0 - The Black Vault

THE BDM CORPORATION
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The Vietnamization and negitiatirn approach, how~ever, was viewed with
varyi-g degrees --f skeptic-ism by the key decision makers,
President Nixun
was most skeptical about efforts to negctLiat-e.. He: didn't 'elieve that
negotiations would amount to anything until the military situation changed
fundamentally, aoid he was not too eager for negotiations until some military
progress had been made.8/ Oncp the initial withdrawal announcement
Lad been made, Kissinger, as did others, saw that the adminiistration would
be pressurea more and more by the public and the administration's critics
to accelerate the withdrawal at an ever increasing level, This expected
increased pressurA. to expedite withdrawal of US forces could onily serve to
stren~gthen Hanoi's position in trne upcoming nagotiat Ing process,~
Secretary of P~efen~ze Lair~d was a5 skeptical about the utility of
negotiations as he was abou~t the possiuility of miiayviccory, He felt
it' was esssrntial to get the Unitced States out, ,f Vietnam beforu the administration
lo-,t too 'much domestic support. Both Nixon arid Kissinger', however,
thought Lhat Vietnamiztation should oroceed less precipitantly than
Secretary of De'fense Laird advised.
President Nixon repeatedly told the
puolic aod his aides that he wanted a peace and not an armistice -- a peace
that would last. According to some enalysts, Nixon intended Saigon to have
"thie mraximium amnount of time to develop ar. etfective 5elf-defense capabiiity."9/
Hence V-etnamizatinn had to proceed slowly so as to develop P'INAF
I ~ ~
capability -tc handle what would be an obviouslfy serious threat from the
%ortni Vietnamrese for sometime to com~e. 10/ Ki ssinger sZw V~etnzimi~zation as
essential to assure, when ar agreement wias at nand, that Saicgjn woulao ave
little ground oil which to argue that it was premature~ll/
B., CONSIDERATI0ONS IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING US WITHDRAWAL
The l~ohnson Ad,-i ni stration establ ished a troop ceiIi ng of 549, E.30 f or
SouTh Vietnam in April 1963. That tr'oop ceiling included all military
persoornel atithorized in the country of South Vietnami, but did riot include.
naval forces~ operating ol~f shora with the Seventh Fleet no,~ US iforres
stationed outside the couoitry, i.e. , Thailand, Phi lippines, rccc., Actual U'5
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