Engineer
whom you've been hearing a lot about recently. Phil and I, over a period of about one
and a half years, negotiated the agreement with the Koreans. This type of assignment
gave me an opportunity to meet a lot of the Koreans as well as our own people from
the diplomatic community. From an engineering viewpoint, the assignment was not
significant. But
the standpoint of association with the rest of the Army, it was an
interesting and a valuable experience.
Q ..
You recognized that that was what General Wilson was trying to accomplish?
A ..
Oh, yes-with which, incidentally, I agreed.
Q ..
What about developments in Vietnam at that time? Were they being followed from
where you were?
A ..
Yes, through intelligence reports. I was generally familiar with what was going on but
not directly involved.
Q ..
Do you have anything more you'd like to say about that?
A
No
Director of Construction and J-4, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
Q.
Your next major assignment came in February 1966 whenyou went to the Directorate
of Construction in the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam [MACV]. How did you
feel about getting that assignment, and what do you know about the origins of your
selection?
Well, I wasn't very happy about it at the time, I must admit. But it was a challenge and
A
one to be met. You referred to the background of my selection. There is a lot about this
I don't know. Some of the people who do know would be General [William] Cassidy
and General Clarke, and I guess General Hayes was somewhat familiar. Basically, I had
heard in late 1965 that there were problems with the construction program in Vietnam.
I heard that there was interest in setting up some type of coordination and control in
Vietnam, rather than having each service dealing through its chain back to Washington
for construction requirements. In December of 1965, General Hayes, who was at that
time director of military construction, came to Korea, and we talked briefly. I got the
impression from him that, while I might have been considered for the assignment, that
proposal was no longer active. It was so problematical that I said nothing to anybody
about it.