Person

Dean Rusk

U.S. Secretary of State, 1961 to 1969.

3 links, 3 backed by primary records. 8 more in open data

Connections 3

Operation Ranch Hand 1961 backed a limited program starting with transport routes Primary record 1
The 1961 decision to defoliate Vietnam 24 Nov 1961 recommended approval to President Kennedy Primary record 2

The 1961 decision to defoliate Vietnam as Secretary of State, recommended approval on 24 November 1961 Primary record 2

Timeline 2 dates

Proof 2 sources

Operation Ranch Hand: The Air Force and Herbicides in Southeast Asia, 1961-1971, Office of Air Force History, U.S. Air Force, 1982. Primary record
Secretary Rusk seconded Gilpatric's recommendation for a limited initial defoliation program restricted to transportation routes
Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President, 24 November 1961 (Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume I, Vietnam, 1961, Document 275), Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, 24 Nov 1961. Primary record
I recommend that you approve the undertaking of such operations
We must also stay away from the term ‘chemical warfare’ and any connection with the Chemical Corps, and rather talk about ‘weed killers’.

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