STATE KEEPS VIET STUDY SECRET

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74B00415R000100110062-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 28, 2001
• Sequence Number: 62
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2002/01/10 : CIA-RDP74B00415R000100110062-7
State Keeps Viet Study Secret
By Murrey Marder
Washington Post staff writer
ThP 4ena .. Fnrai Yn 1 l -
tios Committee has n+ct
mimstratron's consideration of
combat troops did reach the
public by means of leaks to
the press, neither Congress
not the public was made
aware of the , intergovern-
mental discussions regarding a
bilateral treaty."
The report also focuses at-
tention on a 1961 recommenda
tion by Gen. Maxwell D. Tay-
lor, then President Kennedy's
military adviser, to send a
6,000 to 8,000-man U.S. mili-
tary task force into South
Vietnam "under the guise of
performing flood relief work."
That was first disclosed in
press accounts last summer.
Troops Not Sent
"Although news of the ad- " Abshire, in a postcript, ex- American and South Viet-
pressed regret "that we cannot namese on one side, and North
concur with your request" re- Vietnamese and Vietcong on
alining "the diligent and ex the other. Published portions
tremely capable efforts of the 0f the Pentagon Papers have
profession 1 t ff" ' i shown that the allied side
a
am the Nixon ad
ministration for cernrify "lear-
a-nce of all analysis of yietnam
nP nt'ati na hPt.,oo? 1064 and
In a letter to the committee,
the State Department claimed
that the committee's intended
staff reports, based on four
never-published volumes of
the 47-volume Pentagon Pa-
pers, "could harm" present
diplomatic efforts in the Indo-
china conflict.
The title of the suppressed
report clearly suggests its con-
tents: "Negotiations, 1964-1968:
The Half-Hearted Search for
Peace in Vietnam."
Committee staff members
are continuing negotiations
with the State Department to
seek partial clearance of the
report. One argument they are
using against the blanket re-
fusal of clearance is that Pres-
ident Nixon on Jan. 25 unilat-
erally declassified information
on a dozen secret meetings be-
tween adviser Henry A. Kis-
singer and North Vietnamese
negotiators in Paris.
The committee, headed by
Sen. J. William Fulbright (D-
Ark,), is releasing today the
first of a series of its staff
analyses of the Pentagon Pa-
pers. This non-sensitive report,
entitled "Vietnam commit.
ments, 1961," by staff research-
er Ann L. Hollick, consists of
12 pages plus 26 pages of docu-
ments previously available
publicly. Even so, there are
several security deletions be-
cause the text used was the
version published by the Gov-
ernment Printing Office, al-
though the deleted material,
on intelligence operations,
i was printed in newspapers last
summer.
Sen. Fulbright said the pub-
lished report on 1961 commit-
ments underscores the
"unprecedented ... extent to
which - the Executive' Branch
misled both Congress and the
public" in "policies and deci-
sions of the first year of
the Kennedy administration,
which significantly deepened
the U.S. military involvement
in the Vietnam war."
First Broached by U.S.
This staff study emphasizes
that "It was United States offi-
cials who first broached the
subject of -a bilateral treaty
(with South Vietnam) and
United States officials who
pressed for a direct military
involvement in Vietnam.
The treaty never material-
ized, nor did the Kennedy ad-
ministration send combat
troops, which Taylor recom.
mended. "Had one or both of
these measures been carried
out at that time," the report
notes in retrospect," a greatly
increased national commit-
ment to Vietnam would have
resulted" much earlier. In the
Johnson administration, U.S.
troops reached over a half-mil-
lion men.
Refusal to declassify the
Fulbright committee staff's
more sensitive report on nego-
tiations was expressed in a let-
ter dated March 9 by David M.
Abshire, Assistant Secretary
of State for congressional rela-
tions, to Fulbright.
Abshire rioted that the in-I
tended staff report on "Nego-
tiations, 1964-1968: The Half
Hearted Search for Peace in
Vietnam,", did contain, as he
said Fulbright stated in a Feb.
17 letter, "partial information
relating to some of these se-
cret (negotiating) channels"
that "appeared in public
media..." But, said, Abshire,
"it is the department's view
that the substance of these
volumes should remain classi-
fied." State's letter continued:
"To disclose these secret
channels and official commu-
nications relating to them
would constitute a unilateral
violation of confidentiality in
diplgritatic iptercourse-without
which the diplomatic process
cannot function effectively.
Potentially Harmful
"Moreover, such disclosure
could harm and possibly pre-
clude future use of these and
other channels in our continu-
ing efforts to deal with the is.
sues of the Indochina conflict
including that of our prisoners
of war."
s a in prepar-
ing the report.
The reference in the sup-
pressed report to "half-
hearted search for peace" is
understood to refer to efforts
often was reluctant to have. its
search for negotiations suc-
ceed when the allied military
position was weak. The un-
cleared report presumably
also deals with Communist re-
of the bargain- Iluctance to negotiate.
Approved For Release 2002/01/10 : CIA-RDP74BOO415R000100110062-7
 Approved For Release A-DP741300415RO00100110062-7
2 0 MAR 1972
State Kee
By Murrey Marder
Washington Post staff writer
The Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee has met a
Viet Study Secret.
First Broached by U.S.
This staff study emphasizes
that "It was United States offi-
nuject, of a bilateral treaty
ministration for security clear (with South Vietnam) and
ance of an analysis of Vietnam United States officials who
negotiations between 1964 and pressed for a direct. military
Ilinvolvement. in Vietnam
196$.
In a letter to the committee,
the State Department claimed
that the committee's intended
staff reports, based on four
never-published volumes of
the 47-volume Pentagon Pa-
pers, "could harm" present
diplomatic efforts in the Indo-
china conflict.
The title of the suppressed
report clearly suggests its con-
tents: "Negotiations, 1964.1968:
The Half-Hearted Search for
Peace in Vietnam."
Committee .staff members
are continuing negotiations
with the State Department to
seek partial clearance of the
report. One argument they are
using against the blanket re-
fusal of clearance is that Pres-
ident Nixon on Jan. 25 unilat-
erally declassified information
"Although news of the ad-
ministration's consideration of
combat troops did reach the
public by means of leaks to
the press, neither Congress
not the public was made
aware of the intergovern-
mental discussions regarding a
bilateral treaty."
The report also focuses at-
tention on a 1961 recommenda-
tion by Gen. Maxwell D. Tay-
lor, then President Kennedy's
military adviser, to send a
6,000 to 8,000-man U.S. mili-
tary task force into South.
Vietnam "under the guise of
performing flood relief work."
That was first disclosed in
press accounts last summer.
Troops Not Sent
on a dozen secret meetings be The treaty never material.
tween adviser Henry A. Kis-i, ized, nor did the Kennedy ad-
sinaer and North Vietnamese )I ministration send combat
negotiators in Paris.
The committee, headed by
Sen. J. William Fulbright (D-
Ark.), is releasing today the
first of a series of its staff
analyses of the Pentagon Pa-
pers. This non-sensitive report,
entitled "Vietnam Commit-
ments, 1961," by staff research-
er Ann L. Hollick, consists of
12 pages plus 26 pages of docu-
ments previously available
publicly. Even so, there' are
several security deletions be-
cause the text used was the
version published by the Gov-
ernment Printing Office, al-
troops, which Taylor recom-
mended. "Had one or both of
these measures been carried
out at that time," the report
notes in retrospect," a greatly
increased national commit-
meat to Vietnam would have
resulted" much earlier. In the
Johnson administration, U.S.
troops reached over a half-mil-
lion men.
volumes should remain classi-
fied," State's letter continued:
"To disclose these secret
channels and official commu-
nications relating to them
would constitute a unilateral
violation of confidentiality in
diplomatic intercourse without
which 'the diplomatic process
cannot function effectively.
Potentially Harmful
"Moreover, such disclosure
could harm and possibly pre-
I elude future use of these and
Other channels in our continu-
ing efforts to deal with the is-
sues of the Indochina conflict
including that of our prisoners
,of war."
Abshire, in, a postcript, ex-
pressed regret "that we cannot
concur with your request" re-
alizing "the diligent and ex-
tremely capable efforts of the
professional staff" in prepar-
ing the report.
The reference in the sup-
pressed report to "half-
hearted search for peace" is
understood to refer to efforts
on both sides of the bargain-
ing, American and South Viet-
namese on one side, and North
Vietnamese and Vietcong- on
the other. Published portions
,of the Pentagon Papers have
shown that the allied side
often was reluctant to have its
search for negotiations suc-
ceed when the allied military
position was weak. The un-
cleared report presumably
also deals with Communist re-
luctance to negotiate.
Refusal to declassify the
Fulbright committee staff's'
more sensitive report on nego-
tiations was expressed in.a let-
ter dated March 9 by David M.
Abshire
Assistant Secr
t
,
e
ary
though the deleted material, of State for congressional rela-
on intelligence operations, tions, to r'uibright.
was printed in newspapers last
summer. noted that the in-
.
Sen. Fulbright said the pub-
lished report on 1961 commit-
ments . underscores `the
"unprecedented . . extent to,
which the Executive - Branch
misled both Congress and the
public" in "policies and deci-
sions of the first year of
the Kennedy administration,
which significantly deepened
the U.S. military involvement
In the Vietnam war."ApprovE
tended staff report on "Nego-
tiations, 1964-1968: The Half-
Hearted Search for Peace in
Vietnam," did contain, as he
said Fulbright stated in a Feb.
17 letter, "partial information
relating to some of these se-
cret (negotiating) channels"
that "appeared in public
media..," But, said, Abshire,
'!it is the department' v
thRortlRekwn2?0/0t(jj : CIA-RDP74BOO415R000100110062-7