OUR VIET NAM POLICY SHAKEUP 3-WAY EFFORT TO INFLUENCE WAR IN ASIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100280039-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 1, 1999
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: February 25, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

CPYRGHT
NEW 80,d - Approved ForFE8elease: CIA-RD
5 1964
1fl T ALl:) TRT;'T_TNP.
SEPT.
24, 7963-Secretary McNamara
begins week-long South Vietnamese visit
amid rising popular unrest with oppressive
Diem rule. On return he says 1,000 U. S.
troops will be withdrawn quickly, nearly
all by the end of 1965.
FEB. 24, 1964-k-A month after second
Saigon coup; Administration announces
another . McNamara Viet Nam visit, this
time in the face of stepped-up anti-U. S.
terrorism and growing pressure to extend
war into Red North Viet Nam.
licy S
3- Way Effort
TInfluence.
~ in Asti
By Tom Lambert
Of The Herald Tribune Staff
WASHINGTON.
DEC. 19, 1963-Mr. McNamara takes a
look at progress of war against Reds tinder
new regime which overthrew Diem. "Now
let's be real tough," he tells ruling generals.
Back home he admits Viet Cony gains? but
fnrrsees future progress.
But the two announce- On the personal front.
ments underlined a mount- President Johnson has re-
Ing, frustration-born three- portedly assigned a new man
way effort 4n Washington to
influence the course of the to head Viet CIA ope And it is
war. Some sources suggested i understood that Army Lt.
the triple move might genes- "Gen. William Westmoreland,
ate a new American - policy l recently assigned to South
in that conflict. Viet Nam, will take over
The three-way effort Is shortly from Gen. Paul
phychological, organizational Harkin, head of the Ameri-
andr. Personal, involving as- can military mission there.
g Despite President John-
signments of new key men to i son's warning last week and
critical South Viet Nam I the reports about extending
policy and military posts.. the war into the Communist
President Johnson last week ~ North, Administration sources
warned the North Viet Nam insisted yesterday there is no
and Communist China that plan or policy at the moment
they were playing a "deeply to carry the conflict across
A-gnrmie gemd' in. i rntnnt- the hnrrlnr
Nam. That declaration was j discusse the possibility of
formation of a top-level inter-agency committee to concert
trate exclusively on United States policies and operations in followed by reports from such a move several times in
Saigon and Washington that the past when he was in
South Viet Nam's war against the Communists. the U. S. is thinking about Saigon, and reportedly will
It also announced that Defense Secretary Robert S. carrying the war into North take up the issue again there
McNamara will fly to Viet viai? 'misfit be' expanded into i Viet Nam.
Nam, probably within 10 next week. It is under
North Viet Nam, and to quell On the organizational front, stood that Ambassador Henry
y
days, to check on how the, any concern that i&. Mc- the establishment of a Cabot Lodge has queried
ms timra trip w oargon, wltn-
in six months.
The announcements were
accompanied by Administra-
tion attempts to play down
week-end reports that the
crisis in the fight 'with the marks a belated attempt to, the subject.
A4nate State De
art-
p
Communists. , eo-or
The Secretary's projected ~l ment, Pentagon, Central In-
visit to Viet Nam, a White ~ telligence Agency and other
House spokesman said, "does policies for out s;Qiet Nam., ,j
not indicate any new crisis or
blow-up."
Continues
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 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00001 R000100280039-5
Some of the new commit-;
tee's members are expected to
accompany Mr. McNamara to
Saigon next week.
A somewhat comparable!
inter-agency committee was'
set up in July, 1961, when the,
Communists were scoring
sizable gains in South Viet
Nam's war. After committee
was formed, American con-,
tributions of men and equip-
ment were increaded notable.'
one concern in Washing-
ton was that reports of a pos-
sible push in the North might;
react against the U. S.
abroad, especially if it did not,'
follow through on them. And,
some sources insisted nothing.
would come of the reports,
especially in an Americans
election year.
Those sources said the new
U. S. Program is intended to;
But official Washington generate more combat activ-
sources deny that the U. S. ity by the South Vietnamese
has any policy or plans not Army, especially in the Com-
to strike into North Viet munist - threatened Mekong l
Nam. Some unpublicized Delta region. The army has,
raids into the North in the not been particularly activel
past have been fiascos. since Maj. Gen. Nguyen
Sources here say there will Khanh's coup Jan. 29.
be no formal discussion of a Communist successes in
counter-strike policy for South Viet Nam have caused
,North Viet Nam until Mr. mounting frustration in
McNamara returns from Sai- Washington. President John-'
gon, and maybe not then. son, who was not entirely;
The new inter-agency com- familiar with the South Viet
mittee will be headed by the Nam situation when he took
State Department's William office, has been devoting?
H. Sullivan, formr special as- much more time to it in they
sistant to Under Secretary past few weeks.
for Political Affairs Averell The war in South Viet Nam,
Harriman. It will include re- may bog down somewhat,
presentatives from the CIA, around the end of May, when
V.S. Information Agency and seasonal rains are expected.
other agencies, and William The rains impede large-scale ?
Bundy, Assistant Secretary operations by the army, but'
of Defense for International have been less troublesome
~A~y Affoiri 4r. the ous as
FEB"2 5 1964
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