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I —

To set forth a program of action without resort to overt combat operations by U.S forces, designed to: (a) secure tho military defeat of Communist forces in Indo- China, and (b) establish a western oriented complex in Southeast Asia incorporating Indo-China, Thailand, Burma Malaya, Indonesia and the Philippines.

II —

(A) Indo-China is considered the keystone of the arch of Southeast Asiaand the Indo-Chinese peninsula must not be permitted to fall under Communist domination. This requires the defeat in Indo-China of military and quasi-military Communist forces and the development of conditions conducive to successful resistance to any Communist actions to dominate the area. Measures taken in Indo-China, however, must be in consonance with U.S. and allied action taken in the Far East and Southeast Asia to defeat Communist efforts to extend their control of the area.

(B) Feasible actions to provide for the immediate U.S. assistance requested by the French for operations in the Dien Bien Phu-Central Laos sector have been taken. The measures recommended herein will hardly affect the immediate tactical situation in those areas (which while serious, is not as critical as public pronouncements suggest). They are designed to effect a general improvement in the over-all situation in Indo-China, which is such that all actions Copy of 20 copies, This document contains 13 pages.Rh