(Classified) OUT AS 1ST CASUALTY IN HUNT FOR VIET NAM SOLUTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000300280026-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 8, 1999
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: February 26, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

Sanitize~$~ged For Relea
W ASTT1NGTON STAR FEB 23 1-964
CPYRGHT
_i: sman is the irs
_`v of the search within
:,son administration for
.errs to win the war in
Pict Nam although officials
resignation did not
c rr a result of policy dif-
..
i r. Hilsman's resignation as
~,ssatant Secretary for Far
E ct r. Affairs came only one
day ai, e State Department
revealec ..at a new inter-de-
partmental task force has been
set up to "sharpen the focus o
handlirg Viet Namese prob-
lems."
Cfiicials had made it clear
tl: s tine new group would by
?? llr..ilsman, who was ti:
fey i :tr: Department advisci
administration. II
i command of William H
an assistant to Under
scc'_etery for Political Affair
Avercil Harriman, who no
becomes a special assistan
i,:i direct access to Secretar
of State Rusk.
Voices Regret
In a "Dear Roger" letter las
night, ;'resident Johnson sal
he accepted Mr. Hilsman'
resignation: with great regret,
"Yc have sc v ed since th
1, ri i n of Pn font Kenne
unainistra.ion with Brea
cc;:c and. dedication in past
ho most difficult and de
na; cii::g sort, but 1 recogniz
reluctance you need t
return to your chccen profes
sicr," :fir. Johnson :;.: :-c.
Hilsman wrot Pre
ident that he wanted to retur
ROGER HILSi1MZtN
-AP Wirephoto
i a.; aea! , ....ucn
,htary and
there - he was tot olpa:ed to.
current surveys locking toward'
opening a limited "second
front" against the North Viet
Nam base of the Com;. .mist
guerrillas.
He has had some disagree
ments with the Pentagon, but
they are said to have been
more de:' to personality differ-,
ences ::a differences over
policy. ie describes these dif-
ferences as normal ones that
occur as policy is developed.
During World War II Mr. of President Johnson and when'
g they are adopted to see that
1 ilsman served with Merrill's they are carried out."
Marauders in Burma and with -_,_,_ A ,,..,??oa
In a possible subtle compari-~
Inteuige:; Agency, as a guer-;Harriman described Mr. Sulli-I
to teaching, and that he has rilla leader. van as a young man "who has
been approached recently by The 44-year-old official re the Irish quality of understand
several universities. He said he turned to Government service
had accepted a university offer after the Korean war broke out
in 1961, "but subsequently in 1950, and then served as
agreed to stay in Washington director of the Bureau of Intel-
Kennedy's personal request"
"There is no man in America
who is better fitted for leader-
ship than you," Mr. Hilsman
told the President. "President
Kennedy would have been proud
- as are all of us who worked
with him - of the vigor and
sureness with which you have
ing tl-e other fellow's point of
View."
Like Secretary of State Rusk
and other up officials, Mr.
! Harriman also described as
State Department before be "cocl: "ed" the idea to neutral-
coming overseer of Far Fastern [ze South Viet Nam.
policy in March, 1963. He for-! "North Viet Nam has an-
merly taught at Princeton Uni nounced it will not be neutral-
versity. [zed and that means that South
The job of Mr. Sullivan's new Viet Nam would be turned over
task force, according to State to the Communists if it were
Department officials, is to work neutralized," he said.
full time and at the highest Pie Gent Johnson held dis
level to develop any changes in
Policy Relation Denied the limping war effort in Viet
Today officials are taking Nam.
Besidestopranking repre-
great pains to show that Mr.
iiilsman's departure is not sentatives from the Defense
t
th
t
D
S
,
ta
epart-
e
e
!related to any . difference over Departmen
olio issues Mr Hilsman has ment, the Agency for Interna-
and advisers all-out counter- Iresentative f rom the Joint conduct of the Viet Names
guerrilla warfare against Chiefs of Staff sitting in at the, war. William Bundy, Mr. M
'
cus anon s over the telephon
yesterday with Secretary o
Defense McNamara about hi.
forthcoming inspection tour o
South Viet Nam. The trip i
now scheduled for soon afte
the middle of next week.
!long been associated with the' tional Development and the l Officials indicate that this tfi
decision of the Kennedy admin- Central Intelligence Agency, the will be the key to any impeld
listration to support with arias group includes a ranking rep- lag changes decided upon in tli
Although he is a firm advo-
cate of the line that the war in
Viet Nam must first be won in
the south - by stabilizing the
Communist infiltrators in South
Viet Nam.
State Department.
Defending Mr. Sullivan's
appointment yesterday, M r.
Harriman said that his job
would be to see that policies , new Viet Nam task force.
s Assistant Secrete
Namara
for International Security
fairs, is the top',ranking Pgnt
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00001 R000300280026-7