• THE VIETNAM CENTER AND ARCHIVE
  • Texas Tech University

 Finding Aid: Douglas Pike Collection: Other Manuscripts - Ellsworth Bunker Papers Item Number: 1790000000

Pike Collection
Location: D032.5B


Scope & Content:

  • Description (Excerpt from Douglas Pike's Introduction in The Bunker Papers): When President Lyndon Johnson, in the spring of 1967, asked Ellsworth Bunker to become his ambassador in Saigon, then the largest and in some ways most important American embassy in the world, Bunker stipulated as one of his conditions for acceptance that he always have direct access to the President. It was agreed this access would take the form, in part, of a weekly (later, monthly) "back channel" cable from Bunker to the President. Such messages by-passed the standard distribution system within the U.S. government's communication network that included the State Department, the Pentagon, and the CIA (although these agencies and others did receive copies of the cable after the delivery to the President). The intent of the "back channel" message was to assure a direct Bunker-to-President link that no one could short-stop. It was a singular arrangement in the intracommunication process within the U.S. government. Scope: (Excerpt from Douglas Pike's The Bunker Papers) In all there were ninety-six such messages from Bunker to the President, the first dated May 3, 1967, and the last May 5, 1973. Collectively, they form a historical documentation of extraordinary value. They are, by far, the most detailed chronological accounting of events, particularly within the South Vietnamese governmental and political scene, that we are likely to get. They cover the key years marked by the Buddhist demonstrations, the "government by coup d'etat" period, the rise of the political fortunes of generals Nguyen Cao Ky and Nguyen Van Thieu, the 1968 Tet offensive, and the launching of the Paris talks. Box 1 of the collection contains copies of the originals numbered as they appear in the published account and in chronological order. Box 2 contains copy of the material as it became ready for publication. Box 2 also contains Pike's correspondence regarding the publication of the book. Note: (Excerpt from Douglas Pike's The Bunker Papers) In 1988, the University of California's Institute of East Asian Studies, under the Freedom of Information Act, obtained copies of the original telegrams. The Institute's Indochina Studies Project proposed publication as a contribution to the scholarship of America's involvement in the Vietnam War and as a lasting tribute to Ellsworth Bunker, one of the great and truly humane American ambassadors of this century. Subsequently, publication was made possible by a generous grant from The Asia Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco.

Biographical Note:

  • Professor Pike was born in 1925. He served as a journalist in the Army during World War II (in the Pacific Theater of Operations) and during the Korean Conflict. He earned degrees from the University of California-Berkeley and American University. He served as an FSO in Taiwan, Korea, Lebanon, and Vietnam. In 1982 he began teaching at UC-Berkeley and in 1997 moved Texas Tech University. Professor Pike housed and supported the Collection until 1982 when he moved it to Berkeley. It remained there until 1992 when Berkeley considered discontinuing its support for the Indo-China Studies Project. After being approached by Dr. Pike, Dr. James Reckner, Director of the Vietnam Center at Tech, and Dr. David Murrah, Assistant Director of Libraries for the Special Collections, worked together to bring the Collection to the Archive in 1994

Access Level:

  • Unrestricted

Collection Inventory:

LocationBoxFolderContents
1
Photocopied Originals
1
Telegram 1: May 3, 1967 Telegram 2: May 10, 1967 Telegram 3: May 17, 1967 Telegram 4: May 24, 1967 Telegram 5: May 31, 1967
2
Telegram 6: June 7, 1967 Telegram 7: June 14, 1967 Telegram 8: June 21, 1967 Telegram 9: June 28, 1967
3
Telegram 10: July 5, 1967 Telegram 11: July 12, 1967 Telegram 12: July 19, 1967 Telegram 13: July 26, 1967
3B
Telegram 14: August 2, 1967 Telegram 15: August 9, 1967 Telegram 16: August 16, 1967 Telegram 17: August 23, 1967 Telegram 18: August 30, 1967
4
Telegram 19: September 6, 1967 Telegram 20: September 13, 1967 Telegram 21: September 20, 1967 Telegram 22: September 27, 1967
5
Telegram 23: October 4, 1967 Telegram 24: October 12, 1967 Telegram 25: October 18, 1967 Telegram 26: October 25, 1967
6
Telegram 27: November 2, 1967 Telegram 28: November 8, 1967 Telegram 29: November 29, 1967
7
Telegram 30: December 7, 1967 Telegram 31: December 13, 1967 Telegram 32: December 28, 1967
8
Telegram 33: January 2, 1968 Telegram 34: January 13, 1968 Telegram 35: January 17, 1968 Telegram 36: January 24, 1968
9
Telegram 37: February 4, 1968 Telegram 38: February 8, 1968 Telegram 39: February 15, 1968 Telegram 40: February 22, 1968 Telegram 41: February 29, 1968
10
Telegram 42: March 6, 1968 Telegram 43: March 14, 1968 Telegram 44: March 20, 1968 Telegram 45: March 28, 1968
11
Telegram 46: April 4, 1968 Telegram 47: April 19, 1968 Telegram 48: April 25, 1968
12
Telegram 49: May 2, 1968 Telegram 50: May 9, 1968 Telegram 51: May 16, 1968 Telegram 52: May 23, 1968 Telegram 53: May 29, 1968
13
Telegram 54: June 8, 1968 Telegram 55: June 13, 1968 Telegram 56: June 20, 1968 Telegram 57: June 27, 1968
14
Telegram 58: July 4, 1968 Telegram 59: July 11, 1968 Telegram (unnumbered): July 26, 1968
15
Telegram 60: August 1, 1968 Telegram 61: August 7, 1968 Telegram 62: August 15, 1968 Telegram 63: August 22, 1968 Telegram 64: August 29, 1968
16
Telegram 65: September 4, 1968 Telegram 66: September 12, 1968 Telegram 67: September 19, 1968 Telegram 68: September 26, 1968
17
Telegram 69: October 2, 1968 Telegram 70: October 11, 1968 Telegram 71: October 19, 1968 Telegram 72: October 30, 1968
18
Telegram 73: November 30, 1968 Telegram 74: December 19, 1968
19
Telegram 75: January 16, 1969 Telegram 76: February 22, 1969 Telegram 77: March 21, 1969 Telegram 78: May 6, 1969 Telegram 79: June 5, 1969
20
Telegram 80: July 16, 1969 Telegram 81: August 1969 Telegram 82: November 18, 1969 Telegram 83: December 9, 1969
21
Telegram 84: February 10, 1970 Telegram 85: March 27, 1970 Telegram 86: April 24, 1970 Telegram 87: June 19, 1970
22
Telegram 88: August 26, 1970 Telegram 89: October 3, 1970 Telegram 90: December 21, 1970
23
Telegram 91: January 30, 1971 Telegram 92: March 30, 1971 Telegram 93: May 9, 1971 Telegram 94: June 9, 1971
24
Telegram 95: January 26, 1972 Telegram 96: May 5, 1973
1
Copy for Print
1
Telegram 1: May 3, 1967 Telegram 2: May 10, 1967 Telegram 3: May 17, 1967 Telegram 4: May 24, 1967 Telegram 5: May 31, 1967
2
Telegram 6: June 7, 1967 Telegram 7: June 14, 1967 Telegram 8: June 21, 1967 Telegram 9: June 28, 1967
3
Telegram 10: July 5, 1967 Telegram 11: July 12, 1967 Telegram 12: July 19, 1967 Telegram 13: July 26, 1967
3B
Telegram 14: August 2, 1967 Telegram 15: August 9, 1967 Telegram 16: August 16, 1967 Telegram 17: August 23, 1967 Telegram 18: August 30, 1967
4
Telegram 19: September 6, 1967 Telegram 20: September 13, 1967 Telegram 21: September 20, 1967 Telegram 22: September 27, 1967
5
Telegram 23: October 4, 1967 Telegram 24: October 12, 1967 Telegram 25: October 18, 1967 Telegram 26: October 25, 1967
6
Telegram 27: November 2, 1967 Telegram 28: November 8, 1967 Telegram 29: November 29, 1967
7
Telegram 30: December 7, 1967 Telegram 31: December 13, 1967 Telegram 32: December 28, 1967
8
Telegram 33: January 2, 1968 Telegram 34: January 13, 1968 Telegram 35: January 17, 1968 Telegram 36: January 24, 1968
9
Telegram 37: February 4, 1968 Telegram 38: February 8, 1968 Telegram 39: February 15, 1968 Telegram 40: February 22, 1968 Telegram 41: February 29, 1968
10
Telegram 42: March 6, 1968 Telegram 43: March 14, 1968 Telegram 44: March 20, 1968 Telegram 45: March 28, 1968
11
Telegram 46: April 4, 1968 Telegram 47: April 19, 1968 Telegram 48: April 25, 1968
12
Telegram 49: May 2, 1968 Telegram 50: May 9, 1968 Telegram 51: May 16, 1968 Telegram 52: May 23, 1968 Telegram 53: May 29, 1968
13
Telegram 54: June 8, 1968 Telegram 55: June 13, 1968 Telegram 56: June 20, 1968 Telegram 57: June 27, 1968
14
Telegram 58: July 4, 1968 Telegram 59: July 11, 1968 Telegram (unnumbered): July 26, 1968
15
Telegram 60: August I, 1968 Telegram 61: August 7, 1968 Telegram 62: August 15, 1968 Telegram 63: August 22, 1968 Telegram 64: August 29, 1968
16
Telegram 65: September 4, 1968 Telegram 66: September 12, 1968 Telegram 67: September 19, 1968 Telegram 68: September 26, 1968
17
Telegram 69: October 2, 1968 Telegram 70: October 11, 1968 Telegram 71: October 19, 1968 Telegram 72: October 30, 1968
18
Telegram 73: November 30, 1968 Telegram 74: December 19, 1968
19
Telegram 75: January 16, 1969 Telegram 76: February 22, 1969 Telegram 77: March 21, 1969 Telegram 78: May 6, 1969 Telegram 79: June 5, 1969
20
Telegram 80: July 16, 1969 Telegram 81: August 1969 Telegram 82: November 18, 1969 Telegram 83: December 9, 1969
21
Telegram 84: February 10, 1970 Telegram 85: March 27, 1970 Telegram 86: April 24, 1970 Telegram 87: June 19, 1970
22
Telegram 88: August 26, 1970 Telegram 89: October 3, 1970 Telegram 90: December 21, 1970
23
Telegram 91: January 30, 1971 Telegram 92: March 30, 1971 Telegram 93: May 9, 1971 Telegram 94: June 9, 1971
24
Telegram 95: January 26, 1972 Telegram 96: May 5, 1973
25
Pike Correspondence
26
Pike Introduction
27
Computer Diskettes (5 1/4")

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