BG Edward G. Lansdale
USAF BG Edward G. Lansdale had worked closely with South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem in 1954–56 while Lansdale was detailed to the CIA. Lansdale was one of the most influential voices in U.S. government debates in 1960–61 about what to do in Vietnam. His report from a January 1961 fact-finding mission was the first detailed document President Kennedy read about Vietnam after taking office that same month.