11/20/63 Honolulu Briefing Book "In short this is going to be a circus"

[David Boylan]

Briefing book on the Vietnam War

Part 1

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=146534#relPageId=1

Part 2

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=146535#relPageId=4

 

[Ron Bulman]

That's really deep David, I skimmed through much of it.  AID involved?  The same AID that employed Ruth's dad among others?

[W. Niederhut]

      Interesting material, and, certainly, consistent with Prouty's account of the failure of the strategic hamlet ops, and the lack of popular support for the CIA-created South Vietnamese government.

[Ron Bulman]

Re skimmed, a lot slower, the first part.  Very deep pre reading for a one-day eight-hour conference, at only half of it yet!  Forrestall didn't seem impressed with McNamara.  Still several redactions.  It did say everyone out by the end of 1965, 1000 by the end of 1963.

[David Boylan]

Hey Ron,

I'm glad somebody reads this (long) stuff!

[W. Niederhut]

4 hours ago, David Boylan said:

Hey Ron,

I'm glad somebody reads this (long) stuff!

David,

    Is there a short version of how McGeorge Bundy ended up with the November 21st draft of NSAM 273?

[David Boylan]

1 hour ago, W. Niederhut said:

NSAM 273

Hi W. 

Here's some reading on the implementation of 273 - https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=101#relPageId=2

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=118#relPageId=10

I haven't found the rough drafts of 273. Seems to be missing? - https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=945#relPageId=653

[Karl Kinaski]

 If you go through the briefing book, the Kennedy 'Out by the end of 1965' Vietnam policy is mentioned dozens upon dozens of times . Lodge, who participated in the Honolulu Conference, was asked about this in 1978 or 1979. He said he had never heard of such a thing ('Out by the end of 1965'). Lodge also claimed in that interview that Kennedy persuaded him to take the job in Vietnam, when it was actually the other way around: Kennedy was persuaded by Rusk to send Lodge. Kennedy had someone else in mind for the job, though the name escapes me. Lodge and Conein arranged that the Diem brothers ended up in the hands of their killers. 

[Robert Morrow]

On 9/9/2024 at 9:12 PM, Karl Kinaski said:

 If you go through the briefing book, the Kennedy 'Out by the end of 1965' Vietnam policy is mentioned dozens upon dozens of times . Lodge, who participated in the Honolulu Conference, was asked about this in 1978 or 1979. He said he had never heard of such a thing ('Out by the end of 1965'). Lodge also claimed in that interview that Kennedy persuaded him to take the job in Vietnam, when it was actually the other way around: Kennedy was persuaded by Rusk to send Lodge. Kennedy had someone else in mind for the job, though the name escapes me. Lodge and Conein arranged that the Diem brothers ended up in the hands of their killers. 

Karl, what is your source that Sec. of State Dean Rusk was the one to persuade JFK to name Henry Lodge the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam? I want that in my files. Thank you.