III. LONG-RANGE PLANNING IN SOUTH VIETNAM, NOVEMBER 1955 TO DECEMBER 1957: INTERNAL SECURITY IN SOUTH VIETNAM; THE MAAG CEILING AND TERM; ELECTIONS FOR SOUTH VIETNAM’S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY; NSC CONSIDERATION OF LOCAL AGGRESSION IN VIETNAM; LAND REFORM AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN SOUTH VIETNAM; DIEM’S VISIT TO WASHINGTON; U.S. AID TO SOUTH VIETNAM FOR 1958
307. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, February 28, 1956
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/2–2856. Confidential. Drafted by Young.
309. Memorandum of a Conversation, French Embassy, Karachi, March 7, 1956, 1:30 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199. Secret. Drafted by Young, Pineau and Dulles and their respective staffs were in Karachi for the second SEATO Council Meeting, March 6–8. This memorandum of conversation was distributed on March 8; a marginal note on the source text indicates that it was approved by Dulles.
310. Memorandum of Discussion at the 279th Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, March 8, 1956
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on March 9.
311. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/3–1056. Secret. Repeated for information to Saigon. Dulles was in New Delhi March 9 and 10 as part of his trip to nine Asian countries following the SEATO Council Meeting in Karachi. (Princeton library, Dulles Papers, Dulles’ Appointment Book)
A report of these Dulles–Nehru discussions in the form of a memorandum of conversation, March 10, is in Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199.
Briefing material for the Secretary’s discussions is ibid., FE Conference Files: Lot 60 D 514, Post-SEATO Trip, 1956.
312. Telegram From the Ambassador in India (Cooper) to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/3–1356. Secret; Priority. Repeated for information to the Department, London, Ottawa, and Paris. The source text is the copy sent to the Department of State.
313. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.11–DU/3–1556. Secret. Dulles was in Saigon on March 14 as part of his post-Karachi Asian tour. He left Saigon for Manila on the morning of March 15 and sent this telegram from there. A marginal note on a copy of this telegram in Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series, in Eisenhower’s hand indicates that he saw this cable and directed that it be filed.
314. Telegram From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Reinhardt) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.11–DU/3–1556. Secret. Repeated for information to Paris, New Delhi, London, Ottawa, and Tokyo.
315. Telegram From the Chargé in Vietnam (Anderson) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/3–1756. Secret. Repeated for information to Paris, London, New Delhi, Ottawa, and Tokyo.
316. Despatch From the Chargé in Vietnam (Anderson) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/3–2356. Confidential. Drafted by Robert E. Barbour, Second Secretary of Embassy.
317. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Sebald) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5–MSP/3–2356. Secret. Drafted by Kattenburg with concurrences by Defense and PSA (in draft) and by SOA, WE, L, C, and G.
318. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Sebald) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/4–456. Secret. Drafted by Kattenburg and cleared with PSA and WE.
319. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/4–956. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Kattenburg and cleared with SEA, FE, G, and Defense. Repeated to Paris, London, Ottawa, and New Delhi.
320. Memorandum Prepared by the Joint Staff
Source: JCS Records, CCS 092 (88–22–46) (2). Top Secret. Transmitted to Wilson as an appendix to a brief memorandum from Radford (for the JCS), April 13, explaining that this appendix on Vietnam was in response to a request from the Assistant Secretary of Defense (ISA), January 24, for such information.
321. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5–MSP/5–156. Secret. Drafted by Kattenburg with the concurrence of SEA and FE. As of April 1, PSA was abolished and replaced by the Office of Southeast Asian Affairs (SEA), headed by Young and responsible for Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaya, Thailand, and Vietnam, and the Office of Southwest Pacific Affairs (SPA), headed by Bell and responsible for Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands. This letter is printed also in United States–Vietnam Relations. 1945–1967, Book 10, pp. 1057–1059.
322. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5–MSP/5–356. Secret. Repeated for information to Saigon, Vientiane, and London. Dulles was in Paris for North Atlantic Council ministerial meetings. May 4–5.
323. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/5–656. Secret. Repeated for information to Saigon and London.
324. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Sebald) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/5–1056. Secret. Drafted by Kattenburg with concurrences from Kocher and Young. A marginal note on the source text indicates that the Secretary saw this memorandum.
325. Telegram From the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam (Williams) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump)
Source: Center of Military History, Williams Papers, (3) Memos for Record 1955–1956. Secret. Repeated for information to CNO in Washington.
326. Telegram From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Reinhardt) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/5–2456. Secret. Passed to Defense and CINCPAC.
327. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, May 28, 1956, 5 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5/5–2856. Secret. Drafted by Kattenburg on June 12 and approved in substance by Young. Robertson initialed the source text. The meeting took place in Murphy’s office.
328. Telegram From the Chief of Naval Operations (Burke) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump)
Source: Naval Historical Center, CINCPACFLT Microfilm Files, Reel TS 1956 3144. Top Secret. CINCPAC passed this message to the MAAG in Vietnam on June 2 (022121Z).
329. Telegram From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump) to the Chief of Naval Operations (Burke)
Source: Naval Historical Center, CINCPACFLT Microfilm Files, Reel TS 1956 3144. Top Secret. Passed to the MAAG in Vietnam on June 2 (022122Z).
330. Telegram From the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam (Williams) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump)
Source: Naval Historical Center, CINCPACFLT Microfilm Files, Reel TS 1956 3144. Top Secret; Noforn. Marked “Personal for Admiral Stump from General Williams.”
331. Memorandum From the Department of State Representative on the National Security Council Planning Board (Bowie) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, NSC 5519 Series. Top Secret. Bowie was also the Assistant Secretary of State for Policy Planning and the Director of the Policy Planning Staff.
332. Memorandum of Discussion at the 287th Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, June 7, 1956
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NCS Records. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Gleason on June 8.
333. Paper Presented by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Radford) at the 287th Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: JCS Files. Top Secret.
334. Telegram From the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam (Williams) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump)
Source: JCS Records, CCS 092 Asia (6–25–48) (2). Top Secret; Priority. Repeated for information to CNO. Some of the garbles in this message have been corrected by reference to a text in Naval Historical Center, CINCPACFLT Microfilm Files, Reel TS 1956 3144.
335. Letter From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Radford) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump)
Source: JCS Files, CJCS 091 Indochina. Top Secret.
336. Letter From the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McGuire) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.5–MSP/6–2156 Secret