INTELLIGENCE-RELATED ASPECTS OF THE SEPTEMBER 18, 1964 GULF OF TONKIN INCIDENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP67B00558R000100160003-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 23, 2009
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: November 13, 1964
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2009/09/23: CIA-RDP67B00558R000100160003-0
NSA, OSD, NSC reviews completed
PFIAB/NSC Review Completed.
Approved For Release 2009/09/23: CIA-RDP67B00558R000100160003-0
 Approved For Release 2009/09/23: CIA-RDP67B00558R000100160003-0
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
ee xv--- //
November 13, 19b4
MEM)RA, ?3DUM OR THE SECRETARY OF DI FEN E
THE CHAIRMAN, UNITED SWIMS LNfELLIGM ICE BOARD
)U TECT: Intelligence-Related Aspects of the
S tembcr 18, 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Enclosed herewith is a report Which was submitted
to the President on October 1 , 1064, by the President's
Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board following its review
of the acquisition, evaluations and reporting of intei
ligence and related data pertaining to the incident
involving U. S. forces in the Gulf of Tonkin on
September IU, 1964.
Before taking final action on the two recommendations
contained in the board's report, it is requested that the
Chairrar, United States Intelligence Board, submit his
views on Recommendation No. 1, and that the Secretary of
nse submit his views on Recomnendation 140. 2.
It would be appreciated if the above requested comments
could be provided to this office by December 1, 1x64.
Copies of the reports containing these recommendations
should be furnished simultaneously to the President's
Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
NcGeorga Dundy
;nclosure (SC-09060/ a4 )
resident's Foreign intelligence
Advisory Board
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F r7 r%
SC-09060/6)4
WASHINGTON
PRESIDENT'S FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE ADVISORY BOARD October 1I+, 1Q641
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT: Intelligence-Related Aspects of
September 18, 196+ Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The Board has completed a review of the intelligence-
related aspects of the incident involving U. S. Naval Forces
in the Gulf of Tonkin on September 18, 1964. The purpose
of our review was to determine the alert warning and
response capabilities of the U. S. intelligence community
in developing crisis situations under circumstances such
as prevailed in the Tonkin Gulf incident.
The Board's review included the following: (1) examina-
tion of all intelligence and operational messages which
originated in the Tonkin Gulf area, and which were transmitted
to the White House Situation Room through both intellitence-
rep orting and military-command channels; (2) analyses of
independent, uncoordinated evaluations which were provided
to the White House by some of the member agencies of the
intelligence community; and (3) discussions with the Office -
of the President's Special Assistant for National Security
Affairs, and with intelligence officials of the Departments
of State and Defense, the CIA, the National Security Agency
and the Chairman of the U. S. intelligence community's inter-
agency Watch Committee.
Jased on this review, the Board concludes that there
is a need for re-examination of the doctrine and procedures
which presently govern the intelligence coverage, reporting
and evaluations of crisis developments involving actual.or
threatened engagements of U. S. military forces in .limited,
tactical-warfare situations. We note that in this instance
the President and other policy-making officials did not
receive from. our intelligence agencies collective evaluations
of significant information which was being obtained from
intercepts of encoded North Vietnamese Naval communications.
As a consequence she White House was obliged to resort to
unilateral and, at times, conflicting judgments of intelligence
analysts and other officials in the several agencies concerned.
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We also note that when some of the significant messages
of the North Vietnamese were intercepted in the Pacific,
the full encoded text was not immediately transmitted to
National Security Agency (NSA) Headquarters. Thus the re-
sources of that Headquarters could not be brought to bear
;ally and immediately to assist in achieving prompt and
accurate decodes and translations of the intercepted
messages for timely consideration by responsible officials.
As a means of strengthening the capability of the
Government to obtain timely assessments of intelligence
in such situations, we recommend that:
The Director of Central Intelligence, as Chairman
of the United States intelligence Board: (a) conduct a
study of the intelligence-related responsibilities and
functioning of U. S. agencies in the Gulf of Tonkin incident,
and (b) submit to the President a report and recommendations
on the desirability of establishing within the intelligence
community a central evaluation mechanism having the specific
responsibility of furnishing the President and other top
officials with timely, interagency evaluations of current
intelligence with respect to developing crisis situations
such as the Gulf of Tonkin incident (perhaps using the
J,T
intelligence community's Z patch Committee and National
Indications Center for this purpose); and that
2 The Director of the National Security Agency:
(a) conduct a review of the signals intelligence collection
':. ;d renortin aspects of the Tonkin Gulf incident, and
+.~j 'urnisn the President a report and recommendations
designed to insure timely transmission to National Security
gency Headquarters of the co::iplete encoded ' text of inter-
cepted messages which on preliminary analysis in the field
appear to contain indications of possible hostile actions
having a significant bearing on the national defense and
secufity of the United States.
FOR THE BOARD
Clark M. Clifford
Chairman
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LB Kirkpatrick, Ex/b (noted) 17 Nov.
UNCLASSIFIED SECRET
CONFIDENTIAL
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UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL SECRET
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
TO
NAME AND ADDRESS
DATE
INITIALS
1
DD/S&T
%/ %3
~ ~/~
2
", p % SCE lv?'G L
3
4
5
6
DDI
ACTION
DIRECT REPLY
PREPARE REPLY
APPROVAL
DISPATCH
RECOMMENDATION
COMMENT
FILE
RETURN
CONCURRENCE
INFORMATION
SIGNATURE
Remarks: DDI should prepare reply for DCI signa-
ture in coordination. internally with
DDP and D/NIPE, and externally with .CIA,, State
& NSA. Please have response in this office by
27 November.
SUSPENSE: 27 November 1964
cc: LDI
/13D/S&T
D/NIPE
DDP
Exec. See. - USIB
EA./DC:L & E' A/DDCI
FOLD HERE TO RETURN TO SENDER
FROM: NAME. ADDRESS AND PHONE NO.
DATE