Postwar Diplomacy, June 11–September 30, 1967
263. Memorandum From the President’s Special Counsel (McPherson) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, President’s Appointment File, June 1967. No classification marking. A handwritten “L” on the memorandum indicates the President saw it. McPherson had just returned from a 4-day visit to Israel, following a 2-week trip to Vietnam. Also see Harry McPherson, A Political Education (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1972), pp. 413–417.
264. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (Smith) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. V. Confidential. A handwritten “L” on the memorandum indicates the President saw it.
265. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Confidential; Immediate. Drafted by Atherton, cleared in draft by Davies and Houghton and in substance by Elizabeth Brown, and approved by Eugene Rostow. Repeated Priority to Amman, Beirut, USUN, and Jerusalem.
266. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Grey and approved by Eugene Rostow. Repeated to Moscow, Paris, USUN, and London.
267. Diplomatic Note From the Israeli Ambassador (Harman) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. No classification marking. An attached action slip indicates that it was handled as Exdis. Harman gave the note to Eugene Rostow on June 12; see Document 266.
268. Informal Memorandum From W. Howard Wriggins of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. V. No classification marking. Wriggins sent a copy to Bundy.
269. Notes of a Meeting of the Special Committee of the National Security Council
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Minutes and Notes. No classification marking. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room of the White House. The notes are Saunders’ handwritten notes of the meeting. Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs Raymond L. Garthoff and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs-Designate Paul Warnke were also present. The meeting ended at 8:52 p.m. (Ibid., President’s Daily Diary) Rostow’s agenda for the meeting is ibid., National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. V. See also Document 270.
270. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Special Committee Meetings. Secret. Also see Document 269.
271. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Luxembourg
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Priority; Exdis. Drafted by George M. Bennsky (NEA/UAR) and Country Director for France and Benelux Robert Anderson, cleared by Burgus and Davies, and approved by Leddy. Sent to LuxembouRG for Secretary Rusk, who was there to attend a ministerial meeting of the NATO Council June 13–14. Repeated to London, Paris, Moscow, USUN, and DOD.
272. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Priority; Nodis. No drafter appears on the telegram; cleared by Battle, Eugene Rostow, and Walt Rostow; and approved by Katzenbach. Also sent to LuxembouRG as Tosec 19 for Rusk.
273. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Eugene Rostow on June 11, cleared by Kohler and Battle, and approved by Katzenbach. Rostow had earlier initialed Rusk’s approval. Repeated to LuxembouRG as Tosec 20 for Rusk.
274. Memorandum Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Intelligence Reports, June 20–21, 1967. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]. The memorandum is one of a series: “Special Assessments on the Middle East Situation.”
275. Telegram From the Embassy in Morocco to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 7 SUDAN. Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Received at 6:08 a.m. Passed to the White House, DOD, CIA, USIA, NSA, COMAC, and CINCSTRIKE at 7:15 a.m.
276. Telegram From the Defense Attaché Office in Israel to the Defense Intelligence Agency
Source: National Security Agency Files, Center for Cryptologic History Historical Collection, Series VIII, Box 16d, DIA (USDAO, Tel Aviv) re Liberty. Secret; Immediate; Noforn. Repeated to COMSIXTHFLT and CINCUSNAVEUR. Received at the National Military Command Center at 1411Z.
277. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received at 3:16 p.m.
278. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. V. Confidential. Copies were sent to Bundy and Katzenbach. Rostow sent the memorandum and Document 279 to the President at 4:55 p.m. A handwritten “L” on Rostow’s covering memorandum indicates the President saw it.
279. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Helms to President Johnson
[Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File. Middle East Crisis, Vol. V. Secret. 4 pages of source text not declassified.]
280. Notes of an Informal Meeting of the NSC Special Committee
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Special Committee, Minutes and Notes. No classification marking. The meeting took place in Under Secretary Katzenbach’s office. The notes are Saunders’ handwritten notes of the meeting. See also Document 281.
281. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Special Committee Meetings. Secret. See also Document 280.
282. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Secret. Drafted by Brewer on June 12; cleared by Battle, Solomon, and Director of the Office of Fuels and Energy John G. Oliver; and approved by Eugene Rostow. Also sent to Kuwait and repeated to Dhahran and London.
283. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. V. Secret. A handwritten “L” on the memorandum indicates the President saw it.
284. Intelligence Memorandum Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, CIA Intelligence Memoranda. Top Secret; Trine; No Foreign Dissem. Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Intelligence. A covering memorandum from Helms to the President states that it was the “special study” he had requested the previous evening. Helms’ notes of the June 12 meeting of the NSC Special Committee indicate that the President requested a “special study on strafing & torpedoing of USS Liberty—pilot conversations, etc.—everything we can get—NSA, etc.” (Central Intelligence Agency Files, DCI Files: Job 80–B01285A, Box 11, Folder 12, DCI (Helms) Miscellaneous Notes of Meetings, 1 Jan 1966–31 Dec 1968) Rostow sent a preliminary version of this report to the President at 12:45 p.m. on June 13 with a covering memorandum calling it “CIA’s first cut at the problem” and noting, “They do not find evidence of U.S. identification before the attack.” (Ibid.)
285. Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Hughes) to Acting Secretary of State Katzenbach
Source: NSA Archives, PCG, ACC 33824, USS Liberty Incident. Top Secret; Trine.
286. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Secret; NATUS. Drafted and approved by Eugene Rostow. Also sent to USUN and repeated to London, Paris, Moscow, Tehran, Kuwait, Jidda, Rabat, Tunis, and Rawalpindi.
287. Notes of a Meeting of the NSC Special Committee
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Minutes and Notes. No classification marking. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room at the White House. The notes are Saunders’ handwritten notes of the meeting. The President’s Daily Diary indicates that the meeting ended at 8:25 p.m. It lists NSC staff member Roger Morris and John Devine among those present, in addition to those listed here. (Johnson Library) See also Document 288. Bundy sent an agenda to the President earlier that day, with attached outlines of a possible statement to the United Nations, headed “Another Possible Outline,” “Rostow Draft Summary,” and “Sisco Draft Summary.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Special Committee #1) A notation on another copy of “Another Possible Outline” indicates it was drafted by Bundy. (Ibid., Special Committee Meetings)
288. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Special Committee, Special Committee Meetings. Secret. Drafted on June 15; also see Document 287.
289. Telegram From the Defense Attache Office in Israel to the White House
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Liberty. Confidential. Also sent to OSD, CNO, Department of State, COMSIXTHFLT, CINCSTRIKE, CINCUSNAVEUR, JCS, DIA, USUN, CINCEUR/USEUCOM, CTG 60.2, USAFE, CINCUSAREUR, and CTG 60.
290. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Nodis. Received at 9:58 a.m. Rostow sent a copy to the President at 5:30 p.m. with a covering memorandum commenting that “a process of realism is beginning to set in in Tel Aviv just as the initial rigid Arab position is beginning to show some cracks. With time and patience on our part—and a lot of behind-the-scenes work with both the Arabs and Israel—something constructive might still emerge.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VI)
291. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Confidential. Drafted by Judd and approved in S on June 27. The meeting was held in the Secretary’s office.
292. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL UAR-US. Confidential; Exdis. Received at 6:19 p.m. Rostow sent a copy to the President at 7:40 a.m. on June 16 with a covering memorandum commenting: “Herewith UAR begins to toss an anchor to windward and tries to open a dialogue with us.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VI)