a Date Page JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM 08/18/98 1 AGENCY RECORD NUMBER RECORDS SERIES AGENCY FILE NUMBER AGENCY INFORMATION JCS 202-10002-10184 RG 218 JCS ORIGINATOR FROM TO TITDE DATE PAGES SUBUECTS DOCUMENT TYPE CLASSIFICATION RESTRICTIONS CURRENT STATUS DATE OF LAST REVIEW OPENING CRITERIA COMMENTS Docld: 327425062 Page 1 ; DOCUMENT INFORMATION Cgcs MAXWELL. D. TAYLOR : MULTIPLE EVALUATION OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM 02/18/64 3 SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT TOP SECRET LB RELEASED WITH DELETIONS 05/15/98 RG 218 JCS "NND 941071 BOX 3/8." Memo from Taylor to LeMay, Wheeler, McDonald, Greene re: attached evaluation of the situation in South Vietnam. NO JOINT STAFF OBJECTION TO DECLASSIFICATION [R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED
TOP SECRET --SENSITIVE enn LV Ee DRAFT MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SUBJ ECT: Evaluation of the Situation-in South Vietnam ly The Joint Chiefs of Staff are becoming increasingly concerned over ] -the way in which the situation in South Vietnam, particularly the military 2 Situation, is being reported and evaluated. They feel that inadequacies in 3 intelligence procedures have resulted in placing before the President and 4 his principal advisers a picture of the anti-Viet Cong campaign which is 5 sometimes of uncertain validity. This situation arises largely from the 6 et | following factors: a. Intelligence reports on South Vietnam reach Washington by . 8 several channels: State, Defense, CIA, AID, USIA and thd Military 9 Attaches.) They are not correlated in Saigon and given a Country Team 10 interpretative evaluation there; rather, they are forwarded. piece-meal ll -to Washington with no evaluation or with only that of ‘the Originating agency. 12 | b. There is need for greater effort in South Vietnam 4 to identify 13 reports of low reliability as such. | 14 c. There are too many reports on the military situation from 1B nondenilitiry sources and too little use of US military observers stationed 16 throughout South Vietnam. 17 d. USIB evaluates the situation in South Vietnam from intelligence 18 analyzed at a distance from the scene of operations without participation 1g in the over-all evaluation by the responsible military commanders in 20 South Vietnam who should be, of all US officials, the closest to the true 21 situation. 22 2. To correct these deficiencies which are affecting the governmental 23 view of the situation, the JCS recommead the following actions: 24 TOP SECRET - SENSITIVE enna SY Ee Docld: 324275062. Page 2?
(PE i & TOP SECRET - SENSITIVE DRAFT MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SUBJECT: Evaluation of the Situation in South Vietnam 1. The Joint Chiefs of Staff are becoming increasingly concerned over the way in which the situation in South Vietnam, particularly the military situation, is being reported and evaluated. They feel that inadequacies in intelligence procedures have resulted in placing before the President and his principal advisers a picture of the anti-Viet Cong campaign which is sometimes of uncertain validity. This situation arises largely from the following factors: a. Intelligence reports on South Vietnam reach Washington by several channels: State, Defense, CIA, AID, USIA and a nee They are not correlated in Saigon and given a Country Team interpretative evaluation there; rather, they are forwarded. piece-meal to Washington with no evaluation or with only that of the Originating agency. b. There is need for greater effort in South Vietnam to identify reports of low reliability as such. c. There are too many reports on the military situation from non-military sources and too little use of US military observers stationed throughout South Vietnam. d. USIB evaluates the situation in South Vietnam from intelligence analyzed at a distance from the scene of operations without participation in the over-all evaluation by the responsible military commanders in South Vietnam who should be, of all US officials, the closest to the true situation. 2. To correct these deficiencies which are affecting the governmental view of the situation, the JCS recommend the following actions: TOP SECRET - SENSITIVE Docld: 334235062. Page. 3 us 19 20 ai