Political instability within South Vietnam; U.S. retaliatory air strikes against North Vietnam January 1–February 11
1. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 VIET S. Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Repeated to the White House, DOD,CIA, CINCPAC for POLAD, Bangkok, and Vientiane.
2. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. VIII. No classification marking. Attached to the source text is a typewritten, undated, and unsigned note apparently addressed to the President which reads: “This was Mr. Bundy’s covering memo on that Newsweek article (or was it U.S. News and World Report) that you read the end of last week.”
3. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler) to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXV, Memos. Secret. Copies were sent to Vance, McNaughton, the other service Chiefs, and the Director of the Joint Staff.
4. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 VIET S. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by Forrestal, cleared by William and McGeorge Bundy and McNamara (per William Bundy), and approved by Rusk.
5. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. VIII. No classification marking.
6. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (McCone) Files, Job 80 BO 1285A, Vietnam, January 1965. Secret. Prepared by Colby on January 8. The meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Department of State. Forrestal prepared an agenda for the participants, January 4. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXV)
8. Telegram From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Sharp) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler)
Source: Center of Military History, Westmoreland Papers, History Backup, #12. Secret. Repeated to General Westmoreland.
9. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received in the Department of State at 1:03 a.m.
10. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received in the Department of State at 3:56 a.m.
11. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received in the Department of State at 5:38 a.m.
12. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received in the Department of State at 5:10 a.m.
13. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received in the Department of State at 7:51 a.m.
14. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received in the Department of State at 9:17 a.m.
15. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, January-March 1965. Top Secret. Printed also in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. IV, pp. 684–686.
16. Paper Prepared by Chester L. Cooper of the National Security Council Staff
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, SEA Special Intelligence Material, Vol. III. Secret. Cooper forwarded this paper to McGeorge Bundy on January 6 with a covering memorandum which read: “Attached is a quick and dirty exposition of some of the views I expressed this morning. It might be useful in connection with your meeting later this afternoon.” (Ibid.) Regarding the meeting, see Document 17.
17. Personal Notes of a Meeting With President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, Papers of McGeorge Bundy. No classification marking. These notes were handwritten by McGeorge Bundy for his personal use and were not an official record of this meeting. No other record of the discussion has been found. Present at the meeting were the President, Rusk, McNamara, McGeorge Bundy, and Ball. The information on the time of the meeting and the attendance is taken from the President’s Daily Diary. (Ibid.)
19. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis; LOR. Drafted at the White House, cleared by McGeorge Bundy and McNamara, and approved by William Bundy and Rusk.
20. Memorandum From President Johnson to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, International Meetings and Travel File, McGeorge Bundy—Saigon, Vol. III. No classification marking. Drafted by the President. Written in the bottom margin in McGeorge Bundy’s hand is the following notation: “Chet Cooper: Keep an eye on this—it’s LBJ’s own baby. MB.” Attached was a copy of an article entitled “Can U.S. Win in Vietnam?”; see footnote 2, Document 2.
21. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIETS. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by Cooper and William Bundy, cleared by Cooper and McNaughton, and approved by Rusk. Repeated to the White House and DOD.
22. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis; LOR. No time of transmission is given on the source text, but the telegram was received in the Department of State at 10:55 a.m.
24. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis.
25. Memorandum From Chester L. Cooper of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXVI, Memos. Top Secret.
26. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. VIII. Top Secret.
27. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis; LOR. Drafted by Unger and cleared by William Bundy, in substance by McGeorge Bundy and McNamara, and in draft by Rusk, and approved by Unger.
28. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis; LOR.
29. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis.
30. Notes of President Johnson’s Meeting With Congressional Leaders
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Files of McGeorge Bundy, Miscellaneous Meetings, Vol. I. Top Secret. The source text lists January 22 as the date of the meeting, but the President’s Daily Diary (Johnson Library) indicates that the meeting was actually held from 10:07 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on January 21. According to an attached list, the following attended the meeting: Senators Aiken, Dirksen, Kuchel, Long, Mansfield, Saltonstall, and Smathers; Representatives Albert, Arends, Boggs, Ford, Laird, and McCormack; Vice President Humphrey, Rusk, McNamara, and McCone. McGeorge Bundy and Lawrence O’Brien also attended. Horace Busby, Douglass Cater, Bill Moyers, George Reedy, and Jack Valenti attended part of the meeting.