Sept. 3, 1962 - General Maxwell D. Taylor (pictured with Vice President Johnson in May), newly appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today that the U.S. was prepared to play a larger role in South Vietnam if necessary to block the Communist threat. General Taylor, who arrived in Tokyo today from Honolulu on the first leg of an Asian tour, was responsible for drafting the current plan for massive U.S. support of Saigon’s fight against the Viet Cong. He was President Kennedy’s military adviser at the time he drafted the plan. Asked at a news conference about criticism of the U.S. effort in South Vietnam, General Taylor said: “I don’t think our effort should be criticized. I think our progress there is encouraging. That does not mean the end is in sight.” Asked if the U.S. should make a bigger effort in South Vietnam, he replied: “If we are not doing enough, we are prepared to do more.”
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