Page:Pentagon-Papers-Part V. B. 3. a.djvu/133



1. : In furtherance of the desires of interested agencies of the Government of the United States (see Annex "A"-Background) and in conformance with the "Terms of Reference for the Chief of the U.S. Military Mission to Indochina" (Appendix A to JCS 1992/224, copy attached as Annex "B"), approved by the Secretary of Defense on 12 June 1953, my party (see Annex "C") and I arrived in Saigon, Vietnam on 20 June 1953 to conduct a survey of the military situation in Indochina.

2. Throughout our stay in the Associated States we were most cordially received by officials of the French, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian Governments. Our first two days were taken up in briefings by the American Embassy, MAAG, and French and Vietnamese military headquarters and by staff discussions. Thereafter we returned to Saigon from time to time to conduct discussions with French headquarters, the American Embassy and MAAG, Indochina.

3. In order to facilitate our mission my party split into three, and sometimes four, groups and traveled throughout Indochina. We were given complete freedom in selecting our itineraries and on all occasions were supplied with ample transportation and accommodations by either Chief MAAG, Indochina, or the French Armed Forces. This allowed for "on the ground" familiarization with all objects of military interest in those areas controlled by non-Communist forces. (See Annex "D" for detailed chronological presentation of the mission's activities in Indochina)

Rh