The New York Times Reports that General William C. Westmoreland has Requested 206,000 Additional Troops

March 10, 1968

General Westmoreland Requests 206,000 Additional Troops

Overview

The New York Times reports that General Westmoreland has requested an additional 206,000 U.S. troops for Vietnam to reinforce the over 500,000 service people already there, and that administration officials are divided over the request.

As the Tet Offensive progresses, President Johnson receives conflicting reports from MACV regarding the numbers of reinforcements that General Westmoreland needs to hold the northern provinces in South Vietnam. Johnson tasks the Secretary of Defense designate, Clark M. Clifford, with developing a recommendation on troop reinforcements. After speaking with top defense officials, Clifford’s inclination is not to send additional troops, as even the Joint Chiefs of Staff are uncertain what difference 200,000 more troops would make. He warns the president that these troops will mean a reserve mobilization, increased draft calls, and a greater financial burden. And on March 4, Clifford recommends the continued bombing of North Vietnam and limited reinforcements, while reassessing the political and strategic aspects of the war. Johnson plans to announce exact numbers of reinforcements in a public address on March 31, 1968.¹

¹Edward J. Drea, McNamara, Clifford, and the Burdens of Vietnam, 1965–1969, Secretaries of Defense Historical Series Volume VI (Washington, D.C.: Hisotircal Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2011), 179–189; Gregory A. Daddis, Westmoreland’s War: Reassessing American Strategy in Vietnam (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 143; George C. Herring, America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950–1975, (4th edition; New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002), 241–245. Historians disagree slightly over whether or not the Johnson administration had decided to limit the number of troops before or after the New York Times article appeared on March 10. Herring, America’s Longest War, 242, writes that the Johnson administration already decided by March 10 to limit the troops but had not made this public knowledge. While Drea, McNamara, 187–188, notes that by the time of the article, the chances for large reinforcements were already remote, and virtually disappeared after the Times released the piece. Drea writes that White House meetings on the topic were “fairly inconclusive” until about March 11.