Internet Exercise 2

The Thousand Man Troop Withdrawal

First, read Tim Weiner's overview of the debate over whether Kennedy's proposed removal of 1,000 American troops from South Vietnam was part of a secret withdrawal plan:

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kenexit.htm

Next, read the minutes of President Kennedy's April 4, 1963, meeting with British counterinsurgency expert R.G.K. Thompson:

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/viet3.htm

Then read both the Summary Record of the October 2, 1963, National Security Council (NSC) Meeting, and National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM) 263:

http://mcadaxms.posc.mu.edu/viet8.htm

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/viet14.htm

Next, read the White House's U.S. Policy on Vietnam Statement dated October 2, 1963:

http://www.behs64.org/docums/vdocum/mcntay.html

Finally, read this transcript of Kennedy's last press conference:

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/viet23.htm


1		What was R.G.K. Thompson's assessment of the war in April 1963? Explain.



2		Under what circumstances did Thompson recommend withdrawing 1,000 American advisers from South Vietnam? What benefits did he argue would accrue from such a withdrawal?



3		What objections did Kennedy have at the October 2, 1963, NSC meeting to the wording of the draft public statement? Why? What does this suggest about the President's commitment to the 1,000-man withdrawal plan?



4		Why do you think Kennedy ordered that no formal announcement be made of the 1,000-man withdrawal plan in NSAM-263? Does this suggest he had a secret plan to withdraw from Vietnam? Why or why not?



5		What did the October 2, 1963, White House Statement say about the troop withdrawal? Did this statement make a withdrawal of 1,000 soldiers inevitable, or did it imply contingencies? Explain.



6		What did Kennedy's comments at his final press conference suggest about the troop withdrawal?



7		In light of these documents, do you think that the 1,000-man troop withdrawal proposal was part of a secret plan that Kennedy had to extricate America from Vietnam? Explain. Is there a more plausible explanation for the President's desire to remove some of the troops from South Vietnam?

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