Page:Pentagon-Papers-Part-V-B-4-Book-I.djvu/172

Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3 NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011  c. In preparation for possible commitment of U.S. forces to Vietnam, which might result from an NSC decision following discussions between Vice President Johnson and President Diem, Defense is undertaking an immediate study of the size and composition of U.S. forces required to:


 * - provide maximum psychological impact in: deterrence of further Communist aggression from North Vietnam, China, or the Soviet Union, while rallying the morale of the Vietnamese and encouraging the support of SEATO and neutral nations for Vietnam's defense;


 * - release Vietnamese forces from advanced and static defense positions to permit their fuller commitment to counter-insurgency actions;


 * - provide maximum training to approved Vietnamese forces; and


 * - provide significant military resistance to potential North Vietnam Communist and/or Chinese Communist action.

The following possible actions are being considered in this Defense study:

(1) Deploy to South Vietnam two U.S. battle groups (with necessary command and logistics units), plus an engineer (construction-combat) battalion. These units would be located in the Rh