JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY : NARA RECORD NUMBER : 176-10037-10033 RECORD SERIES : National Security Files: Robert W. Komer AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : NUFK FROM : | TO: TITLE : John F. Kennedy document Control Record _ DATE : 5/17/1961 PAGES : XZ SUBJECTS : DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000 OPENING CRITERIA : ; COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 447: Vietnam 1961-1963. Box 4. HW 49061 Docld:32626712 Page 1
cay See SANITIZE O VERSian NY OF ZL ¢ */ 99 Dy , EPEC 2 Sia 48% VY, aera / , . i Ornev SEGHE -Ray 17, 1961 MEMORANDUM FOR ME. ROSTOW- SUBJECTs “Meeting of the Viet Nam Task Force on ‘ : - Homday, Hay 15; 1961 i After briefings on the military and political situation in Viet Nam and surrounding areas in Seutheast Asia, Mr. Cottrell summarized actiens taken over the weekend, referring to a series of outgoing ang incoming telegrams, These covered the following matters: &. The establishnent of the Task Fores in Washington ‘and a request to the Ambassador in Saigon to form a similar Task Foree there. . b. A message to Saigon. containing thé substance of NSC Action Memorandum No. 52 and indicating that these actions would be reviewed further at an NSC meeting. on May 19. eg. A neseage to Saigon summarizing the substance of the ask Force report for the field advising that the report itself would be pouched., ° d. A message to Saigon indicating that the JCS was waking the atudy called for by paragraph 4 of the Action Hemorandum (relating to commitment of U. 5S. forces). @. The Secretary of State had authorized the dis- patch of 93 additional HAAG personnel from Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines to Saigon. Y asked whether the status of the Task Force report had . been clearly indicated in sending it to the field. It dee i veloped that the status had mot been indicated in the messages : and I was asked to prepare a brief statement of the points that needed to be made for inclusion in a subsequent message. In connection with the reference to NSC discussion of the Action Memorandum, Mr. Cottrell asked that agencies make known at the Wednesday meeting of the Task Force any views they plan to expresa on the Memorandum, (I subsequently emphasized te Mr. Cottrell the fact that this Memorandum was being scheduled on the agenda for information and that it was intended that the Hemorendum should stand and that there would be no dis- cussion of it in the NSC unless an agency had a serious point . that it wished to argue in front of the Fresident. Ar. Cottrell agreed to make this point to Defense and at the beginning of Wednesday's Task Force meeting.) erage SEGRE! HW 49061 Docld:32626712 Page 2?
HW 49061 ao anal Mr. Cottrell referred to the fact that it was planned to add an additional individual te the Public Relations Staff of the Far East Bureau to ihandle public relations on Viet Nam} that is, to put out information on South Viet Nam and to be. available to ansuer questions, In response t6 a question, Kr. Cottrell indicated that there would be ne connection be-~ tween this public relations man and the Task Force, Mr. Cottrell also noted ‘that this Task Force would be rumiing the Yiet Hem desk, although the former Assistant Desk Officer would now be named the Desk Officer and would handle rout tine matters. Nr. Cottrell asked me whether the planned weekly status report should not be so timed that it could be scheduled on a Priday NSC agend He also noted that a separate status report would be prepared on covert activities and transmitted to the NSC. I pointed out that there was no established mesting time for the WSC and that, therefore, it would be difficult to relate work on the report to NSC meetings. I indicated that I would check on the matter of scheauling such reports on NSC agendas. (This matter sub- sequently taken up with you and with Mr. Bundy.) A question was raised as to whether portions of the Task Force report could be downgraded or de-clasesified, I pointed out that we ordinarily proceeded, in handling NSC documents, on the principle that the agency having primary respoasibility should make determination as to the classification of a particular item in an NSC document and had the authority to downgrade or de-tlassify as necessary in the course of ime plementation. Reference was made to the fact that a neeting was scheduled in the White House on Thursday (under Mr. Dutton's leadership) to discugs the fate of "Project Hepe". Although this hospital ship is supposed to be a private enterprise, the Government (ICA) has been picking up the tab for some time. It is said to have considerable public relations value, but there is considerable doubt as to whether it makes economic sense ~- it costa $5,000 a day to operate the ship. It was the consensus of the mesting that, in view of the preparations that had been made to receive the ship in Saigon, it would not be desirable to cancel the stop in Saigon, although, if. necessary, it eould be > kept short.. Robert H. Johnson ec: Hr. Smith r. Komer . Docld: 3276278712 Page 3