White House. "Public Affairs Policy Committee for Vietnam." 1965.
Microfiche: 1985 Document #002910
Date Issued: August 30, 1965
Date Declassified: September 20, 1984
Length: 3 pages
NOT Sanitized View full text View page images
The Public Affairs Policy Committee for Vietnam, a committee of high level government officials,
issued this memorandum detailing some of the decisions made at a meeting held on August 30, 1965
to help persuade public opinion over to support of the war. The tone is set immediately:
"Steps should be taken to publicize the depth of US public support for the Vietnamese
war effort both to blanket opposition voices in the US and to emphasize to Hanoi US
determination to pursue the war effort." (Emphasis Added).
Under a heading entitled "Civil Rights Groups," we find that:
"No further action will be taken with Martin Luther King's group pending a report
on Ambassador Goldberg's conversation with King. The positive support of Negro leaders
will be sought. (Action: Mr. McGeorge Bundy)
It is obvious the government placed a high priority on the winning over the hearts and minds of
"Negro" leaders, simply by looking at who was in charge of executing the decision,
National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy."
Send feedback or questions to kief@aavw.org Kief Schladweiler
Librarian, NYC