This document gives the approval of the President and Secretary of Defense to establish the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (USMACV) on February 8, 1962, at a time of increased military assistance to South Vietnam. It names General Paul D. Harkins as the commanding general of MACV, and says that this senior U.S. military commander in South Vietnam will have the direct responsibility for all U.S. military policy, operations and assistance in that country.
China and the Soviet Union saw the establishment of this joint-service command as an indication that the United States intended to send combat troops to Vietnam. The Chinese and Soviets planned to increase their support for the Communist insurgency in Vietnam in response.
