Initiation of a program of air strikes against North Vietnam; Introduction of U.S. ground combat forces, February 11–March 8
109. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 71 A 6489, Vietnam 381. Top Secret; Sensitive.
110. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy and approved by Ball.
111. Special National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, February 1965. Top Secret; Controlled Dissem; Limited Distribution. The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of AEC, NSA, and the Departments of State and Defense participated by the Director of Central Intelligence and concurred in by all the members of the U.S. Intelligence Board, except for the Assistant to the Director of the FBI, who abstained on the grounds that the subject was outside his jurisdiction.
112. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to DOD, the White House, CIA, and CINCPAC for POLAD.
113. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Ball to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXVIII. Top Secret.
114. Diary Entry by the Ambassador to the United Kingdom (Bruce)
Source: Department of State, Bruce Diaries: Lot 64 D 327, January-March 1965. Secret.
115. 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. Drafted in the White House, presumably by McGeorge Bundy, cleared by William Bundy, and approved by Ball. Printed in part in Pentagon Papers: Gravel Edition, vol. III, pp. 428–429.
116. Telegram from the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Flash; Nodis. Repeated to Bangkok exclusive for Ambassador Johnson. Received in the Department of State at 10:59 a.m.
117. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Flash; Nodis. Drafted by William Bundy, cleared by McGeorge Bundy, and approved by Ball.
118. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Nodis. McGeorge Bundy forwarded Taylor’s telegram to President Johnson on February 15 noting in his covering memorandum that there was “an issue between him and us” over “the exact noise to be made in the first round in the Security Council. As I understand it, this is a question in your mind too.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. VIII)
119. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Received in the Department of State at 9:22 a.m.
120. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Thompson and approved in the Office of the Ambassador at Large, presumably by Thompson himself, on February 15.
121. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Policy Planning Council (Rostow) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, February 1965. Secret.
122. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Ball Files: Lot 72 D 272, Vietnam (Misc.) I. Top Secret.
123. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Priority; Nodis.
124. 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. Secret.
125. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Cleveland) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, February 1965. Top Secret. Drafted by Cleveland. Copies were sent to Rusk, Ball, Thompson, Read, and Unger. In a brief note of February 16 attached to the copy he sent to Rusk, Cleveland wrote: “Although this has more questions than answers, I think you’ll find it worth reading because it deals with a small point of interest in present staff work on Viet-Nam.” (Ibid., Central Files, POL 27–14 VIET)
126. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Green) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, February 1965. Secret. Drafted by Green.
127. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs (Greenfield) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Confidential. Drafted by Greenfield. Rusk’s handwritten initials appear at the top of page 1 of the source text.
128. Personal Notes of a Meeting With President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, Papers of McGeorge Bundy. No classification marking. The notes were handwritten by Bundy for his personal use and were not an official record of the meeting. No other record of the discussion has been found. Attending the meeting were the President, Rusk, McNamara, Thompson, William Bundy, McGeorge Bundy, and Ball. The information on the time and attendance was taken from the President’s Daily Diary. (Ibid.)
129. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Vietnam, Vol. XXVIII. Secret. No drafting information appears on the source text.
130. 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.
131. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by McGeorge Bundy, revised and cleared by the President, and approved by William Bundy. For more information on the drafting of this telegram, see Document 130.
132. 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, Jan.-Mar. 1965. Top Secret. Drafted by William Bundy, but the source text is neither initialed nor signed by him.
133. Memorandum of a Meeting With President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, Meeting Notes File. Top Secret. Prepared by Goodpaster. For President Johnson’s recollections of this meeting, see The Vantage Point, pp. 130–131.
134. Memorandum From Vice President Humphrey to President Johnson
Source: Minnesota Historical Society, Hubert H. Humphrey Papers, Vietnam, 1965–1968. No classification marking. An earlier version, drafted by Hughes of INR and dated February 15, is printed in Humphrey’s Education of a Public Man, pp. 320–324. The source text, which incorporates numerous revisions of the earlier version, including the addition of section “B,” is unsigned but appears on formal Vice Presidential stationery and is captioned “Memo to the President From the Vice President.
135. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27–14 VIET S. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Meade. The meeting took place in Rusk’s office and lasted until 3:15 p.m. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Book)
136. Draft Paper Prepared by the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, Bundy Files: Lot 85 D 240, WPB Chron, Jan.-Mar. 1965. Top Secret. The source text was attached to a brief covering note of February 18 to Rusk, in which Bundy wrote that it attempted “to reflect the proposal discussed this morning at the White House.” Bundy said he was also sending copies to Ball, Thompson, McGeorge Bundy, and, if Rusk wished, to Cleveland. The White House meeting was apparently that held from 12:02 to 1:03 p.m. and attended by the President, William Bundy, McGeorge Bundy, Ball, Thompson, and Marvin Watson. (Johnson Library, President’s Daily Diary)
137. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State (Ball) and Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Johnson Library, Ball Papers, Vietnam I. No classification marking.