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Digital
History>eXplorations>The Vietnam War as History
The Decision to Escalate, 1964-1965
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| The Wise Men: McGeorge Bundy and John McCloy with President Lyndon B. Johnson, 09/21/1965, National Archives and Records Administration |
Moods: President Lyndon B. Johnson, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, McGeorge Bundy in the Oval Office, 12/08/1964, National Archives and Records Administration
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I
do not find it easy to send the flower of our youth, our finest
young men, into battle. I have spoken to you today of the divisions
and the forces and the battalions and the units, but I know
them all, every one. I have seen them in a thousand streets,
of a hundred towns, in every state in this union—working
and laughing and building, and filled with hope and life. I
think I know, too, how their mothers weep and how their families
sorrow.
Lyndon
Baines Johnson, July 28, 1965
The following documents illuminate the American decision to escalate the war in
Vietnam. Documents open in anew window; close that window to return to this page.
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5. CIA Analysis of Vietnam Escalation - 1963-1965
1964
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1. Lyndon Johnson, taped conversations
with Richard Russell and McGeorge Bundy, May 27, 1964. Audio
Versions of LBJ, Russell and Bundy Conversations
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2. Memorandum by George Ball, Undersecretary
of State, October 5, 1964
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3. Memorandum, "The Choices We Face in Vietnam"
by Assistant Secretary of State William P. Bundy,
October 19, 1964
1965
January:
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4. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for
Far Eastern Affairs (William P. Bundy) to Secretary of
State Rusk, Washington, January 6, 1965, the South Vietnamese
Situation and Alternatives
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6. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State, Saigon, January 6, 1965, 11 a.m.
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7. Paper Prepared by Chester L. Cooper
of the National Security Council Staff, Washington, January
6, 1965.
Document
8. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam
to the Department of State, Saigon, January 26, 1965
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9. Memo by Robert McNamara and McGeorge
Bundy to President Johnson, "The Fork in the Y,"
January 27, 1965.
February:
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10. Intelligence Memorandum, Washington, February 1, 1965
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11. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State, Saigon, February 3, 1965
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12. Memorandum for the Record, Eyes Only. Dictated by McCone,
Discussion with The President re South Vietnam, Washington,
February 3, 1965.
Document
13. Special National Intelligence Estimate,
SNIE 53-65, Washington, February 4, 1965, Short-Term Prospects
in South Vietnam
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14. Memorandum From the President's Special Assistant for
National Security Affairs (William P. Bundy) to President
Johnson, En route from Saigon to Washington, February 7, 1965.
April:
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15. Memo of George Ball, Undersecretary
of State, to President Johnson, April 21, 1965, response to
Hanoi's "Four Points"
May:
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16. Telegram From the Department of State
to the Embassy in the Soviet Union, RE: Bombing Halt, Washington,
May 11, 1965
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17. Paper Prepared by the Under Secretary of State (George Ball),
Washington, May 13, 1965.
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18. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk
to the Department of State, Vienna, May 15, 1965.
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19. Notes of a Meeting, Washington, May 16, 1965, 6:45 p.m.,
The President, Rusk, McNamara, Acheson, Ball, Raborn,
Valenti
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20. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff (Wheeler) to Secretary of Defense McNamara,
Washington, May 17, 1965.
Document
21. Letter From Clark M. Clifford to President
Johnson, Washington, May 17, 1965.
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22a. Paper Prepared by the Ambassador to Vietnam (Taylor)
and the Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam (Johnson),
Saigon, May 20, 1965. FUNDAMENTAL FACTORS IN
A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT IN SOUTH VIETNAM
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22b: Paper Prepared by the Ambassador to Vietnam (Taylor)
and the Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam (Johnson),
Saigon, May 20, 1965. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS RELATING TO "A
PLAN FOR A POLITICAL RESOLUTION IN SOUTH VIET-NAM"
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23. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Policy Planning
Council (Rostow) to Secretary of State Rusk,
Washington, May 20, 1965.
Document
24. Memorandum From Chester L. Cooper of
the National Security Council Staff to President Johnson, Washington,
May 25, 1965, A Diplomatic-Political Track for Vietnam
June:
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25. Telegram From the Department of State
to the Embassy in Vietnam, Washington, June 1, 1965
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26. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, June 4, 1965,
The President and German Chancellor
Erhard
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27. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam
to the Department of State, Saigon, June 5, 1965, the political-military
situation in South Vietnam
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28a. Memorandum From Senator Mike Mansfield
to President Johnson, Washington, June 5, 1965
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28b. Memorandum From Senator Mike Mansfield
to President Johnson, Washington,
June 9, 1965
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29. Telegram from the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State, Saigon, June 6, 1965, Canadian conversations
with Hanoi
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30. Telegram From the Commander, Military Assistance Command,
Vietnam (Westmoreland) to the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, Saigon, June 7, 1965
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31. Diary Entry by the Ambassador to Vietnam (Taylor),
Washington, June 7-12, 1965
Document
32. Memorandum for the Record, Washington, June 8, 1965,
meeting on Vietnam
Document
33. Memorandum Prepared in the Central Intelligence
Agency, Washington, June 10, 1965, US Options and Objectives
in Vietnam
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34. Letter From Director of Central Intelligence
Raborn to President Johnson, Washington, June 12, 1965.
Document
35. Summary Notes of the 552d Meeting of the National Security
Council, Washington, June 11, 1965
Document
36. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff
to Secretary of Defense McNamara, Washington, June 11, 1965
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37. Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense by McGeorge
Bundy, June 30, 1965
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38. France in Vietnam, 1954, and the U.S. in Vietnam,
1965 - A Useful Analogy? by McGeorge Bundy,
June 30, 1965
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