J. Edgar Hoover: Memo on the Leak of Vietnam War Information

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

This memo, dated June 29, 1965, provides a good example of the kind of routine memo Hoover would have produced in connection with the social and political upheavals of the 1960s, particularly those in connection with the war in Vietnam. Here he summarizes a conversation he had with President Lyndon Johnson about the leak of information concerning deepening U.S. involvement in Vietnam. This information had been leaked to the journalist Philip Geyelin, who, as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, had spent time in Vietnam and returned home extremely disillusioned by the war. He later continued his antiwar stance as deputy editor and then editor of the editorial pages of the New York Times.

Essentially, the memo outlines action the FBI had taken in response to the leak, including interviews with high-level officials at the Pentagon and State Department. On the basis of these interviews, Hoover concludes that a particular person was responsible for the leak. In the text of the memo, though, various names and other information have been blacked out; they are indicated by the bracketed word “redacted.” This is a common practice when the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other federal agencies release documents that were originally confidential or secret. For various reasons, the agencies do not wish to make public details such as the names of individuals involved. Thus, although it is clear that Hoover has identified the person he believes is responsible for the leak, the name of that person is not revealed.