RIPPLE SALVO… #955… IN 2003 “THE JOHNSON ADMINISTRATION VOLUMES” were added to the State Department’s Historical Documents and made available to the public. Documents in this incredible record of American history covering the years of Operation Rolling Thunder have been, and will continue to be, included in the RTR diary of the longest air war in American history. Volumes V, VI and VII contain more than 800 documents pertinent to the air campaign that was micromanaged from Washington and the White House. A history of the operation that does not incorporate these highly classified and come lately unclassified source of information is incomplete. Humble Host will continue to make these documents part of the daily posts. Today we move from the set of memos, conversations, briefs, meeting notes and telephone conversations under the title “Breakthrough in Paris” to the 47 documents in the “Negotiating an Understanding.” Documents 76 through 82, all dated 16 Oct 68, are accessed with comment below, including this note from Dean Rusk to Averell Harriman:
“It seems to me that the simple fact is that we have accepted Hanoi’s proposition, we are prepared to stop the bombing today and we want to know when they will deliver what they have promised to deliver. The object of the Paris talks is not to get the United States to stop bombing but to move toward peace. The date is now up to Hanoi: we are ready. If Hanoi cannot deliver an NLF Delegation, then we go back to the drawing boards. When Hanoi can deliver an NLF Delegation, we can move.”… but first…
GOOD MORNING… Day NINE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE of a two million word blog on the subject of Operation Rolling Thunder…
HEAD LINES from The New York Times for Wednesday, 16 October 1968…
THE WAR: Page 4: “THE NEW JERSEY FIRES ON ISLE OFF COAST NEAR 19TH PARALLEL–Wide Damage Is Reported–Ship Also Attacks Storage Area In Vicinity of Vinh”… “The battleship New Jersey, steaming along the panhandle of North Vietnam, has fired on a target almost as far above the demilitarized zone as United States planes are authorized to strike. The attack took place yesterday and means that the 56,000-ton vessel, the only one of her type on active duty, will range along the entire 170 miles of coastline stretching from the zone to the 19th parallel. Until the attack on Hon Matt, an island 14 miles south of the parallel, it had not been clear how close the New Jersey would sail to the upper boundary for air strikes against the North… Before the Hon Matt action the New Jersey had gone no farther than 75 miles north of the demilitarized zone. However, United States cruisers and destroyers had pounded targets all the way up to the 19th parallel. North Vietnam has charged that use of the battleship in the war for the last six weeks constitutes escalation.”… Page 1: “NEW LULL POSES QUESTION: IS IT A SIGNAL FROM HANOI?–Enemy Pressure Lessens”… “The enemy’s main-force units have pulled back or been driven back from all of South Vietnam’s major cities for the first time since the Tet offensive in late January, high-ranking military and civilian officials said today. They quickly added, however, that the relaxation of pressure on the cities and the coastal area in the northern provinces did not appear to be a peace gesture… A General said: ‘He’s been fading away all over the place. Of course, he might be able to move back toward the border cities quickly, but right now he is fading away.’ “…
PEACE TALKS… Seven Historical Documents from the State Department Historian’s Vietnam files… All dated 16-Oct-68…
Document 76. A short memo from Walt Rostow to the President with a disappointing message from Paris, where, in an early Wednesday morning meeting the North Vietnamese delegate accused the U.S. of adding a “new condition” to the agreed elements of the developing agreement. Thus, there would be further delay to await Hanoi’s acceptance of the “participation of the GVN the next day after the bombing cessation….read at…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d76
Document 77. A lengthy morning (9:30 a.m.) call by the President to Mike Mansfield informing his of developments and pleading that he keep the sensitive negotiations to himself. President: “…I just thought that in the light of all the background that you ought to know the ball’s in their court. That we are reay and willing and anxious and eager to sit down with them tomorrow, with the NLF. and they said, ‘Well, we have to go and look up the Central Committee…'”…Two pages… Read at…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d77
Document 78. A very short telegram from Rusk to Harriman instructing him to tell Thuy, the NVN delegate, “We have no intention of stopping the bombing until the DRV is willing to give us a date on which we can begin serious talks with GVN representatives present…and a few other hard lines… Read at…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d78
Document 79. A telegram from Rusk to Bunker in Saigon keeping him informed on the delay and providing instructions in dealing with the South Vietnamese leadership. Also assuring Thieu that nothing would happen without both South Vietnam and the NLF (Vietcong) at the start of the conversations. Rusk: “You may tell Thieu that we are somewhat at a loss to explain this inability to set a definite dte. However, we suppose it is conceivable that hanoi and the NLF have genuine difficulties and perhaps are troubled about transit through Communist China.”… Read at…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d79
Document 80. This is the best of the bunch. a telephone conversation with the President informing Humphrey, Nixon and Wallace on a Conference Call what is going on and what he wants them to do. Specifically, support the team. President: First, I want to say this, that our position, the government position, today is exactly what it was the last time all three of you were briefed. That position, namely, is this. We are anxious to stop the bombing and would be willing to stop the bombing if they would sit down with us with the Government of Vietnam present and have productive discussions… As of today they have not signed on and agreed to the proposition which I haver outlined to you, nor have they indicated that this would be a satisfactory situation to them in it entirety…” This is a long (four page) LBJ rambler working his attentive and captive audience…. fun read at…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d80
Document 81. A telephone conversation between the President who called Senator Everett Dirksen on the afternoon of the 16th. The President scolds the senior Republican for inferring that Johnson is playing politics with the peace negotiations. Some tough talk between two old war horses in the Senate. LBJ: “We’re not going to have any–we’re not going to get into a fight with you.”… LBJ also gives Dirksen some instructions on what not to talk about as being too sensitive: “Now, the second thing is we must not mention–we must not mention the DMZ and the shelling of the cities because if they think–if they think that this is reciprocity, their yellow Oriental face–they’ve got to save it. Now what we’re doing there, when and if we ever do get a peace, we’re going to say to them, that we will stop the bombing, but we will want you to know that if hou shell the cities, it starts it immediately.We want you to know if you abuse the DMZ, it (the bombing) begins automatically. Now they can refuse to do something better than they can agree to it. Do you follow me? So don’t spell out those things unless you have to.”… “I don’t want to point out what they’ve got to agree to because if we do they never will agree to anything. Okay?”… Read at…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d81
Document 82. On the afternoon of the 16th Rusk sends a telegram to Harriman confirming the U.S./Allies positions… “We have been proceeding here on the basis that a cessation of the bombing would be followed immediately by talks in which the GVN would participate… We must have a day certain for the beginning of the talks in which the GVN is present before we can deliver our part of the arrangement, namely, the cessation of the bombing.”… Read at…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d82
HEAD LINES: NYT…Page 1: “NIXON FORECASTS SWEEPING VICTORY–Says G.O.P. Will Triumph At All Levels of Government… Page 1: “HUMPHREY TAUNTS NIXON AS CHICKEN–Releases Pitch Of His Attack As He Stumps Missouri”... Page 1: “POLLSTERS CALL CHACE OF ERROR IN ELECTION GREATEST SINCE 1948″… Page 1: “RAPIDLY GAINING ECONOMY KEEPS ITS PACE IN QUARTER–Although Government Desires A Slowdown, Gross Product Rises By $17.9 Billion As Consumer Spending Advances”… Page 1: “PLEDGE ON BERLIN IS REPORTED GIVEN TO U.S. BY GROMYKO–He Is Said To Have Told Rusk There Is No Threat In The Offing–Calming Effort Seen–Katzenbach To Call On Tito As Sign Of Support Against Pressure By Moscow”… Page 1: “MOON SHOT HOPES RAISED BY APOLLO 7–Craft Orbiting So Well On 5th Day That Circumlunar Flight May Begin December 20″… Page 12: “PANAMA COUP AND U.S. PROBLEMS: Take-Over A Source Of Embarrassment For Washington”… Page 30: “LeMAY FLIES TO VIETNAM ON TOUR FOR WALLACE–Says The Risk of Red China Entering The War if Bombing Is Resumed Is Not Large”… Page 30: “AGNEW PLEDGES TO HEED DISSENTERS–We will Listen, Republican Says–But ‘We’, Not The Poor, Will Take Action, He Adds”…
The computer ate the last 1000-words of this masterpiece and I’m going to bed… Quote is Xrated…Bear…