President Kennedy's National Security Council Meeting Notes
11/15/1961
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At the National Security Council (NSC) meeting where he scrawled these notes, President John F. Kennedy’s advisers pressed him to dispatch 8,000 American ground troops to Vietnam. He resisted, saying he could "make a rather strong case against intervening in an area 10,000 miles away against 16,000 guerrillas with a native army of 200,000, where millions have been spent for years with no success."
His notes say:
Guerilla War = 10,000
Vietnam - What about Cuba -
2 Front War
Diplomacy - Multi-lateral SEATO group
NATO
In the end, Kennedy chose to compromise, authorizing an increase in advisers and firepower. It was one of a series of escalations he would make during his term as President.
Included is a copy transcribing the President's notes, made by his personal secretary, Mrs. Evelyn Lincoln.
His notes say:
Guerilla War = 10,000
Vietnam - What about Cuba -
2 Front War
Diplomacy - Multi-lateral SEATO group
NATO
In the end, Kennedy chose to compromise, authorizing an increase in advisers and firepower. It was one of a series of escalations he would make during his term as President.
Included is a copy transcribing the President's notes, made by his personal secretary, Mrs. Evelyn Lincoln.
Transcript
Nov. 15, 1961The White House
Washington
Guerilla War = 10,000
Vietnam - What about Cuba -
2 Front War
Diplomacy - Multi-lateral SEATO group
NATO
This primary source comes from the Collection JFK-1: John F. Kennedy Personal Papers.
Full Citation: President John F. Kennedy's Notes from a National Security Council Meeting; 11/15/1961; 15 November 1961; Doodles, 1952 - 1963; Collection JFK-1: John F. Kennedy Personal Papers; John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, MA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/jfk-nsc-notes, April 17, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
