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[heli]copter—specifically the tactical transport as represented by the Huey—was the absolute sine qua non of the Army's concept of airmobility. General Johnson, then Chief of Staff of the Army, was keenly aware of this basic fact.

At the working level in Vietnam both Army and Air Force officers hammered out practical methods of solving their day-to-day problems and coordinating their efforts. Ever since the conference I mentioned in the first chapter of this study where General White expressed his concern on the size of the Army's fleet, the Air Force had opposed the Army's continued acquisition of the Caribou. By 1966 the Army was operating six Caribou companies in Vietnam. The 7th Air Force in Vietnam, which had been upgraded from the 2d Air Division on 2 April 1966, was severely critical of the Army's method of operation of its Caribou assets. They believed that the Caribou should be incorporated into the Air Force managed Southeast Asia airlift and consequently be more productive from a ton-mile basis.

The Army on its side had some very strong advocates for the Army retaining the Caribou and procuring its turbine powered successor, the Buffalo, as soon as possible. They pointed to the history of the Caribou's responsiveness to the demands of far-flung isolated units and the lack of guarantee that such support would be available under Air Force management. They looked upon the Caribou as a bitterly contested victory for a legitimate Army mission and they were appalled at the mere possibility that the Army might trade this victory for an empty guarantee that they could remain in the helicopter business. It was truly an emotionally charged atmosphere—one that was neither as black nor as white as the critics on both sides appeared to believe.

Prior to the Air Force assumption of the Caribou, most were already under centralized management under Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, and were participating in the Southeast Asia airlift effort. However, one-fourth to one-half of their resources were dedicated to specific Army support. That is, one company had the sole function of supporting the 1st Cavalry Division and others had full-time missions in support of small elements in the Delta and Special Forces. A small portion of the Caribou fleet hauled parts and supplies to isolated Army aviation elements. No doubt some of the Caribou missions were inefficient from a standpoint of payload, but none were considered a luxury by the users.

With this as a background, let's turn to the actual agreement by the two chiefs of staff as signed on 6 April 1966. Because it is important and relatively short, the complete text follows: