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{
    "localId": "186649",
    "label": "Ford Administration Notes of the Cabinet Meeting",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/186649"
}

{
    "id": "186649",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/186649",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Ford Administration Notes of the Cabinet Meeting",
    "description": "Topics discussed at this meeting include the evacuation from Saigon and Indochina refugees.",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/186649",
    "collections": [
        "James E. Connor Files",
        "Cabinet Meetings Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Minutes"
    ],
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    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
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{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/186649",
    "naId": 186649,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 29,
            "logicalDate": "1975-04-29",
            "month": 4,
            "year": 1975
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
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    "ocrText": "THE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nApril 29, 1975\nNotes of the Cabinet Meeting\nApril 29, 1975, 9:45 a.m.\nThe President convened the Cabinet at 9:50 m.\nThe President noted the difficulties of the last two weeks. He\nobserved that although the evacuations thus far had been successful,\nwe are not yet over the difficult period. Our objectives during\nthis period, he observed, have been to prevent panic in South Vietnam\nwhich would endanger American evacuation, deter North Vietnamese\nactivity, and stabilize the situation so that a successful\nevacuation could take place.\nSecretary Kissinger described in detail the events leading up to the\nevacuation. He reported that at the moment 300-400 Americans\nremained at the Embassy. In the last two days 4650 people have\nbeen lifted out of Saigon and that approximately 45000 Vietnamese will\nultimately be evacuated.\nSecretary Schlesinger reported that only a small security force (700)\nremains at DAO (Defense Attache's Office) and that the priority has\nshifted to the evacuation of Embassy personnel.\nThe President stated that our original intention was to use C-130\naircraft for the evacuation, but that the shelling of the airport precluded\nthat. Helicopters were substituted. Amb. Martin and Gen. Smith made\na decision on site to include South Vietnamese with the American\nevacuees presumably in order to prevent panic.\nSecretary Schlesinger indicated that some difficulties had been encountered.\nOnly two helicopters at a time can be used for Embassy evacuation;\nthere had been sniper fire; the weather had not been favorable; and\nthere had been some North Vietnamese firing at evacuation aircraft.\nIn one instance our aircraft returned the fire and observed secondary\nexplosions.\nDECLASSIFIED\nGERALD\n?\nE.O. 12356, Sec. 3.4.\nMR 90-9,42 NSC etr, 10/12/90\nFORD\nBy KBH NARA, Date 12/17/90\nLIBRARY"
}