(15 ].lay 1962) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...........

Kennedy responds to questions on troop deployment to Thai land;ci tes SEA'i'O cblige..tions as the le gal basis (17 l1ey 1962) . . . . . . .

24 .' Kennedy describes Commu.nist threat of i n f i l t r a t ion end sub -

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version as he envisioned i t (6 June 1962) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C- 23

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Decla ss ilit'd per Ex ecUlive Orde r 13526. Sec tion 3.3NND Project Nu mbe r: NN D 633 16 . B y: NW D Date: 201 1

Kennedy admits Diem ' s fai l ings bu t feels i t essent ial t h a t

the U. S. remain (2 September 1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kennedy confirms his bel ie f in "domino theory " and emphasizesneed to remain and help government strengthen and reform(9 September 19 63) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy admits to th e presence of 25,000 Americans in SouthVietnam with a primary goal of \.anning th e war (12 September1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy gives excellent assessment of U. S. role and responsib i l i t y to lead th e defense of th e \-rorld ' s free nations(25 September 1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kennedy c i tes U. S . role as leader of Free World (26 September1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Policy statement reaffirming U. S. intent to f ight aggressionin Vietnam and else ... bere where independence and freedom arethreatenEd (2 October 1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43 . Kennedy had planned in his Dallas speech to emphasize tha t... rork alone cannot defend the Free Horld from Communist advances; mili tary and economic assistance must be available to

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back U . S. promises (22 November 1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C - l ~ 5

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Oec Jass ili cd per Executive Order 13526. Sec li on 3.3NND Projcci Numbe r: NND 63316. By : NWD DOlle: 20 11

C . Kennedy Adninis t r at i o n

1 . Senator John F . Kennedy, Congress ional Record , February 29 , 1% 0 ,n . 3582 :

"But both before an d a f t e r 1953 events have demonstrated t h a t our

nuclear r e t a l i a t o r y power i s not enough . I t cannot de te r Communist aggress ion which i s too l imi t ed to j u s t i f y atomic wa r . I t cannot pro tec tuncommitted na.tions agains t a Communist takeover us ing l o c a l o r g u e r r i l l afo rces . I t c ~ ~ o tbe used in so -ca l l ed brush- f i r e per iphe ra l wers . Inshor t , i t cannot prevent t he Communists from gradual ly nibbl ing a t t h ef r inge o f the f ree world ' s t e r r i t o r y an d s t r eng th , u n t i l our secur i ty he sbeen s t ead i ly eroded in piecemeal fashion - each Red advance being toosmall to j u s t i f y massive r e t a l iAt ion , with a l l i t s r i s k s .

*" I n shor t , we need fOl'ces o f an e n t i r e l y d i f f e r e n t kind t o keep the

peace agains t l i m i t ed aggression , an d to f i g h t i t , i f de ter rence f a i l s ,wi thout r a i s ing the conf l i c t to a disas t rQus p i t c h .

I1And our capab i l i ty for convent ional "Tar i s i n s u f f i c i e n t to avoid thehopeless dilemma of choosing beh.,een launching a nuclear at tack an d watching aggressors make piecemeal conquests . n

2 . Senator John F . Kenne ' s statement in Con r e s s ione l Record June 141 .. 0, p . 11 31 :

" i ~ e must regain th e a b i l i t y to in tervene effec t ive ly end swii"'tly in

an y l i I! l i ted war anywhere in t he " o r l d - - augmenting, modernizing en d prov i ding increased mobi l i ty an d v e r s a t i l i t y fo r the convent ional forces an d,,:e apons of the Army and tlarine Corps . As long as those forces l a ck thenecessary a i r l i f t and s e a l i f t capaci ty an d v e r s a t i l i t y of f irepo, , 'er , uecannot pro tec t our commitments around the globe - r e s i s t no n - nuclear aggress ions - or be ce r t a in of having enough t ime to decide on the us e o four nuclear power . 11

3 . Senator John F . Kenned ' s s ta tement as uoted in th e Hashin on Dai ly

. Ne;,'s, September 22 , 1 0 :

"Th e recogni t ion i s not r e a l l y t he crux o f our fore ign po l i c y . The

r e a l ques t ion i s \.'hat should be done about the harsh fac t s t h a t China i sa powerfUl and. aggl 'essive nation . The dangerous s i tua t ion now ex i s t ing

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can be remedied only by a s t rong an d successfu l Ind ia , a s t rong an d successf u l Japan, an d same kind o f regiona. l group over Southeas t Asia which givesthese smal le r c O Q ~ t r i e sth e f ee l ing t h a t , i n s p i t e o f t h e i r d i s t a s t e fo r ami l i t a ry a l l i ance , they ' ... i l l not be l e f t t o be picked o f f on e by on e a t thewhim o f th e Peip ing regime . 11

4 . Senator John F . Kennedy In te rv iew as Reported i n Th e Hashington Pos t ,October 22 , 1960 :

'* iI' *TtCronk i t e : ' . . . Wha t areas do yo u se e \/h ere th e United Sta t e s might

take th e offens ive i n a chal lenge to communism OVer th e next 4 t o 8 years ? '

"Kennedy : ' . . . th e most vulnerable area , I have f e l t , has been eas t e rn

Europe . I have been c r i t i c a l o f t he Adminis t ra t ion ' s f a i l u r e to suggestp o l i c i e s which would malte i t poss ib l e fo r us to e s t a b l i s h , fo r example,c lose r r e l a t i o n s ' ' l i th Poland , p a r t i c u l a r l y a f t e r th e ' 55- ' 56 pe r iod and t h eHungarian revo l ut ion . " le i nd i ca t ed a t t h a t t ime t h a t vIe were no t going toi ntervene m i l i t a r i l y . There was a per iod t he re when Poland demonst r ated an a t i o n a l independence , an d even th e Pol ish Government moved some dis tanceauay from the Sovie t Union .

" . . . Secondly, th e r e l a t i o n s between Russia ~ ~ dChina . They are nowengaged i n a debate over \ lhether Ha r i s t he means o f conununizing th e "Forld ,or whether they should use subversion an d i n f i l t r a t i o n , economic s t rugg le san d a l l th e r e s t . No one ca n say ... ,ha t t h a t COill'se o f act ion w i l l be , butI th ink th e next Pres iden t of th e United Sta t e s should watch i t ca re fu l ly .I f those tw o years should s p l i t ) i t could have grea t e f f e c t s throughoutth e en t i r e world .

"T h:irdly, I bel ieve t h a t In d ia represents a g r e a t a rea fo r a f f i rmat iv eac t ion by the Free Horld . Ind ia s t a r t e d fron. about th e same pl.ace t h a tChin a d id . The Chinese Communists have been moving ahead th e l a s t 10 years .I ndia . . . has been !:laking some progress ) bu t i f Ind ia dOes no t succeed \ l i thher 450 mi l l ion people , i f sh e c a n ' t make i'reedom work, then people aroundth e world are going t o determine , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n th e underdeveloped Hor l d ,th a t th e only "ray they ca n develop t h e i r resources i s thxough the Communistsy s t em . "

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5. Kenned PreS iden t i a l Ne\ls Conference as Quoted i n t h e Net_ York Times,Narcb '2 1 1 . Ne","s Conference o f r!arch '23, 1 1 :

* * *"My re l lo \ ! Americans, Laos i s fro: away from .!\merica, bu t the ...~ o r l di s

sma l l . I t s 2,000,000 people l i v e in a count ry t h ree t imes th e s iz e o fAUstria . The s c c t ~ i t yo f a l l Southeast Asia w i l l be endangered i f Laosloses. i t s n e u t r a l ir.dcpen:ience . I t s o' m sa fe ty runs \ d t h th e sa fe ty o f

us a l l , in r e a l neu t ra l i ty observed by a l l .

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Dec lass ified pe r Executive Order 13526. Sect io n 3.3NNO Projec t Number : NND 63316 . By: NWD Dal e: 2011

" I , rant t o ma.l{e i t c lea r to the American people an d to a l l o f theworld tha. t a l l we ,,;ant in Laos i s peace an d no t \/ar , a t r u l y neu t ra lgovernmpnt and not a cold wa r paim , a se t t lement concluded a t th e co nference t ab le an d not on the b a t t l e f i e l d .

"Q. '1.1r . Pres ident ,the importance o f a f reet h e individual American .fUrther?

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t he re appears t o be some na t iona l unawareness ofLaos t o the secur i ty o f t h e United States and t o

Could yo u s p e l l ou t your v i evrs on t h a t a l i t t l e

itA. '\'l e l l , qui te obviously geographica l ly Laos borders on Thailand ,which i s , to ... . hich the United States has t r e a t y ob l iga t ions under th eS E P ~ Oagreement o f 1954, i t borders on South Vietnam - i t borders onVietn am - to ".,hich the United Sta t e s ha s very close t i e s , an d also .. hichi s a s i ena to ry o f th e SEATO pact .

"The aggression aga ins t Laos i t s e l f vas r e fe r red to in th e SEATO agreement, so t h a t given t h i s , th e nature o f th e geography, i t s l oca t ion thecoI!D.itnents ,;hic h the United St"ates en d Obliga t ions which the United Stateshas assumed to ... ;ards Laos as ... : e l l as th e surrouoding countr ie s - as wel l aso the r s ignator ies o f th e SEATO pac t - i t ' s q u i t e obvious t h a t i f the Communists were c..ble to tlove i n an d dominate t h i s country , i t v/ould endangerthe sec u r i t y o f a i l , an d the peace o f a l l of Southeast Asia .

"And as a member o f the United Nations and as a s ignatory t o the SEATOpac t , an d as a country ..~ h i c hi s concerned with t he s t r eng th o f the causeo f freedom around the world , t h a t qu i t e obvious ly a f f e c t s the secur i ty ofthe United s t a t e s , "

6. Pr es ident Kenned ' s Snecia l r ~ e s s2 . e to Con es s on t h e Defense Bud e tMarch 2 1961, Public Papers o f t he P res iden t s , Kennedy ; 1" 1 , p , 229 :

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"Th e s t r eng th an d deployment of our forces i n cOr.lbination ..... r i th thoseo f our a l l i e s should be s u f f i c i e n t l y pmlerfu l an d oobi le t o prevent thesteady erosion o f the Free World through l imi ted wars; an d i t i s t h i s r o l et .hat should cons t i tu t e th e primary o i s s lon o f our oVerseas fo rces . Nonnuclear ' .fars, an d sub- l imi ted o r g u e r r i l l a warfare , have s ince 1945 co ns t i t u t ed the most ac t ive and cons tant t h r e a t to Free Horld secur i ty . Thoseun i t s of our forces ' .Ihich are s t a t ioned overseas , o r designed t o f igh toverseas , can be llloSt useful ly or i en t ed to,, 'ard de te r r ing o r conf in ing thoseconf l i c t s which do not j u s t i f y Md must not l e ad to a genera l nuclear at tack .In 'the event 0: ' a major aggression t h a t could no t be repulsed by conventionalfo rces , i-,'e z:lust be prepared to" take , . ,hatever act ion with ' .;hatever ... .. eaponsa re anpropr ie te . But our object ive" nmr i s t o increase our a b i l i t y to co nf ine our response to non-nuclear ;reapons , an d to l e s se n th e incent ive for

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Decl ass ilit'd per ExecUlive Orde r 13526. Sec tion 3.3NND Proje ct Number: NND 633 16. By: NWD Date: 2011

fo r an y l im i t ed aggression by making c l e a r i-That out' response ..... i11 accomp l i s h . In most areas o f the 1,forld , the main burden of l o c a l defenseaga ins t ove r t a t t ~ c k, subversion an d g u e r r i l l a warfare must r e s t on l o c a lpopulat ions an d forces . Bu t given th e grea t l i ke l ihood an d ser iousnesso f t h i s t h r e a t , we must be prepared t o make a s u b s t a n t i a l con t r ibu t ion inth e form of s t rong , highly mobile forces t r a ined i n t h i s type o f warfare ,some o f which must be deployed i n forward a reas , with a s u b s t a n t i a l a i rl i f t an d s e a l i f t capaci ty an d pres tocked overseas bases .

ur n t h i s area o f l o c a l wars , we must i nev i t ab ly COWlt on the cooperat i v e e f f o r t s of o the r peoples an d na t ions .... ho share our concern . Indeed ,t h e i r i n t e r e s t s a re more of ten d i r e c t l y engaged i n such c o n f l i c t s . Th ese1f-rel ia."l t are a l so those 1,-[hom i t i s e a s i e s t t o help - - an d fo r thesereason s we must continue an d reshape th e Mil i t a ry Assis tance Program. whichI have discussed e a r l i e r in my spec ia l message on fore ign aid .

I1Strengthened capaci ty to meet l im i t ed an d g u e r r i l l a warfare - - l im i t edo i l i t a r y adventures a"ld t h r e a t s t o th e secur i ty o f th e Free World t h a t arenot la rge enough to j u s t i f y the l a b e l o f ' l im i t ed wa r . ' \'le need a grea t e ra b i l i t y to deal with gue r r i l l a fo rces , i n su r rec t ions , an d subversion . Mucho f our e f f o r t to c rea t e g u e r r i l l a an d a n t i - g u e r r i l l a c a p a b i l i t i e s has i nt he pas t been aimed a t genera l \far . We must be ready now to d e a l vlith an ys i ze o f fo rce , inc luding smal l ex te rna l ly supported bands o f men ; and viemust help t r a i n l o c a l forces to be equa l ly e f f e c t i v e ."

7 Pres iden t KenneApr i l 20, 1 1 ,

I s Address to Americ(;ln Soc ie t o f News a e rPubl ic Papers o f t h e Pres iden t s , Kennedy, 1

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Edi torsI , p . 306 :

" . . . le face a r e l e n t l e s s s t rugg le i n every corner o f th e globe t h a tgoes f a r beyond th e c l a sh o f armies o r even nuc l ea r armaments . Th e armiesare t h ere , an d i n l a rge number . Th e nuc lea r a.n:!aments a re t h e r e . But 'they serve pr imar i ly as th e sh ie ld behind which subvers ion , i n f i l t r a t i o n ,an d a hos t of o the r t a c t i c s s t e a d i l y advance , picking o f f vulnerable areasone by on e i n s i tua t ions .... hich do not p e r n i t our own armed i n t e rven t ion .

uPm fe r i s th e hallmark o f t h i s off ens ive - - power and d i s c i p l i n e an ddece i t . The l eg i t ima te d i scon ten t of yearn ing people i s exp lo i t ed . Thel eg i t ima te t rappings o f se l f -de t e rmina t ion a re employed . But once inp o ~ " e r ,a l l t a l k o f d i scon ten t i s repressed , a l l se l f . - determinat ion d isappears ,an d th e promise o f a r evc lu t ion o f hope i s be t r ayed , as i n Cuba, i n to are ign o f t e r r o r . Those viho on i n s t ruc t ion s taged automatic ' r i o t s ' in th es t r e e t s of f ree r.at ions over the effol t s of' a smal l group o f young Cubi:l.nst o rega.in t h e i r freedom should r e c a l l th e long r o l l c a l l o f refugees whocennot no ... go b:J.ck - - t o HlUlgary, to Horth Korea, t o I10rth Viet-Nan, t oEast Gernany, or t o Poland , or t o any o f th e o the r l ands :fro:n which a s teadystream o f refugees pours f o r t h , in eloquent test imony t o t he c rue l oppress ion nmT holding SHa.y in t h e i r homeland.

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Decl ass ilit'd per ExecUlive Orde r 13526, Sec tion 3.3NND Project Number: NND 633 16, By: NWD Date: 2011

" \~ e d8.1'e no t f a i l t o see the ins id ious nature of t h i s ne'l-I an d deepers t ruggle , We dare not f a i l to grasp the ne,'" concepts , th e new t ,oo ls , thene\! sense o f urgency we ~ d l lneed t o combat i t - - whether i n Cuba or SouthVie t - Nam , And we dare not f a i l to r e a l i z e t h a t t h i s s t rugg le i s t ak ingp lace every da y , r l i thout f an fa re , i n thousands of v i l l ages an d marketsda y an d n igh t - - and in classrooms a l l o v e r th e globe ,

"Th e message o f Cuba, o f Laos, o f the r i s i n g d in o f Communist vo i ce si n Asia an d Lat in Anerica - - t hese messages a re a l l th e same . The comp lacen t , the s e l f - indulgent , th e s o f t soc ie t i e s are about to be swept awa ywith th e debr is of h i s to ry . Only t he s t rong , only th e i ndust r ious , onlyth e determined, only th e courageous, only th e v i s iona ry who determine t h er e a l nature o f our s t ruggle ca n poss ib ly survive ,

"No grea t e r t a sk f ace s t h i s c01J..'1try or t h i s adminis t ra t ion , No othe rchal lenge i s more deserving o f our every e f f o r t an d energy . Too l on g we

have f ixed our eyes on t r a d i t i o n a l mil i t a ry needs , on armies prepared tocross borders , on miss i l e s poised fo r f l i g h t . NOH i t should be c l e a r t h a tt b i s i s nO longer enough - - t h a t om ' s ecur i ty may be l o s t p iece by p iece ,c ount ry by count ry, wi thout th e f i r i n g o f a s ing le miss i l e or the cross ingo f a s ing le border .

"We in tend t o p r o f i t from t h i s l e s so n . He in tend t o re-examine an dr e - o r i e n t ou r forces o f a l l kinds - - our t a c t i c s an d ou r i n s t i t u t i o n s he r ei n t h i s community . \ ~ e i ntend t o i n t ens i fy our e f f o r t s fo r a s t rugg l e inmany ways nore d i f f i c u l t than war , where disappoin tment v : i l l of t en accompany us .

"For I am convinced t h a t we i n t h i s count ry an d i n th e f r ee ..... or l d po s sess

t h enecessary resolU'ce, an d

t h es k i l l , an d

th eadded

s t r eng tht h a t

comesfrom a b e l i e f i n th e freedom o f man . And I am equal ly convinced t h a t h i s to rywi l l record th e f a c t t h a t t h i s b i t t e r s t rugg le reached i t s climax i n the l ~ t e1 950 ' s an d the ea r ly 1960 ' s . Let me then m::;,..l{e c lea r as t h e Pres ident o f t h eUnited Sta te s t h a t I am determined upon our system ' s su rv iva l an d success ,r e gardless o f the cos t an d r ega rd l e s s o f the p e r i l ! t

8 . Pres ident Kenned ' s Address, i n Chic a to Democratic Par t DinnerA r i l 28 1 I Public Pa e r s o f t he Pres iden t s Kenned 1 1

* * *' ~ ~e l i v e i n a bazardous an d dangerous t ime . I do no t t h ink i t ' s poss i b l e

t o over s t a t e i t . We l i v e L'1 a ' .[arld v.hicb has changed t remendously i n ou rl i f etime _R h i s to ry only , ," ' i ll secure a f u l l pe r spec t ive on t h a t change . Buthere i s Africa , r1hich was held by \-[estern European povrers for seve ra lcep tu r i e s , nOl" independent - - ' ' 'hicb holds Hithin i t s countr ies masses of'people , m ~ yo f them i l l i t e r a ~ e ,who l i v e on average incomes o f 50 o r 60or 75 d o l l a r s a year, -ho want a cbange, v,ho now a re the masters of t h e i rOrin house b ut , .ho l a ck the means o f bu i ld ing a v i a b l ~economy , , ,rho are impresse : i by the example o f t h e Sovie t Union an d th e Chinese, "rho - - no t

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kno',;ing th e meaning o f freedom i n t h e i r o,m l i ves - - ,.,ronder ",hether theC o ~ u n i s ts y s t ~ ~holds th e sec re t o f organiz ing th e resources o f th e s t a t ei n orde r to br ing them a b e t t e r l i f e .

nAnd \ ~ h a ti s t r u e o f Afr i ca i s t r u e o f Asia, an d \-,hat i s t r u e o f Afr i caan d Asia i s t rue i n some degree of Lat in Amer ic a . Th e Communists moveamong them, d i sc ip l ined , organized , sub jec t t o an i n t e r n a t i o n a l d i s c i p l i n e ,promising under t h e i r ~ y s t e mt h a t a l l w i l l be wel l , knowing t h a t i f t h eyca n "Tin j u s t once, then th e i ron gr ip o f th e t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e goes uponthe popula t ion - - those who r e s i s t become r e fugees , o r are shot - - and theymanage to con t ro l th e popula t ion .

ItToni ght , in Viet-Ham, , .here t he P re s iden t was re - e l ec t ed r ecen t ly inthe l a s t 2 ueeks by a o a j o r i t y o f 75 t o 80 percent , y et a small army o fg u e r r i l l a s , organized an d sus ta ined by the Communist Viet rUnh in t he no r th ,con t ro l most o f t h e count rys ide in t he night t ime - - in th e l a s t 12 monthshave assass ina ted over four thousand c i v i l o f f i c e r s , tw o thousand s t a t eemployees a'1d t,,o thousa'1d po l i ce , be l i ev ing i f they ca n ' s p i l l th e 'Tine, It h a t then they ca n i-lin con t ro l o f the popula t ion . And ",h en they have won ,they do not in tend t o give way.

"NO'..,r our grea t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s t o be th e ch ie f defender o f freedom ,in t h i s t i n e of maximum danger. Only the United Sta te s has th e pmler an dth e resources an d th e determinat ion . He have committed ow'se lves to th edefense o f dozens o f countr ies s t r e t ched around th e globe "'ho look t o usfo r independence, ",ho look to us fo r th e defense o f t h e i r freedom .

"Yl e are prepared t o meet our ob l iga t ions , bu t we ca n only defend th efreedom o f those 'Who are determined to be f ree theI:lselves . He ca n a s s i s tt h em - - we ,...tIl bear more than our share of the burden, bu t we ca n only

help tho se who are ready t o bear t h e i r share o f th e burden themselves .

liThe RUssians an d the Chinese , conta in ing " ' i t h in t h e i r borders nea r lya b i l l i o n people , t o t a l l y nob i l i zed fo r th e advance o f th e Communist system,opera t ing from narrow , i n t e r i o r l i n e s o f communication , pres su r ing onSoutheast Asia , d t h th e masses of t he Chinese annies p o t e n t i a l l y ready t omove - - o f the Russians who hold g r e a t pO",.,rer p o t e n t i a l l y in th e Middle Eastan d Western Europe - - t h e United Sta t e s s tands as the ch ie f defender o ffreedom .

" I sa id in my Inaugura l Address t h a t no group o f people in an y generat i o n s ince democracy was f i r s t developed by the ancient Greeks near lytwenty-f our o r - f i v e hundred years ago, bave ever bOrne a respons ib i l i ty

a s grea t as ours . And I welcome i t - - an d I vrelcoo e i t t on igh t ."There i s no easy ans\, 'e r t o th e dilemmas t h a t we face . Ou r grea t a l l y

i s . the f a c t t h a t people do des i r e t o be f r ee , t h a t people ' , ; i l l s a c r i f i c eevery th ing in t h e i r des i r e to mainta in ~ h e i rindependence . And as t h e t r u enature o f t he Communi st conspiracy becoI:les b e t t e r knm-m around th e globe ,":hen neoule corne to r ea l i ze - - as they su re ly " : i l l - '":' t h a t the Comnnmista d v a n ~ edoes not r ep re sen t a means o f l i b e r a t i o n bu t r ep re sen t s a f i n a l

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e nslnveI!".ent , then I bel ieve t h a t they \ - t i l l r a l l y t o t he cause t o which wehave given our support an d our commitment .

"I b e l i ev e t h a t \-Ie must bu i ld our c o u n t r y, .. e l l , a l so . Senator Douglasdescr ibed wbat we are attempting to do . The burdens are heavy upon us .We have to make t ' . lis socie ty an exanple to t he world , s t rong enough tos erve not only as an example but s t rong enough t o maintain the commitmentst h a t we have assumed . n ,

9

* * *Pres ident Kennedy ' s Pres iden t i a l News Conference , t'lay 5, 1951) Publ icPapers o f th e Pres idents , Kennedy, 1961, p . 356 :

* * *

" Q . ' There have been r epor t s tha t yo u would be prepared t o sendAmerican forces i n to South Vietnam i f t h a t became necessary t o preventCommunist domination o f tha.t COWltry . Could yo u t e l l us ,. ,hether t h a t i scor rec t an d also e n y t h L ~ ge l se yo u have regarding plans fo r t h a t country?

"A . '\ve l l , we have had. a group working i n t h e Government an d ",.e ' v e had.a Secur i ty Council meeting about the problems ,,hicb are faced i n Vietnamby guer r i l l a s an d by the barrage l thich th e p resen t Government i s being s u b~j ected to . The problem o f troopR . . . the mat ter o f " h a t we I re go in g to do toa s s i s t Vietnam to obta in i t s independence i t . n ma t t e r s t i l l under c o n~

' d t ' I II -s ~ e ra ~ o n. . .

10 .

* .. *Join t C o r n m u n i ~ eI s sued a t Sa i gon by the Vice Pres iden t o f th e Uniteds t ate s an d the Pre s id ent 0 f " V - = i " e - , t c :- " N ; : a m ~ _ I " . ! " a " - 1 " 3 " " , , , 1 , , 9 6 = 1 , , , - - , D , , e x B . l o : .S t a te Bullet in, June 19 , 1 1, p . 95

"Tbe Unit ed s t ates , fo r i t s p a r t , i s conscious o f th e determination ,ener gy and s a c r i f i c e s which the Vietnamese people , under t h e dedicatedle adersh i p o f Pres ident Ngo Dinh Diem, have brought t o th e defense o ffre edom in the i r land ,

liTh e United Sta te s i s a l so consc ious of i t s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y e,nd duty ,i n i t s own s e l f ~i n t e r e s tas wel l as in the i n t e r e s t of o the r f r ee peoples ,t o ass i s t a brave country i n t h e defense o f i t s l i b e r t i es age ins t unprovokeds ubversion an d CO!!"!ID.unist t e r r o r , I t has no o the r m6t iv e t han the a.el"enseo f freedom . n

l l . Pres ident K e n n e d L ~ e c i a lJ.!essage to Congress , J/fay 25 , 1 96 1 , Publ i cPapers o f the Pres iden t s , Kennedy, 1961 :

liThe grea t bat t leground for the defense an d expansion o f freedom toda yi s the \thole southern ha l f o f the globe Asia , Lat in .America, Af"rica an d

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th e l t iddle Eas t - - th e lands o fthe greates t in buman his tory .an d exp lo i t a t i on . Nore than an

the r i s ing peoples . Their revolut ion i sThey seek an end to in jus t ice , tyranny,end , they seek a beginning .

!lAnd the i r s i s a revolution which we would support regardless of theCold War , and rebardless of which po l i t i c a l or economic route they shouldchoose to freedom .

"For the adversaries of freedom did no t create th e revolution ; no r didthey create the conditions which compel i t . But they are seeking to r idethe c res t of i t s wave - - to capture i t for themselves .

IIYet t h e i r aggress ion i s more of t en concea led than open . They havef i r e d no miss i l e s ; and t h e i r t roops are seldom seen . They send arms ,ag i t a to r s , a id , t echn ic i ans and propaganda t o every t r oub led a rea . But,,"'here f i gh t ing i s r equ i r ed , i t i s USUally done by o the r s - - by g u e r r i l l a s

s t r i k i n g a t n igh t , by as sa s s in s s t r i k i n g a lone - - as sas s in s y/ho have takenthe l i v e s o f four thousand c i v i l o f f i c e r s in the l a s t t , , ,elve months inVietnam alone - - by subversive and saboteurs an d i n s u r r e c t i o n i s t s , who insome cases con t ro l wbole a r ea s i n s ide o f independent na t ions . .

"With t he se formidable Yieapons, th e adve r sa r i e s o f freedom p lan t o conso l ida t e t h e i r t e r r i t o r y - - t o e A ~ l o i t ,t o con t ro l , an d f i n a l l y t o des t royth e hopes o f the lfOrld r S neHest na t ions ; an d they have ambit ion t o do i tbefore th e en d o f t h i s decade . I t i s a con te s t of ' "]i l1 an d purpose aswe l l as force an d violence - - a b a t t l e fo r minds an d souls as wel l as l ivesan d t e r r i t o r y . And in t h a t con te s t , li e cannot s tand as ide .

" \1e stand , as ,,"'e have always stood from our e a r l i e s t beginnings , fo rthe independence an d equa l i t y o f a l l nat ions . This na t ion was born o fr evolu t ion an d r a i sed in freedom . And l f e do no t in t end t o leave an openr oa d fo r despotism .

ItThere i s no s ing le simple po l i cy which meets t h i s chal lenge . Expe r ience ha s taught us t h a t no on e nat ion bas the power or th e wisdom t o solvea l l th e problems o f t he v]Orld o r manage i t s r evo lu t i ona ry t i d e s - - t h a textending our commitments does no t always increase our secur i ty - - t h a tan y i n i t i a t i v e c a r r i e s v/i th i t the r i s k o f a temporary de fea t - - t h a tnuclear ,,'eapons cannot prevent subvers ion - - t h a t no f r ee people ca n bekept f ree without w i l l an d energy o f t h e i r own - - "

* * .*

1 2 . Pres ident Kenned I s Address t o t he Uni ted Nat ions Se tember 25P u b l i ~Pape-s o f th e Pres iden t s , Kennedy , 1901, p . 2

* * *" F i n a . l ~, as Pres iden t o f th e United s t a t e s , I cons ider i t my duty t o

r epo r t to t h i s Asser.lbly on t " o t lu-cats t o the peace . ~ h i c ha re not on yourcrO'l-:ded agenda, bu t 'Jhich causes u s , an d most o f you, th e deepes t concern .

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" The f i r s t t h rea t on which I wi sh t o r epo r t i s widely misunderstood:th e smoldering coals o f ' far i n Southeas t Asia . South Vietnam i s alree:.dy

under a t t ack - - sometimes by a s ingle assas s in , sometimes by a band o fg u e r r i l l a s , r ecen t ly by f u l l b a t t a l i o n s . The peaceful borders o f Burma ,Cambodia an d Ind ia have been r epea t ed ly v io l a t ed . And th e peacefulpeople o f Laos are i n danger o f l o s ing th e independence they gained no tso long ago .

"NO on e can c a l l t he se ' wars o f l i b e r a t i o n . ' For t he se a re f r eecountr ies l i v ing under governments . Nor are these aggress i o ns an y l e s sr e a l because men are kni fed in t h e i r barnes an d not shot i n the f i e l d s o fb a t t l e .

"The very simple ques t ion confront ing th e ,-rorld community i s Hhethermeasures ca n be devised to pro tec t th e small an d weak from such t a c t i c s .For i f they are successfu l in Laos and South Vietnam , th e ga te s ' ' ' i l l beopened wide .

"Th e United Sta t e s seeks fo r i t s e l f no base , no t e r r i t o r y , no spec ia lpos i t i on in t h i s a rea o f an y kind . He support a t r u l y n e u t r a l an d independent Laos , i t s people f ree from outs ide in t e r f e rence , l i v i n g a t peacewith themselves an d with t h e i r neighbors, assured t h a t t h e i r t e r r i t o r yw i l l no t be used fo r a t t acks on o t h e r s , an d under a government comparable( as Hr . Khrushchev and I agreed a t Vienna) t o Cambodia an d Burma .

"Bu t now the nego t i a t i ons over Laos a re reaching a c r u c i a l s t age . Th ec ease f i r e i s a t bes t precar ious . The ra iny season i s coming to an en d .Laotian t e r r i t o r y i s being used t o i n f i l t r a t e South Vietnam . The worldcOmL'l.unity must r e c o ~ i z e- - al l those who are involved - - t h a t t h i s potent

t h r e a t t o Laotian peace an d freedom i s i nd iv id ib l e from a l l o the r t h r e a t sto t h e i r own . 1t

13 . Pres ident Kenned I S News Conference October I I Publ ic Pa e r so f the Pres iden t s , Kennedy, 1 1, p . 0 :

" Troops to Vietnam?

" Q . Hr . Pres iden t , in reference t o your decis ion t o send Genera l Taylort o Vietnam , t he re may be some in te rp re ta t ion o f t h a t dec i s ion as implyingconfirmation o f r epo r t s t h a t yo u in tend to send American f orces to Vietnamor Thai land o r Laos . Can yo u give us your appra i sa l o f th e cond i t i ons W1der

which yo u might f i nd i t necessary t o send t roops?" THE FRESIDEN'"J. : He are going to , . ;ait u n t i l Genera l Taylor comes back

an d br ings an up-tO - date desc r ip t ion o f the s i t u a t i o n , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n Vietnam . As yo u MO'''; , in th e l a s t t,,O or t h ree months t he re has been a l a rgeincrease in th e number o f the forces t h a t have been involved . There hasbeen evidence t h a t sane o f t he se forces have come from beyond the f r o n t i e r s .General Taylor ' , I i l l give me an d th e .Joint Chiefs o f S t a f f an educa ted

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mil i t a ry guess as to what th e s i tua t ion i s t h a t th e government t he re faces .Then we ca n come to conclusions as to " 'hat i s t he b e s t t h ing to do . t

* * *

14 . Pres iden t Kennedy l e t t e r t o Pres iden t D i ~ u ,December 14, 1961, Department o f Sta t e Bulle t in , January 1, 1962, p . 13:

, "De a r Mr . Pres iden t : I have rece ived your r ecen t l e t t e r in which yo udescr ibed so cogently the dangerous condi t ion caused by North Viet-Nam ' se f f o r t s t o t ake over your count ry . The s i t u a t i o n i n your embatt led count ryi s , .e l l known to me an d t o the P.merican people . He have ?een deeply ' d i stu rbed by t he assau l t on your count ry . Our indignat ion has mounted as th ede l ib e ra t e savagery o f th e Communist program o f assas s ina t ion , kidnappingand wanton vio lence became c lea r .

"Your l e t t e r under l ines ",'hat our own information ha s convincingly shm-mt h a t th e campaign of force an d t e r r o r now being waged aga ins t your people

and yo ur Government i s supported an d d i r ec t ed from th e ou t s ide by th eau thor i t i e s a t Hanoi . They have thus v io la t ed the provis ions o f the GenevaAccords designed to ensure peace in Viet-Ham an d t o which t hey bound thems elves in 1954 .

"A t t h a t t ime, th e United s t a t e s , although not a pa r ty t o th e Ac cords ,de.clared t h a t i t ' ",ould view any rene'VTal o f the aggress ion i n v io l a t ion o ft h e agreements with grave c o n c ~ r nan d as se r ious ly t h r ea t en ing in t e l ' na t iona lpeace . an d secu r i ty . I We continue t o mainta in t h a t vie" ' .

" I n accordance with t h a t dec la ra t ion , and in response to your r eques t ,

"'e are prepared to help th e Republic o f Viet-Nero. t o p r o t e c t i t s people an dto preserve i t s independence . He s h a l l promptly increase our ass i s t ancet o your defense e f f o r t as ;.;"ell as help r e l i eve th e des t ruc t ion o f t h ef loods .. hich yo u desc r ibe . I have al ready given th e orde r s to get t heseprograms underway .

"The United Sta te s , l i k e th e Republic o f Vie t -Nam, remains devoted toth e cause o f peace an d our primary purpose i s to help your people mainta int h e i r independence. I f th e Communist a u t h o r i t i e s in North Viet-Nam w i l ls top t h e i r campaign t o des t roy th e Republ ic o f V i e t ~ N a m ,th e measures weare t ak ing to a s s i s t your defense e f f o r t s '11 i l l no l o nger be necessary . Hes h a l l seek to persuade th e Communists t o give up t h e i r attempts o f forcean d subversion . In en y case , "He are conf ident t ha t . th e Vietn&mese people"\orill preserve t h e i r independence an d gain t he peace an d prospe r i t y fo rwhich they have sought so hard and so long .

I1Hi s Excellency Ngo Dinh DiemPres iden t an d Secre tary o f s t a t e fo r

Nat iona l DefenseThe Republic o f Viet-rlemSaigon, V i e t ~ I la . m "

c-14

" J OHN F . JCElj"NEDY


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15 Pres ident Kennedy ' s Sta te o f the Union H c s s a ~ e ,January 11 , 1962 ,Publ ic Papers o f the Pres iden t s , KCl".nedy, 1962, '0 . 12 :

* * *" A sa t i s fac to ry se t t lement i n Laos would Elso help to achieve an d

safeguard th e peace i n Vie t Nero - - "rhere the fo e i s increas ing h is t a c t i c so f t e r r o r - - ,,,here our o'"n e ffo r t s have been stepped up - - an d ,,,here thel o c a l goverJ'l.ment ha s i n i H a t e d neu progrems and reforms t o broaden thebase o f r e s i s t ance . The sys temat ic ag gres s ion nOlr bleeding t h a t countryi s not a 'war o f l ibe ra t ion ' - - fo r Vie t Nero i s al ready f ree . I t i s a warof attempted subjugation - - an d i t w i l l be res i s t ed .

16 . Pres ident Kenne ' s News Conference Januo f the Pres iden t s , Kennedy, 1902 , p.

* * *

15 1962 Public Paners

I1Q . I n the p a s t i t would seem t h a t coa l i t ion governments lean towardsCOl!lID.W1ist con t ro l . Axe we then ta.\(ing a chance i n suppor t ing a coa l i t iontype government in South eas t Asia?

irA.a chance

\ ~ e a re ta.'


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8 1f

in South Vietnam .Ho;,," deeply are we

th e r igh t s o f the

Declass ified pe r Executive Order 13526. Sec tio n 3.3NNO Projec t Numb er: NNO 63316. By: NWO Da te: 20 II

Could yo u t e l l us , s i r , what th e s i tua t ion i sinvolved in i ,hat seems to be a grmfing ,",'ar an dpeople to know what our forces are doing?

there?what a re

liTHE PRESIDENT : There i s a war going on i n South Vietnam, an d I t h inkt h a t l a s t ..... ee k there were over 500 k i l l i n g s ) ar.d assas s ina t ions an d bombings an d the casua l t i e s are high . As I sa id l a s t "eek, i t i s a subter ranea n ,.,a1.', a g u e r r i l l a war o f increas ing fe roc i ty . The United Sta te s , s incet h e en d o f the Geneva Accord, se t t ing up th e South Vietnamese governmentas an independent government, has been ass i s t ing Vietnam economically tomaintain i t s independence, v i a b i l i t y an d a l so sen t t r a i n i n g groups outt he re , which have been expanded i n r ecen t weeks , as t he a t t acks on th egovernment and the people o f South Vietnam have increased .

IIHe are out t he re on t r a i n i n g an d on t r anspor ta t ion , an d il e are a s s i s ti ng in every ..ray we proper ly ca n the people of South Vietnam, , ~ h owith t h egrea tes t courage ~ ~ d under danger are attempting to mainta in t h e i r freedom.

IINow., t h i s i s an area where there i s a good dea l o f danger an d i t i s amatter o f i n fo rca t ion . vie do n ' t want to have information which i s o fass is tance to the enemy an d i t i s a matter ....hich I t h ink w i l l have to beworked out vrith the government o f Vietnam which bears t h e primary respon-s i b i l i t y . 1I

18 . Pres ident Kenne ' s News Conference Februar 14 1962 Publ ic Fa r sof the Pres iden t s , Kennedy, 1 ~ 2 ~ , ~ p ~. ~ 1 ~ 3 ~ ~' = = ~ ~ C L ~ ~ o L ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~

11 l nv o l vement i n V etn8I!l

I1Q . t.1r . Pres ident , t h e Republican National Committee pub l i ca t ion ha ssa id t h a t yo u have been l e s s than candid , d t h th e American people as tohow deeply ,",'e are in volved in Vietnam . Could you throw any more l i g h t ont ha t ?

liTHE PRESlDEJ.""rr: Yes , as yo u know, the United s ta . tes fo r more than adecade ha s been a s s i s t i n g the governm en t , t he people o f Vietnam , t o maint ain t h e i r independence . Hay back on Dec . 23 , 1950, we signed a mi l i t a ryass is tance agreement with France an d with Indo - China. which a t t h a t t imei ncluded Vietnam , Laos and Cambodia . We a l so s igned i n December o f 1 951an agreement d i r e c t l y with Vietnam .

"Now i n 1954 , t he Geneva agreements were s igned, an d while we d id notsign t hose agreements , never theless Under Secretary Bedel Smith s t a t ed tha the would vie"" any renewal o f aggression )..n V i e ~ n a mi n v io la t ion o f t h eaforesa id agreements ,",'ith grave concern, an d as se r ious ly t h rea t en ingi n t e rna t iona l peace and secur i ty . At the t ime t h a t the SEATO Pact wassigned i n 1954, Sept . 8 , Vietnam ....'as not a s ignatory , i t was a pro toco ls t a t e , and, t he re fo re , t h i s pac t ' .... hich was approved by th e Senate ,rithonly, I t h i n k , t..,o agains t i t , illlder Art i c l e 4 , s t a t ed t h a t t h e United Sta te s

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recognized tha t aggression by means of armed at tack against Vietnam wouldthreaten ou r own peace and securi ty . So since tha t time the United Stateshas been assis t ing the government of Vietnam to maintain i t s independence .I t has had a mili tary t ra ining mission there a ~ d extensive economic a s t i stance .

" As yo u know , in the l a s t t< .. o years th e war ha s increased . The VicePresident visi ted there l a s t spring . The war became more intense everymonth ; i n fact , every week . The at tack on the government by the Communistforces with ass is tance from th e north became of greater and greater concernt o the government o f Vietnam an d tb e Government o f th e United Sta te s .

''ife sent - - I sen t General Taylor there to make a review o f th e s i t u at i on . The Pres ident o f Vietnam asked us :for add i t iona l a s s i s t ance . Hei s sued , as yo u re1'!lember, a .... rh i te paper .... rhich de ta i l ed th e support which

th e Vie t Minh in th e nor th,,"'ere g iv ing t o t h i s CommW1ist insurgent movement and we have increased our ass is tance there . And we are supplying

l o g i s t i c ass i s t ance , t r anspor t a t ion a s s i s t ance , t r a i n i n g , and we have anun:.ber of Americans .... rho are t ak ing p a r t i n t h a t e f f o r t .

"\'Ie have discussed t h i s matter - - we discussed i t ....oith th e leadershipo f th e Republicans and Democrats when we met i n ea r ly January an d informedthem o f ....hat we were doing in Vietnam . He - - Ur . Rusk ha s discussed i twith the House and Senate Foreign Affai rs Committee . Nr . J.1.cNamara hasdiscussed i t with th e Armed Services Committee . The leadership on boths ides , Republicans and De:mocrats - - ',:e have explained to them our concernabout \-That i s happening t he re , an d they have been responsive , I t h i n k , toevidence t h e i r concern . So t h a t there i s a long h i s t o r y o f our e f f o r t s t oprevent Vietnam from f a l l i n g under con t ro l o f the Communists . That i swhat we are now attempting to do . And as the v",ir has increased in scope,ou r ass is tance has increased as a r e s u l t of the reques t o f the government.So t h a t I th ink v!e should - - as i t i s a matter of g rea t importance , amatter o f grea t s e n s i t i v i t y - - my view has alyays been t h a t th e headquart e r s o f both o f our p a r t i e s should r e a l l y attempt t o leave t hese mat t e r sto be discussed by responsib le l eade r s on both s ~ d e s. In my opinion , "rehave hed a very s t rong b i - p a r t i s a n consensus up t o now , ~ ~ dI am hopefult h a t i t w i l l continue in regard to the act ion t h a t 'le are t ak ing .

"Q..as muchr ight?

Mr . Pres ident ,as ca n be t o l d ,

do yo u fee l t h a t you have t o l d tbe Americanbecause o r th e s e n s i t i v i t y o f th e subjec t?

peopleI s t h a t

"THE PRESIDE..lIJT : I t h ink I have j u s t indicated what ou r ro le i s . Wehave increased ou r assista. '1ce t o t h e government , i t s l o g i s t i c s , and wehave not s ~ n tc o ~ b a tt roops t he re , although t h ~ t r a i n i n g missions t h a t wehave there have been i n s t ruc ted t h a t i f they a re f i r e d upon they are , o fcourse, to f i r e back, to pro tec t t h e n ~ e l v e s ,but we bave no t sent combatt roops , in the genera l ly understood sense o r the word . We have increasedo ur t r a i n i n g n i s s ion , an d we have increased ou r l o g i s t i c s suppor t , an d weare attempting t o prevent a Communist take-over o f Vietnam, which i s in

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was broken, i t could lead to a very serious decis ion. I wonder , ~ r r.President, now tha t th e cease - f i re has been broken, i f effor t s shouldf a i l t o r e - e s t a b l i s h i t , '\-.'ould i t cause a re -examinat ion on the p a r tof the United States towards i t s pol icy there?

"THE PRESIDENT ; \ ~e l l , we are concerned about th e break. i n thecease-f i re . As you know , th e State Department, th e Acting Secretary ofS t a ~ e ,and the Assis tant Secretary of s t a t e , met tOday with AmbassadorDobrynin, t h i s af te rnoon . He have a l r eady i nd i ca t ed t o on e o f t h e cochairmen, t h e B r i t i s h gO'rerJ1Ili.ent , our grea t concern about i t . O\lr ambassador i n t-1oscow me t ' u i th th e fore ign sec re t a ry at' th e Sovie t Union,Mr . Gromyko .

"vl e do be l i eve , an d have sa id from th e beg inn ing , t h a t t he negot iat i o n s should move much more quickly than they h ~ v e. Th e l onge r t h i s

r a the r f rayed cease - f i re con t inues , the more chance we w i l l have o f thekind of i nc iden t s we have had i n th e p a s t f e . l days . That i s .rby we werehopefu l , a f t e r th e meetings a t Geneva l a s t summer an d f a l l , t h a t th enego t i a t i ons bet'treen the p a r t i e s involved . ,ould take p lace l a s t f a l l ,an d we could organize a government, r a t h e r than t r y i n g t o cont inue t ohold l i n e s which i n some cases a re exposed , an d which a re sub jec t t o t h i skind o f pressure . So t h a t ha s been ou r vie,., .

"S o t h a t has been our view, an d th e longer i t goes on, an d t he longert he re i s no t an agreement on a government, the longer some groups s tandou t from t he se kinds of conversa t ions , then the more hazardous the s i t u at i o n becomes.

"N Oi f , on th e p a r t i c u l a r inc ident , i t i s a c l e a r breach of the ceasef i r e . We have i ndicated an d we hope t h a t the Sovie t Union, which 1scommitted t o e po l i cy based on the s ta tement a t Vienna, i n regard t o Laos,.fe are hopefu l t h a t we can br ing about a r e s t o r a t i o n o f t h e cease - f i r e .Bu t ve have got t o use the t ime t o t r y t o move ahead i n our p o l i t i c a lnego t i a t i ons .

" I agree i t i s a very hazardous cou r se , bu t i n t roduc ing Americe.nforces i s t h e o t h e r on e - - l e t ' s not th ink t he re i s some g r e a t t h i r dcourse . That a l so i s a hazardous course an d we want t o a t tempt t o seei f we ca n 1'lork o u t a peace fu l so lu t ion , ,,.hich has been our o b j e c t fo rmany months . I be l i eve t h a t t he se nego t i a t i o?s should t ake p lace qu i ck ly .Th is 1s not a s a t i s f a c t o r y s i t u a t i o n today . It

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Thailand an d to remain t he re u n t i l fUr ther orde r s . These fo r ce s are t ohelp ensure the t e r r i t o r i a l i n t e g r i t y o f t h i s peacefUl count ry .

liTh e dispatch .o f United s t a t e s forces to Thailand was cons idereddes i r ab l e because of r ecen t a t t acks in Laos by Communist f o r c e s , an dthe subsequent movement o f Communist mi l i t a ry un i t s toward th e bordero f Thai land .

IIA t h rea t to Thailand i s o f grave concern t o th e United Sta te s . Ihave , t he re fo re , ordered ce r t a in add i t i ona l American m il i t a r y fo r ce s i n toThailand i n order t h a t \- Ie may be in a pos i t i on to f u l f i l l . speedi ly ourobl igat ions under the l-1anila Pact o f 1954 , a defense agreement which wasapproved ovenlhelmingly by the U. S . Senate , an d t o Hhich th e Sec re t a ry o fs t a t e an d Foreign l - i inister of Thailand r e fe r r ed i n t h e i r j o i n t s ta temento f Harch 6 , 1962 . He are in consulta. t ion l f i th sEATO Govermnents on th es i tua t ion

.III emphasize t h a t t h i s i s a defensive ac t on th e p a r t o f t h e United

s t a t e s an d wholly cons i s t en t with th e United Nations Char te r whichspec i f i ca l ly recognizes t h a t nat ions have an inherent r i g h t to t akeco l l ec t ive mea.sures fo r s e l f - defense . In t he s p i r i t o f t h a t Char t e r ,I have d i r ec t ed t h a t the Secre tary General o f the United Nat ions be i nformed o f the ac t ions t h a t we are t ak ing .

IIThere i s no change in our po l i cy toward Laos , \!hich cont inues tobe the re - es tab l i sbment o f an e ffec t ive cease - f i r e an d prompt negot iat i ons fo r a goverrunent o f national . union . II

23 . Pres ident Kenne ' s Ne\-fs Conference Me. 17 Publ ic Pa e r s o ~th e Pre siden t s , Kennedy, 1 2, p . 402 :

"No Fur ther Breach i n Laos

1tQ.: Hr . Pres ident , could yo u br ing us up. t o date on th e Laot ians i tua t ion s ince t h e dispatch o f our t r oops i n Thai land? Spec i f i ca l ly , doyo u f e e l t h a t we have increased th e c h a ~ c e so f our g e t t i n g caught i n ac ommunist shooting wa r i n Southeast Asia?

liTHE PRESIDENT: We are cont inuing to hope t h a t t he re "Fil l be an a t i o n a l government or na t iona l union , which ha s been our po l icy , as youknO\i , fo r a year . vIe are going i n to Thailand , a t the decis ion of ' th e

Thai government, ourown

decis ion to provide fo r the defense of ' Thailand .The l a t e s t information i nd i ca t e s no f u r t h e r breach o f th e c e a s e - f i r e .We also have ind1c a t ions t h a t th e t h ree pr inces w i l l engage i n co n v e r s a t i o nshor t ly . I hope they w i l l produce a government . That i s our ob jec t . Ihave al ready indica ted th e grea t hazards o f a shoot ing wa r in As i a . I nAsia , i t i s our ob jec t t o br ing about a dip lomat ic so lu t ion ''''hich w i l l maketh e chances o f such a wa r f a r l e s s l i k e l y .

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"Troops i n Thailand

" Q, : Mr . Pres ident , in l i g h t o f your answ'er t o t h i s quest ion , s i r ,could you give us any idea how long th e American t roops w i l l be neededin Thailand?

"THE PRESIDENT : r cannot a t t h i s time .

"Q : Have yo u any idea under ",hat condi t ions they might r eturn ?

"THE PRESIDTh"T : I cannot a t t h i s t ime . They have only b een i n the refo r a very sho r t while , an d we ca n ' t t e l l when they w i l l come ou t . I tw i l l depend a good dea l on what condi t ions a re i n Thailand an d th e ne ig hboring countr ies .

"Re s tor ing the Ce ase -F i r e

"Q: Nr . Pres ident , could yo u t e l l us , p lease , what yo u would cons iderthe r e s t o r a t io n o f an e ffec t ive cease - f i r e? "lould t h i s involve th e withdrawal o f the Communist forces t o t h e i r pos i t ion before t he a t t ack on NamTha , or more or l e s s a quiescence ,",hich would permi t t h e t a l k s t o go f o n 'a r don th e g o v e r ~ e n t ?

"THE PRESIDENT : Obviously, we would pre fe r as g r e a t a "fi thdra .... a.l tothe l i n e t h a t was in e f f e c t a ,reek or so ag o as "'!e could get . I ,'lOuldth ink, hO\o,'ever, th a t th e peace along the l i n e which now may e x i s t , o fcourse, i s essen t i a l .

"Ob j ect ives in Laos

"Q : }'1r . Pres ident , w01.!ld yo u review fo r us the considera t ions t h a tyo u ha d i n m nd l a s t weekend ,rhen yo u took t h i s r a t h e r swi f t ac t ion t o movemore Aoerican t roops i n to Thailand ?

"THE PRESIDENT : Yes. We are concerned about t h e breach o f th e ceasef i r e , the sign of de te r io ra t ion in Laos , which brought Communist forces tothe border o f Thailand up i n th e Mekong River sect ion , up not too f a r f r omNam Tha, an d we d id not y ~ o \ {whether t h i s was an i nd ica t ion of a genera lbreach o f the cease - f i r e which , o f course , ,;ould immediately imper i l Thailand .So i n ou r des i r e t o s t a b i l i z e the s i tua t ion , we go t in touch with th e gover nment , . ,hieh was all:eady i n touch ,vi th us , arid l10rked ou t th e proposed courseof act ion .

* * *

ilLega l i ty o f Thailand Move

"Q : Mr . Pres ident , vhat ,,'as the leg a l bas i s fo r our sending t roopst o Th a i l and ? Has i t a b i l a t e r a l arrangement t h a t we have with th e Thaigovernment , or .... ,as i t poss ib ly sec re t arrangements?

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Decla ss ified pe r Exec ut ive O rder [3526. Sectio n 3.3NND Project N umbe r: NND 633 [6 . By: NWD D ate: 20 [ [

Pres ident K e r~ e d y' s News Confer e nce, June 14, 1962, Publ ic Paperso ~ t he P res i den t s ; Ken n edy, 19 6 2 , p . 492 :

IIMansfield ' s Cri t ic isms

" Q: Nr . Pres ident , Senator Mansfield a few days ago suggested e.review of Far Eastern ~ o l i c i e sbecause he sa id they seem t o hi m e i t h e rmarking t ime, or a t l e a s t on a co l l i s ion course .

"Do yo u th ink such a review i s necessary?

" THE PRESIDENT: ~ ' l e l l ,we have been revie\1ing . As yo u know , we havebeen attempting i n the case o f Laos to "ork out a pol icy which would prevent e i the r on e o f those s i t u a t i o n s , \,hether ' .. e s h e l l be succes s fu l ornot , only time w i l l t e l l .

" I know t h a t we have :put l a rge sums o f money, an d th e s i tua t ion tberei s s t i l l hazardous, what i s t rue t he re o f course i s t rue al l around tbey ~ r l d. This i s a per iod of g rea t tens ion and change . But i f th e UnitedStates ha d not played a p a r t i n Southe a s t As i a fo r many yea r s , I t h ink thewhole map o f Soutbeast Asia would be di ffe ren t .

" I am del ighted , as yo u know, I have t h e highes t regard fo r SenatorNensf ie ld , an d I t h ink t h a t we should constant ly revielf , an d I t b ink t h a the suggested we should make judgplents betv Teen "Tbat i s e s s e n t i a l to ouri n t e r e s t an d "!hat i s marginal . \'le h ave been at tempt ing ,-lith grea t d i f ~ icu.lty to carry out a po l i cy with Laos vihich lTould permit a neu t ra l an dindependent government there , and i n Senator l ' - l a n s ~ i e l dI s speech he used

the examples of Burma an d Cambodia . Those were the examples t h a t werealso used a t the Vienna meeting by Ch9.irman Khrushchev and myself ' i n whichwe s t a t ed the kind o f government t h a t we both sa id ue hoped would emergein Laos . That i s the commitment t h a t was made by th e Sovie t Union , an dby the United Sta t e s .

"Now ""e have- moved to a d i ffe ren t p la t eau , and lFe are going t o se ewhether t h a t commitment ca n be maintained . But on the o the r hand, I amsure an d I knot{ Senator M a n s ~ i e l dwould not t h ink we should ' ,dthdraw,because \rithdrawal in the case o f Vietnam and in th e case o f Thailandmight mean a col lapse o f the en t i r e a rea . "

26 . U. S . Comments on Re a r t o f Contro l CommiSSion fo r Vie t - Nam Deuartment o f Sta te Bul le t in , Ju ly 1 1 2 , p . 10 9 :

"Department Statement

liThe r epor t j u s t i ssued by the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Contro l Commission forViet -Hem demonstrates t h a t the CornmtUlist North Vietnamese' a re engaged ina campaign o ~ aggression an d subversion aimed a t the v io len t overthrm{ o fth e Government of South Viet -!!am. I t i nd ica t e s c lea r ly t h a t th e h o s t i l i t i e s

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in Viet-Nam., which in th e f i r s t 5 months o f t h i s year aJ.one r e s u l t e d in

the death of more than 9,000 people , ar e planned , caused , an d led byth e Communist authori t ies in North Viet-Nam . These are the conclusionsof th e Comnission's Legal Committee :

I t h e r e i s evidence t o show t h a t armed an d unarmedpersonn e l , arms, ' munitions and other supplies have been sentfrom the Zone in the North to the Zone i n the South with theobje c t o f suppor t ing , organiz ing an d carrying out h o s t i l eac t i v i t i e s , including armed at tacks , directed against theArmed Forces and Administration of the Zone i n the South . th ere i s evidence to show tha t th e PAVN LPeople ' s Army ofv i e t -N ~ 7hes allm. . ed th e Zone i n the lIorth to be u se d forinci t ing, encouraging and supporting hos t i l e ac t i v i t i e s in

the Zone in the South , aimed a t th e overthrow of the Administ r ation i n t.he South . I

liThe Commission accepted these conclusions o f th e Legal Committeetha t there was suff ic ien t evidence to show ' beyond reasonable doubt ' tha tthe authori t ies i n Communist North Viet-Nam comoitted these violat ions .The Commission also c i ted the Republic of Viet-Nam for i t s ac t iv i t ies inimporting mili tary equipment and personnel above th e l imi t s imposed byth e 1954 Geneva Accords . The report clear ly demonstrates , however, tha tthese actions ..... ere taken by South Viet-Nero. as par t of i t s effor t to defendi t s e l f against aggression and subversion from the North . In December ofl a s t year President Diem requested increased mili tary assistance from th eUnited States . He have responded to t h i s request .

"President Diem and President Kennedy have both sta ted t ha t theylo ok forw ard to th e discontinuance of the present lev e l o f mili taryassistance \rhen th e Communist North Vietnamese ha l t t h e i r campaign todestroy the Republic of Viet-Nac o The report o f the In te rna t iona l ControlCommissio n takes note of th i s posi t ion . The United States welcomes theco mmission ' s report and re colrunends i t for world a t ten t ion . We hope tha tthe Commission \1 i l l continue i t s effor t s to restore peace in Viet - Nem. II

,27 . President Kenned ' s Annual Nessa. e to the Con ress on the State of

th e Union, January 1 , 1 3, Public Papers of the PreSidents ,Kennedy ) 1963) p . 17 :

* * *"ThirJ., " T he '~ comfort can we take from. the increas ing s t ra ins and

t ensions within th e C o ~ ~ u n i s tbloc? Here hope must be tempered withcau t ion . For the S o v i ~ t- C h i n e s edisagreement i s over means, no t ends .A dispute over hm-r best to bury the f ree world i s no grounds fo r Hesternr ejoicing .

"Never theless , while a s t ra in i s not a f racture , i t i s c lea r tha tthe forces of divers i ty ar e a t ~ o r kins ide the C o ~ u n i s tcamp, despi tea l l the iron discipl ines of regicentat i6n end a l l th e i ron dogmatisms

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o f ideOlOgy . Harx i s proven ,rron'5 once again : fo r i t i s t he c lo sedCOIllllllL'llst soc ie t i e s , not the f r ee an d open s o c i e t i e s which ca r ry within

themselves the seeds of i n t e r n a l d i s in t eg ra t ion .

"The d i sa r r ay o f th e Conmllmist empire has been heightened by tw oo the r formidable fo r ce s . One i s the h i s t o r i c a l fo r ce o f n a t i o n a ~ i s m__ an d the yearning Of a l l men t o be f r ee . The o t h e r i s th e gross i n -e ff i c i ency o f t h e i r economies . F or a c losed soc i e ty i s no t open toi deas o f progress - - an d a po l i ce s t a t e f inds t h a t i t cannot command th egra in t o grO-vi .

"New nat ions asked to choose betvleen hl O competing systems need onlYcompare condi t ions i n Eas t and West Germany, Eastern an d Western Europe,North en d South Viet - Ham . They need on ly compare th e diSi l lus ionment o fCommunist Cuba with the promise o f th e All iance fo r Progress . And a l lth e world knows t h a t no successfu l system bui lds a wal l to keep i t s peoplei n an d freedom ou t - - an d the wal l o f shame dividing Ber l in i s a symbol o fCommunist f a i lu re .

"Fina l ly, " 'hat ca n we do to move from the presen t pause toward endurin g peace? Again I would counsel caut ion . I foresee no spec t acu la r r ev e r s a l i n Coomunist methods or goa l s . Bu t i f a l l t he se t r ends 2lld developments ca n persuade th e Sovie t Union t o walk th e path o f peace , then l e tber know t h a t a l l f r ee na t ions . " I i l i journey with her . But W1t i l t h a tchoice i s made , and u n t i l th e world can d e v ~ l o pa r e l i a b l e system o f i n t e rna t iona l s ecu r i ty, th e tTee peoples have no choice bu t t o keep t h e i r armsnearby . -

* * ~ -

" In shor t , l e t our adve r sa r i e s choose . I f they choose peacefUl comp e t i t i o n , they s h a l l have i t . I f they come to r e a l i z e t h a t t h e i r ambit ionscannot succeed - - i f they see t h e i r I,\o:ars o f l i b e r a t i o n an d subversionw i l l u l t ima te ly f a i l - - i f t hey recognize t h a t t he re i s more secur i ty i naccept ing inspect ion than L ~ pe rmi t t i ng new na t ions ' t o master the b lacka r t s o f nuclear wa r - - an d i f they are wi l l ing t o t u rn t h e i r ene rg i e s , aswe are , to th e grea t unf in ished t a sks o f our o\.tn peoples - - t hen , su re ly ,th e areas o f agree:nent can be very wide indeed : a c l e a r W1derstandingabout Ber l in , s t a b i l i t y in Southeas t Asia , an end t o nuc lea r t e s t i n g , newchecks on su rp r i s e o r acc iden ta l at tack , an d , u l t ima te ly , genera l an dcomplete d i s a r n ~ e n t,

* * *liMy f r iends : I close on a note o f hope . He are not l u l l e d by th e

momentary ca.lI:l o f the se a or t h e somewhat c l e a r e r sk i e s abOVe . We knowt h e tu rbulence t h a t l i e s belo-,r, an d th e storms t h a t are beyond t h ehorizon t h i s yea r. But nm-, th e winds o f change appear to be b l m .ingmore s t rongly than ever, i n th e ,-rorld o f cOI!mJ.unism as wel l as our o\m . . .

* * *

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28 . President Kenned ' s Annual t1essa e to th e Con ress on th e s t a t e ofthe Union, January 1 , 1 3, Publ ic Papers of th e Pres iden t s ,Kennedy, 1963, p . 16 :

* * *

" Second , wha t of . t h e developing end non - al igned nat ions? They were ,I be l i eve , shocked by th e Soviets sudden an d s e c r e t attempt to transformCuba. in to a nuclear s t r ik ing base - - and by Conununist China ' s arrogantinvasion o f Ind ia .

"They have been reassured by our prompt assis tance to I ndia , by oursupport through the United Nations o f the Congo ' s uni f ica t ion , by ourpa t ien t search for d i s ~ a m e n t, and by th e improvement in our t reatm en to f c i t i zens an d v i s i t o r s , ~ ] h o s eskin does not bappen to be white . And

as tbe older colonialism recedes , and the ne o - colonial ism of the Conununistpowers stands out more s ta rk ly than ever , they rea l ize more c lear ly t h a tthe i s sue i n the wor l d s t ruggle i s not communism v ersus capi ta l ism , bu tcoercion versus a f ree choice .

"They rea l ize t h a t tbe longing fo r independence i s th e same the worldover , whether i t i s the independence o f \'le s t Ber l in o r Viet-Nam . Theyr ea l ize t h a t such independence rUJ'lS atht{art a l l Communist ambitions , buti s i n keeping with our ot:n - - and t h a t our approach to t h e i r needs i sr e s i l i e n t an d resourcefu l , ,-/bile the Communists r e l y on ancient doctr inesand old dogmas .

"Nev er the less , i t i s hard for any nat ion to focus on an ex te rna l orsubv ers iv e th rea t t o i t s ind ependence when i t s energies a re drained i nd a i l y combat with the forces of pover ty and despair . I t makes l i t t l esense fo r us to a s s a i l in speeches an d reso lu t ions t h e hOrrors o f communism , to spend $50 b i l l i o n a year to prevent i t s mi l i t a ry ad vance __an d then to begrudge spending, l a rge ly on American products , l ess thanone- te nth o f t h a t amount t o help other nat ions s t r e ~ g t h e nt h e i r independence an d cure the s o c i a l chaos i n which cOIilmunism has always th r ived . II

29 President Kennedy 1 s News Conf erence , Narch 6 , 1963, Publ ic Paperso f th e Pres iden t s , Kennedy , 1963, p . 243 :

* * *

"Q : Mr . Pre s iden t , t h e Mansfield cOmmittee , sent a t your suggestionto th e Far East and Europe, ha s recommended a thorough secur i ty reas sessment in the Fa r East and a clemp dm'o'Il , i f not a. r eduction in our a id tot h a t part- o f the ,. o r ld . Would you have any cOI:llllent on t h i s , s i r?

'ITHE PRESIDKtT . I d o n ' t se e hmT we are going to be ab le , unless ",'eare going to p u l l out o f Southeast Asia. an d t ur n i t over to th e Communists,how we are going t o be able to reduce very much our economic programs an dmil i ta ry programs in South Viet-ham, in Cambodia, i n Thailand .

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"As my cOlleague Under Secretary A v e r e ~ lHarriman said recent ly ,' I do n I t knO'.. ho u you can d i s t ingu i sh between Chinese communism an d

Chinese imperial ism . Chinese communism an d a l l communism i s i m p e r i a l i s t . '

"Ev en before Horld "ler I I , Communist p a r t i e s of ' varying s t r eng thsexisted in a l l Svutheast Asian countries, from Burma to the Philippines .After th e war th e s ignal was given for armed Communist - l ed upris ings ,an d these occurred i n "Burma, Indones ia , t . talaya , Indochina , and th eP h i ~ i p p L ~ e s .Even Thailand, th e one country i n Southeast Asia that hadnot knolrn co lon ia l r u l e , was threa tened . By 1952 the r e v o l t s werecrushed i n a l l bu t J.:Ialaya an d Indochina . I t took the B r i t i s h an d t h enew J ~ a l a yFederation un t i l 1958 to quel l Communist guer r i l l a forces there .This s t ruggle , incidental ly , provided valuable lessons \lbich are now beingapplied in Viet -Nwn . \ole also might note tha t , except fo r Japan, Malaya i snow the most prosperous country in Asia .

"The effor t s of some p o ~ l e r sfollowing \forld Har I I to res tore colonialrule along th e pre-war pat tern permitted the Communists more effec t ive lyto wave th e benner o f anticolonialism and , fo r example, through 1I0 Chi l-iinh,a t tha t t ioe largely to capture the na t iona l i s t movenent in Viet - Nam .

"Aft er the Geneva Agreements o f 1954 on Indochina we took the lead inthe establishment of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization , an al l ianceof the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan , Austral ia , New Zealand, France,Great Brita in , and ourselves, \! i th the objective of providing securi ty toSoutheast Asia through col lect ive mili tary action i f the Communists em-barked on outr ight mil i tary aggreSSion. The opening o f th e eighth meetingof minis ters o f th i s o r g ~ ~ i z a t i o nwas attended by Secretary Rusk th i smorning i n Paris .

I1Whatever may be the cr i t ic isms of SEATO, the fac t remains t ha t , sincei t s inception, th e Communists have not at teopted open mil i ta ry act ion i nthe area . I nstead they have turned to tb e more subt le t ac t ics of subversion and insurgency, the prime example being the gue r r i l l a warfare inViet-Nam carr ied on i n th e method made classic i n China by Mao Tse - tung .Whereas th e m e t ~ o demployed by the Communists has changed, th e object iver emains the same - - destruct ion of th e independence of the Southeast AsiancO\LTltries one by one and re turn to the days ,,,hen they bore t he i r t r ibu teto Peiping . \ ~ h i l eth e armed struggle i s manifest now only i n Viet-Ner.t,i t ceased i n Laos through the settlement reeched j u s t l a s t year a t Geneva ,a f t e r 14 oonths o f negotiation .

"Implications of' Struggle in Viet-Nam

III have poLlted out tha t Southeast Asia i ... not a hor=.ogeneous regionbut ra ther a geographic expression . By th i s same token o f geographicinterrelat ion, the securi ty of the area i s not stronger than tha t o f i t scOT.lponent cowltries . All of us "rho ' .-ere a t Geneva in 1954 recognized thatCommunist domination of the Red River Delta o f North Viet - Iram llould makei t much more di ff icu l t to defend the rauaining areas . This has been t rue

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Decla ss ified pe r Exec ut ive O rder [3526, Sectio n 3.3NND Project N um be r: NND 633 [6 . By: NWD D ate: 20 [ [

However, for the CO:!I..llunists t o M.VG.Ilce an y fUr ther i n t h e a r e a wouldrender the defense problem ve ry much ~ r e d i f f i c u l t , i r not wel l - nighimpossible . This i s \ thy the va l i an t s t r u s g l e now being waged i n SouthViet - Nam ha.s impl ica t ions f a r beyond th e borders o f t h a t t r oub led 'country .

"Our massive as s i s t ance to f r ee Viet -Nam i s des igned to avoid j u s tsuch a catas t rophe . II

* * *31. Pres ident Kennedy ' s Ne';{s Conference, Anr i l 24, 1963, Publ i c Papers

o f the Pres idents , Kennedy, 1963, p . 343 :

* * *II ' Fa l l ing Dominoes '

irQ : Ur . Pres ident , on Laos again , seve ra l years ag o we heard a grea tdeal about the ' f a l l i n g domino. ' theory i n Southeas t Asia .

"Do yo u look upon Laos i n terms o f t h a t country a lone , o r i s yourconcern the e ffec t t h a t i t s l o s s would have i n Thai land , Vietnam, an d soon ?

"Would yo u discuss t h a t?

liTHE PRESIDEHT : That i s c o r r e c t , Th e popula t ion o f Laos i s 2 m il l i on

andi t

i s sca t t e red . I t i s a very rough country . I t i s impor tan t as asovereign po;rer . Th e people des i r e to be independent , an d i t i s also im -por t an t because i t borders the Mekong River an d , qu i t e obvious ly , i f Laosf e l l i n to Communist hands i t ,",ould increase t he danger a long th e nor thernf ron t i e r s o f Thai land . I t would pu t add i t iona l pressure on Cambodia an dWOuld pu t add i t iona l pressure on South Vietnam whicq i n i t s e l f would pu tadd i t i ona l pressure on Malaya .

"So I do accept th e vie\! t h a t t he re i s an i n t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p in t he secountr ies an d t h a t i s on e of t h e reasons why \/e a re concerned with maint ain ing the Geneva Accords as a method o f mainta in ing s t a b i l i t y i n Southe a s t Asia . I t may be on e of t h e reasons }:hy


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ourse lves m i l i t a r i l y i n Laos, depending ins tead upon t h i s n e u t r a l i s tgovernment?

"A : Because the s i t u a t ions are d i f f e r e n t . That ' s why th e remedy hasbeen di ffe ren t . vIe have had a commitment fo r a good many y ea r s t o thein tegr i ty o f South Vietnam . He are anxious t o maintain t h e n e u t r a l i t y ofLaos . I t may not be poss ib le to do so an d i t may be necessary to seekother remedies . Bu t vie have adopted what we considered to be , cons i der i ngthe geography, the h i s to ry , the nature o f the th rea t an d th e a l t e rna tesolut ion - - ue Ive adopted for each country what we regarded as th e bes ts t r ategy. And ve ' l l have t o " ' a i t an d se e ....,hat happens on them . "

33

* * *

Secre tary Rusk ' s Address Before the Economic Club o f Ne',. York , a tNew York A r i l 22 1963 liThe Stake in Viet - Nero If De artment o f

s t a t e Bul le t in , May 13, 1 3 , p. 727 :

"Vi e t - Ne.m. i s a narrO'.,r s t r i p along th e South Chine. Sea, near ly as la rgeas Cal i fornia , wi t h a population of some 30 mil l ion people - - about 16 m ill i on in the North and 14 mil l ion i n the South .

"W t h Cambodia an d Laos , Viet -Nam formed what was formerly kno\om asFrench Indochina . During the Second World Ha r , th e Vichy regime y ie ldedcon t ro l o f French Indochin a t o the Japanese . In th e sp r i ng o f 1945 t heJ apanese proclaimed the i n d e ~ e n d e n c eo f Vie t - Nam . And i n August o f t ha tyear they ~ e r m it t e d the COIn!llunist - or i en ted Viet t-lin..!-) to se i ze r u le .

" In the Indian su b cont inent an d i n Burma an d the Phi l ippines , Wester ncountr ies recognized a t "rar ' s en d t h a t na t iona l demands fo r independencewould have to be met promptly . But t h i s vras not th e c a se with Indochina .I nstead, we ourse lves ' ' 'ere somewhat a t a l o s s fo r a :policy wi t h regard tot h a t par t i cu la r p u t o f the world . So our people ~ cbarge o f war plansi n 1944 sent a colonel out there who sent a cable back t o th e J o i n t Chiefsof S t a f f saying ' Request pol icy guidance on American pol icy tovlard Indochina , because we are beginning to ge t mil i t a ry access to t h a t country andwe need d i rec t ion . '

" Well , there ensued a v a s t s i l ence which l a s t ed fo r months . We sents t a f f o f f i cers b ac k to t r y t o f ind the ansvler . He sent c ab l es ou t t he r e ,an d a f t e r about 6 months the reply came an d i t sa id , 'When asked by th e

J o i n t Chiefs o f s t a f f fo r a statement o f American po l i cy toward Indochina ,t he Pres ident ' - - t h a t was Pres ident Roosevelt - - ' r epl ied , I don ' t wen tt o hear an y nore about Indochina . '

"Hell , now the r e s u l t o f no s i g n i f i c a n t All ied pol icy a t t h a t po in twas t hg t the French did r e tu rn and take over where they l e f t o f f a t th etime o f the Japanese occupation, an d they encoWltered t he re fo re a m i l i t a n tr e s i s t ance movement . For 8 years , vritb mate r i a l help from th e United States ,they sought to pacify the country . At th e same t ime they granted increaSing

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autonomy t o no n - Communist Vietnamese. But the Vie t N.inh, re forms in Japanand on Tai'Han, ..... as pressed fOl"'-:ard - - 123,000 heads o f f ami l i e s became

sme..lllandowners

. Acomprehensive system of

a g r i c u l t u r a l c r e d i t was s e tun . Thousands o f Vietn amese 'Were mO'led i n to the highlands t o r a i s e indust ; ' i a l crops . Rubber product ion rose , and ne".-: p lan t ings of b e t t e r v a r i e t i e spromised s t i l l high e r product ion for th e fUture . Sugar product ion doubledin 1958 . South Viet - rram was soon producing enough r i c e t o resume expor tson a r i s i n g sca l e . Various s n a I l i n d u s t r i e s were e s t a b l i s h e d . Te x t i l eproduct ion rose from nea r zero t o near se l f - su f ' f i c i ency . Elec t r i c p o ' , ~ e rnear ly doubled . Per c a p i t a na t iona l income rose by 20 percent .

I1Thousands of new schools were b u i l t . Between 1956 and 1960 ) e n r o l lment i n th e element a r y schools rose from 40 0 , 00 0 to 1,500,000 . Thee A ~ a n s i o nof heal th f a c i l i t i e s inc luded new hosp i t a l s an d 3,500 v i l l a g eheal th s t a t ions . R a i l t r anspor t a t ion was r e s to red . Roads were repai redand improved, an d t h r ee ne"" m a j o r highHa.ys "'ere b u i l t .

"Th e Conununi s t s "e re no t completely el iminated - - esp ec i a l l y along theland an d sea f r o n t i e r s , where they could be s u p ~ l i e d- - bu t most o f SouthViet-Nam became , for a per iod, safe fo r t r a v e l .

I1Althou gh North Viet-Nam i n h e r i t e d most o f th e indust ry o f Viet-Nam,and although i t s popula t ion i s l a rg e r , i t f e l l r ap id ly behind South Vie tNam i n food product ion , t h e number o f chi ldren i n school , an d i n s tandardsof l iv ing . \olhile pe r cap i t a food product ion rose 20 percent i n the South,i t f e l l 10 pe rcen t i n th e North .

"This ......as compet i t ion "h ich the Communists apparent ly could no t endure .Very l i k e l y i t was on e o f the reasons wh y they decided i n 1959 to rene,.;

t h e i r a s s a u l t on South Viet-Nam . And i n 1960 the Lao Dong Par ty -_ t h a t i s ,the Communist Par ty - - ordered the ' l i be ra t ion ' of South Vi c t - Nam .

"A ccording to Cononunist propaganda , the 'iIar i n South Viet-Nam i s ac i v i l , .. ar , a l o c a l upr is ing . The t r u t h i s t h a t i t i s an aggress ionorganized , d i r e c t e d , and par t ly suppl ied f r o ~North Vie t -Nam . I t i s co nducted by hardened Communist p o l i t i c a l organizers an d g u e r r i l l a l eade r st r ained i n North Viet-Nam , who, upon t h e i r a r r i v a l i n the South , r e c r u i tl oca l as s i s t ance . This has been dODe i n a v a r i e t y o f ways , inc ludingt e r r o r and as sas s ina t ion . School teachers , hea l th workers , malar ia e r a d icat ion teams , l oca l o f f i c i a l s l oya l to the Republic - - t h ese i.,rere th ef i r s t t a rg e t s o f the as sas s in s . Bu t many. ordinary v i l l a g e rs i,'b o refusedt o coopera te with the Communist g u e r r i l l a s l i k e ~ i s ehave been r u th les s lyk i l l e d .

"S t ra t eg ic Importance o f South Vie t - Nam

I1This a s s a u l t on South Viet-Nam >I'as a major Communist en te rp r i se , caref u l l y an d e l abora t e ly prepared , h e ~ v i l ys t a f f e d , an d r e l e n t l e s s l y pursued .

. I t made head\l' a y . In 1961 Pres ident Diem a:ppealed fo r f u r t h e r e .ss i s tanceen d Pres iden t Kenn ed y r esponded promptly an d a ff i rma t ive ly .

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liT he s t r ategic iJl:portance o f South Viet - NeI!!. i s p l a i n . I t contro ls

the mouth o f th e j;ekong River, th e main a r t e r y o f Southeas t Asia . Thel o s s o f South Viet - Nam viould put the rem ain ing s t a t e s o f S o u t h e a s ~Asiain mqrta l d a n g e ~.

" Bu t t h ere are l a rge r r easons ..... hy th e defense o f South Vie t - Nam i sv i t a l to us an d to th e whole f r ee ,,orld . We cannot be i nd i ff e ren t to thef ate o f 14 mi l l i on people who have fought hard aga ins t communism -i ncluding near ly 1 mi l l ion who f led t h e i r former homes to avoid l i v i n gunder CemmuJlist tyrarmy . Sin ce we vlent to th e a id of Greece and Turkey1 6 y ears ago, i t ha s been the a t t i t u d e o f th e United Sta te s t o a s s i s tpeoples ",-he r e s i s t Communist aggression . \'Ie have seen t h i s form o f a t t ackf a i l in Burna , Halaya , an d t h e Phi l ippines . The South Vietnamese are determined t o '.rin t h e i r b a t t l e , an d they deserv e our bell ' .

"C r i t i cs have complained t h a t South Viet - Nem. i s no t a f ~ cons t i tut i onal democracy en d t h a t our aid has been sub jec t tovas t e an d mismanagement . Let us be c lea r t h a t t he se c r i t i c i sms ere not merely a l i b i s fo rinac t io n . Fo r in pass ing judgement, l e t us r e c a l l t h a t we are t a lk ingabout a nat ion which ba s been respons ib le fo r i t s mm a f f a i r s fo r l e s sthen a decade, about a people \".'ho have ha d no peace s ince 1941 an d l i t t l eexper i ence in d i r ~ c tp a r t i c i p a t i o n in p o l i t i c a l a f f a i r s . Their fourna t iona l e l ec t ions , t h e i r thousands o f e l ec t ed hemlet counci l s , an d t h e i rfor thc oming v i l l ag e counci l e lec t ions ShOll' s teady movement toward a co ns t i t u t i o n a l system r e s t i n g upon popular consent . "

* * *

34 . Ass i s t an t Secre tar for Fa r Eas t e r n Aff 'airs Ro e r 1'1 . Hilsman AddressMade a t 1 3 Conference on Cold War Educat ion 2 Tempa 2 Flo r ida 2 June 1 21 '3 , "The Chellen e to Freedom i n Asia It Denartment o f Sta te Bu l l e t inJ u ly , 1 32 E'

li As to t be nature o f th e danger , th e ideology o f conununism i s a t h r e a tto th e United Sta t e s tOday mainly b ecause i t i s jo ined wi th th e popu la t i on ,re sources, an d mil i t a ry s t r eng th o f th e coun t r i e s o f th e Sov i e t Union a ~ dc ommunist Chin a , because i t i s j o in ed with tw o bases o f pOWer .

"Bu t th e f a c t t h a t ideology has been jo in ed t o these tw o bases o f powershoul d not be misinterpre ted : th e t h r e a t i s no t j u s t m i l i t a r y ; i t i s alsop o l i t i c a l . And o f th e two , th e p o l i t i c a l t h r ea t i s probably th e more perv as ive . This i s t r u e because t h i s

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