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“It’s a Mess”

 

Photo credit: Yoichi Okamoto

Conversation Details

President Johnson asked his mentor, Sen. Richard B. “Dick” Russell Jr. [D–Georgia], for advice on Vietnam. “It’s the damned worst mess I ever saw,” Russell declared, noting the political instability in South Vietnam, the hazards of invading North Vietnam, and the threat of Chinese escalation. 

 

Date:
May 27, 1964
Topic:
Escalation
Location
Oval Office
Conversation
WH6405-10-3519-3520-3521

Conversation Participants