UNClASSIFIED - The Black Vault

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Vietnamization.
Plans called for the turnover of all A- l
assets to the VNAF in accordance with the President's announced goals.
Budget , Money was not available for both squadrons in FY
Manpower Ceilings.
both squadrons during FY 72.
Spaces were not available to support
(C) __ The decision was taken out of USAF hands when
the Ambassador to Laos, G. McMurtie Godley, and the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) requested that one USAF A-I squadron be retained through
FY 1972.
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23 Dec 1970 that:
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Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced to the CJCS on
I have decided to agree to the request of CIA
and State to retain one squadron of A-ls in
Thailand during FY 72. The approved end FY 71
personnel ceiling of 32,200 for Thail and and
the approved sortie rates for FY 71 are
unchanged by this action. Consequently. one
F-4 squadron shou ld be redeployed to CONUS by
end FY 71 or other reductions should be made
to compensate . . .
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tIIIL~ On the day following the SeeDef ' s announcement,
the Acting Secretary of the Air. Force presented a reclama keyed to the
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following points:
We have pressed hard to make Vietnamization a
success and although these A- Is will not be made
availabl e immediately to the South Vietnamese, they
are to be used in the Vietnamizati on program and
should not be di verted •
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