JFK ordered a complete withdrawal from Vietnam in 1963

[Douglas Caddy]

Exit Strategy: In 1963, JFK ordered a complete withdrawal from Vietnam
By James K. Galbraith

https://www.bostonreview.net/us/galbraith-exit-strategy-vietnam

[Scott Kaiser]

Let me guess, some folks believe Kennedy was assassinated over Vietnam? Was Watergate also over Vietnam? Didn't they plot to assassinate Nixon too? Didn't Nixon end the war in Vietnam? Were the burglars at Watergate apart of wanting to keep the Vietnam war going? Was it really over communism on the other side of the world, or right here in our own backyard, if the company was willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to assassinate Castro who was very hard to get too, how much do you think they were paid to get to Kennedy in an open limo just waiting for the right time.

I could write a book on this, oh wait, I did, my update.

[Kathleen Collins]

You are right, Doug. I read that also several years ago. I'm surprised Greg Burnham never stated that, as far as I know.

Kathy C

[Scott Kaiser]

I believe it's no secret what Kennedy's intention was for Vietnam?

The drift seems clear enough: the Diem government is failing and there is no reason to think a replacement would be better. But the references to “great progress” leave room for doubt. Withdrawal with victory or without it? Taylor Report with respect to the final date of 1965 as leaving an “out” for the case where the military situation might turn sour. In two years and two months, much can happen, as events would prove. But as Scott already pointed out to Chomsky in 1993, the primary record available to date has been heavily edited. Documents from November 1, 1963, through early December are conspicuously missing. So, we now learn, are many others In January 1998, again under the supervision of the ARRB, about 900 pages of new materials were declassified and released from the JCS archives. These include important records from May 1963, from October, and from the period immediately following Kennedy’s death; many had been reviewed for declassification in 1989 but were not declassified at that time. They clarify considerably the nature of the “presently prepared plans” referred to in the McNamara-Taylor third recommendation, and they give the military leadership’s interpretation of the direction they were getting from JFK. Since it is well known that the Pentagon did not favor withdrawal, it is fair to assume that if wiggle room existed in the President’s instructions it would surface in these documents.

First I'd like to point out the reason for the transcripts and tapes that [may] have stopped on November 7, 1963, could it be because of the assassination of the Diem brother's on November 2, 1963? This passage quoted above certainly sounds as though the JCS and the Pentagon is who should be responsible for Kennedy's assassination. Aside from all the hoopla, theories and educated language, is there any real proof that's being offered up here? Ouch! my head hurts.

[James DiEugenio]

Galbraith is not talking about the assassination, and he was never really all that interested in that.

His father, if you don't know, was John K. Galbraith, who was a key part of JFK's administration.

When, in 1961. everyone in Kennedy's White House wanted him to commit combat troops to Vietnam, JFK declined and only sent advisors. But right around this time, within a few weeks, he sent JKG to Saigon to give him a report and recommendation. JKG came back and told him it had no possibility of success, it was a hopeless quagmire and he should cut his losses.

Kennedy told JKG to meet with McNamara and give him the results of his report. And from then on in, Kennedy had McNamara play the role of the man who wanted us to get out of Vietnam in the internal debates.

This was all disguised, attenuated, neutered afterwards because of LBJ's insistence that it all be changed and covered up by saying he really did not do anything different than Kennedy did, which was a lie and LBJ knew it was a lie. But McNamara went along with it. Until finally he resigned in 1967--after Salinger, Ball, Bundy and McCone all had left.

When John Newman's book, JFK and Vietnam came out, Jamie Galbraith decided to go public with what his father told him about the whole JFK/RSN/JKG triangle which came to fruition in October of 1963 with NSAM 263 and McNamara's reports to the press that the withdrawal program would be beginning soon with a thousand man increment.

Jamie Galbraith made a key contribution to an important book on this subject, James Blight's Virtual JFK. In which, for the first time, a sizable group of historians and scholars--after a two day debate-- decided that Kennedy was going to withdraw from Vietnam. And as Gordon Goldstein later wrote in his fine book Lessons in Disaster, there was no change made in policy after the death of Diem.

IMO, Jamie Galbraith's contribution to this paradigm shift is large.

Edited March 3, 2016 by James DiEugenio

[Martin Blank]

who cares what historians from the academy say; i want the truth.

like hunter thompson said: History is hard to know, because of all the hired b---s-it

amen,

[Greg Burnham]

You are right, Doug. I read that also several years ago. I'm surprised Greg Burnham never stated that, as far as I know.

Kathy C

Burnham Article

[James DiEugenio]

who cares what historians from the academy say; i want the truth.

like hunter thompson said: History is hard to know, because of all the hired b---s-it

amen,

True, but Galbraith really took them to task and he got into it with that nut Chomsky.

So I give him credit for that. Remember, his dad was actually in the loop.

[Scott Kaiser]

Galbraith is not talking about the assassination, and he was never really all that interested in that.

His father, if you don't know, was John K. Galbraith, who was a key part of JFK's administration.

When, in 1961. everyone in Kennedy's White House wanted him to commit combat troops to Vietnam, JFK declined and only sent advisors. But right around this time, within a few weeks, he sent JKG to Saigon to give him a report and recommendation. JKG came back and told him it had no possibility of success, it was a hopeless quagmire and he should cut his losses.

Kennedy told JKG to meet with McNamara and give him the results of his report. And from then on in, Kennedy had McNamara play the role of the man who wanted us to get out of Vietnam in the internal debates.

This was all disguised, attenuated, neutered afterwards because of LBJ's insistence that it all be changed and covered up by saying he really did not do anything different than Kennedy did, which was a lie and LBJ knew it was a lie. But McNamara went along with it. Until finally he resigned in 1967--after Salinger, Ball, Bundy and McCone all had left.

When John Newman's book, JFK and Vietnam came out, Jamie Galbraith decided to go public with what his father told him about the whole JFK/RSN/JKG triangle which came to fruition in October of 1963 with NSAM 263 and McNamara's reports to the press that the withdrawal program would be beginning soon with a thousand man increment.

Jamie Galbraith made a key contribution to an important book on this subject, James Blight's Virtual JFK. In which, for the first time, a sizable group of historians and scholars--after a two day debate-- decided that Kennedy was going to withdraw from Vietnam. And as Gordon Goldstein later wrote in his fine book Lessons in Disaster, there was no change made in policy after the death of Diem.

IMO, Jamie Galbraith's contribution to this paradigm shift is large.

Jim, this is partially true, but it was Senator Mansfield who Kennedy sent to Vietnam and who reported back to Kennedy what the Diem brother's were doing with the money the United States gave them, it was during the few months of culmination that plan plots to exit the Diem brother's out of Vietnam started, however, China didn't want them, after a poorly drafted cable was written up, Kennedy signed it, he believed it to be a coup without an assassination. The CIA interpreted the cable as assassinating the Diem brother's. Kennedy was upset over the fact a round table discussion didn't take place first before the assassination.

Martin - You want the truth? That is the truth.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Scott Kaiser

[Scott Kaiser]

In-fact, in my new update, I dedicate a few chapters to this. I'm still waiting on Stone's forward before I can proceed publishing.

[Scott Kaiser]

His father, if you don't know, was John K. Galbraith, who was a key part of JFK's administration.

By the way, if in-case you didn't know who my father was, his name was Edwin Kaiser. The greatest patriot ever for the accomplishments he did to expose THIS countries treasonous acts.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Scott Kaiser

[Scott Kaiser]

I almost forgot to tell you that JKG was in India from 1961-63. Not VN. I'm sure you already knew that.

[James DiEugenio]

Of course I knew that he was ambassador to India.

That is why he was in good position to know what was going on in Vietnam, very short flight to Saigon.

I think we are talking about a different time frame with Mansfield.

As you know, I don't agree with you at all on the coup.

[Scott Kaiser]

Of course I knew that he was ambassador to India.

That is why he was in good position to know what was going on in Vietnam, very short flight to Saigon.

I think we are talking about a different time frame with Mansfield.

As you know, I don't agree with you at all on the coup.

But of course! Slaps my forehead, Kennedy call JKG in India and asked him to hop on an airplane to Vietnam since the distance between Vietnam and India is 3190.14 km= 1982.26 miles. And, of course if you travel by airplane (which has average speed of 560 miles) between Vietnam to India, It takes 3.54 hours to arrive. But I think in those days planes were a little slower, don't quote me on that, as for the coup, you're entitled to your opinion, although, it's not always correct.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Scott Kaiser

[Scott Kaiser]

And, of course, like every good Ambassador, they should abandon their position to see what the hell is going on in Vietnam, well, crap! We no longer need Senator Mansfield anymore!

Edited March 4, 2016 by Scott Kaiser