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
Presidential Daily Diary Excerpt
![Presidential Daily Diary, 5/27/1964](https://d29j0x7vue4ie8.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/2021-04/1964_0527_03519_03521_russell_DD.jpg)