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Title:
Comments on Secretary McNamara's trip report
Date of Creation:
October 15, 1966
Date of Declassification:
June 13, 1977
Type of Document:
Memorandum
Level of Classification:
TOP SECRET
Status of Copy:
ORIGINAL
Pagination, Illustration:
5 p.
Abstract:
Comments on Secretary McNamara's Trip Report
[CIA endorses McNamara's evaluation of the
situation and his assessment of what needs to
be done; however, CIA does not agree with
some of the actions recommended, particularly
the proposal to press for negotiations, and
also does not agree with his gloomy
prognosis. CIA feels that, with the
pacification program, the US has found the
right means to engage the people in effective
action; the US can either try to keep the
Communists militarily at bay and build up a
South Vietnamese political structure, or the
US can adopt a course of action that has a
genuine chance of getting Hanoi to negotiate
in the near future; a US force level of
470,000 will be sufficient only if the
increases are in maneuver battalions, not
support elements; an anti-infiltration
barrier must be extended into Laos; the level
of ROLLING THUNDER sorties should be
stabilized, although extending the bombings
to Haiphong port and rail lines could be very
effective; rural pacification should be
pursued vigorously and its management
improved; the US should not actively press
for negotiations until pacification progress
is made. CIA agrees that there is little hope for a satisfactory conclusion of the war
within the next two years and disagrees that
"the odds are less than even" for enlivening
the pacification program]. Memorandum, TS
188868/66, George A. Carver, Jr., Spec. Asst.
for Vietnamese Affairs, to the Dir. of
Central Intelligence. Oct. 15, 1966. 5 p. TOP
SECRET. Declassified June 13, 1977.
Indexing Terms:
Declassified Documents Reference System Location:
1980-229B
Link to Full Text: