Speaking with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara and Joint Chiefs of Staff chair General Maxwell D. Taylor just prior to their departure for Saigon, President Kennedy addressed the prospect of telling South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm of plans to withdraw American troops. While McNamara hoped to begin withdrawal “if the military situation improves,” Kennedy thought it better to leverage Diệm by highlighting the depth and duration of U.S. support.