PERSONS/ENTITIES:
BUNDY, MC GEORGE; TAYLOR, MAXWELL
BALL, GEORGE
PORTSMITH, MICHAEL
HILLSMAN, ROGERS; AMBASSADOR NOLTING
MC CONE, JOHN; MC NAMARA, ROBERT
DATES:
1963
CATEGORIES:
DIEM
TOP SECRET
COLBY stated that the persons typically in attendance in the conference room or situation room to discuss matters in Vietnam during 1963, MESSRS. BUNDY, BALL, PORTSMITH, HILLSMAN, MC CONE, MC NAMARA GILPATRIC, TAYLOR. p. 70 COLBY also stated that generally the Attorney General was generally not in attendance. If the meeting was to be with the President, then it would have been in the Cabinet room and then the Attorney General would have been there. pp. 70-71. The chairman of the meetings downstairs which the President never attended would have been MR. BUNDY. pp. 71-72 Mr. HARRIMAN would come sometimes, COLBY recalled, and Vice President JOHNSON would always attend the ones upstairs in the Cabinet room, but did not take a particularly active part. pp. 72 Ambassador NOLTING, when he returned, after his replacement in Vietnam took a very active role opposing action against President DIEM to the extent that he was invited to participate. And his advice was not accepted. p. 73
SOURCE:
Hearings, SSCI, June 20, 1975, Colby
FILE:
STAFF:
R. DAWSON
DATE:
1 July 1975
PERSONS/ENTITIES:
CONIEN
DATES:
Summer and Fall 1963
CATEGORIES:
DIEM
OCCURRENCE: "There were (sic) not one coup plan. There were several. The problem that was facing the people that were making assessments of this was which one had the most likely chance of succeeding? We were at the point of no return. There was no chance of going back because there was going to be a coup. The best thing to do was to monitor and keep the U.S. government advised of who the principal players were, what their intentions were then and in the future. It was an impossible situation, and also during this time, it was getting down to the critical element. In October, the generals had to have assurances that I was speaking for the Ambassador. Several attempts were made to get these assurances, and it was practically impossible because of the security around the generals, who were already suspect...."
p. 28
TOP SECRET