Memorandum from William J. Jorden to Governor William Harriman
12/27/1963
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In this memo, State Department official William Jorden concludes, "the infiltration of men and material from outside South Viet Nam in support of the Viet Cong is continuing...[but] to regard it as the decisive element...would be an error. It is quite clear that the primary source of the VC manpower is the South Vietnamese population itself."
Two years later, in 1965, Jorden wrote the State Department’s official line on U.S. policy in Vietnam, "Aggression from the North," which makes the contradictory assessment: "above all, the war in Vietnam is not a spontaneous and local rebellion against the established government."
Two years later, in 1965, Jorden wrote the State Department’s official line on U.S. policy in Vietnam, "Aggression from the North," which makes the contradictory assessment: "above all, the war in Vietnam is not a spontaneous and local rebellion against the established government."
This primary source comes from the General Records of the Department of State.
Full Citation: Memorandum from the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs’ Special Assistant to the Under Secretary; 12/27/1963; File: Vietnam 1963; Subject Files, 1963-1973, Box 18; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/memorandum-william-jorden-governor-harriman, October 9, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.