NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011 TOP SECRET – Sensitive
country, you can't see any deterioration in the military effort of SVN because of the political situation in the country?
Secretary McNamara. This is a fair statement.
Chairman Morgan. You feel that the Vietnamese Array is moving ahead and is cooperating with our forces in there?
Secretary McNamara. Yes. Certain of the affairs of the Vietnamese Army have been affected by the political unrest of recent months. As Gen. Taylor pointed out, some of their relatives have been arrested and subjected to a violation of their personal freedoms and liberties, and undoubtedly this has tended to turn some of the officers away from support of their government.
But they are strongly motivated by the desire to resist the Communist encroachment…and their anti-Communist feelings are stronger than their distrust of government. So to date there has been no reduction in the effectiveness of their military operations, 10/
There is no record that this express recognition that the bad political situation might affect the military capability was considered a contingency to be foreseen in the program, or that anyone suggested it should be.
Nearly four months later Secretary McNamara had an explanation to offer concerning his view of the situation at the time of this testimony. Appearing once more in Executive Session to testify on the authorization bill for the fiscal year 1965, before the House Committee on Armed Services on 2J January 1964, the Secretary was asked by Mr. Chamberman of the House Committee to explain why
his press conference comments on the situation the day before were clearly more optimistic than those in his Congressional statement. Both were more optimistic than recent news reports from Viet Nam. 11/
In response, the Secretary went back to his Joint Report to the President of 2 October, to cite again the caveat which had been expressed as follows.
The political situation in South Viet Nam remains deeply serious. The United States has made clear its continuing opposition to any repressive actions in South Viet Nam. While such actions have not yet significantly affected the military effort, they could do so in the future. 12/
