 The real trouble with this damn thing is, of course, that we don't know what's going to happen in that city. And the real choice has been whether we would feel sorry or if we tried it and it didn't work well, or if we didn't try it and it didn't work well. And it's that negative reason that has made me feel that the advice to you was right and that Spock's decision was right and that we were right to go along with it. Because if there's a shambles in Stanleyville and 500 paratroopers are down at Camina, we look damn silly. Now how many bulls is it that we got around town that's not aboard on this, ain't it? Not a one, Mr. President. The people who have the most reservations about it probably are people if I had to guess, the fellow who was most wary this morning was Bob McNamara, you know him, he's a grave, nobody let me know that. Don McCone is a little wary and you might get some backlash from his people. Well, did he agree to this? He agreed to it on the ground that Spock recommended it, but if Spock had not recommended it, he would have been against it. What about Herman? Herman is hot for it. Ball is hot for it. Carl Rowan very much against it. Is he? Yeah. He thinks it. Don Wilson has been in every meeting and hasn't said a word. So there's been no representation that I've heard of a USIA opinion against it. He says it'll hurt us with the other African countries. It will. It will hurt us. If he's reciting simply as to whether, from the point of view of US propaganda, it's easier or harder in Africa the morning after he's absolutely right it is. He thinks it'll hurt us with the Negroes in this country. I'm no expert on that, but I would guess that in a straight humanitarian venture and when it becomes clear and it will be clear within a week that these people go in and they come out and that they are there on this mission and no other, I think it'll be a very short-lived feeling among American Negroes and even among African Negroes. Not half the patch of what we'd have to deal with if a lot of people got massacred because we couldn't quite say yes to a Belgian request. When is this supposed to occur? They are in the air. They are on schedule. They should be dropping in any time within between now and midnight. 11, Washington time, which is right now, has been the target hour, but you know how these things are. First light is the theory. The first light in Stanleyville and it should be at this hour here in Washington. How long before we should know something? It might take a couple hours and we might know something in an hour. We just don't know and it might take longer because it depends on how busy they are and whether they have time to report out and whether they get the radio or whether they have to use their own single sideband which is a slightly longer system. Okay, let me know as soon as I know anything and I'll call you if I don't know anything. Alright, come back.