MEETING OF HUONG AND KY ON 21 MAY

Created: 5/22/1968

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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VIETNAM . .

MAY

OF HUONG AND KY ONAY

VIETNAM,AY FIELD NO,

RIME MINISTER DESIGNATE TRAN VAN HUONG CALLED ON VICE PRESIDENT NGUYEN CAO KY ONAY FOR WHAT HE SAID WASOURTESY CALL BUT RATHEREARCHONFIDANT" AFTER MANY LONELY WEEKS OF.TRYING TO DECIDE ON HIS POLITICAL ROLE IN THE COUNTRY. HUONG NOTED HE HAD REJECTED MANY REQUESTS FROM PRESIDENT NGUYEN VAN THIEU TO SERVE AS PRIME MINISTER BUT THAT THIEU HAD FINALLY INSISTED, AT

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WHICH POINT HE HAD* FELT^OBLIGATED TO ACCEPT. HUONG SAID HE. WAS ALL TOO CONSCIOUS OF ALLEGATIONS THftT HEEPARATISTOTENTIAL COMPROMISER WITH THE VIETLL THESE ACCUSATION KZRE SIMPLY NOT TRUE. HE SAID KE WAS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE WIDELY-HELD ASSUMPTION THAT KY IS OPPOSED TO HIM, WHICH HE DOES SEALLY BELIEVE IS TRUE.

KY RESPONDED BY ASSURING HUONG OF HIS CERTAINTY THAT HUONG ISEPARATIST AND WOULD NOT COMPROMISE WITH THE VC. HE SAID HE IS NOT AGAINST HUONG, BUT HE DID EXPRESS SOME CONCERN ABOUT THE YOUNGER GGRESSIVE AND SOMETIMES UNSTABLE SET AROUND HUONG WHO COULD "SPOIL IT FOR THEY MENTIONED VO LUONG TRIEU AND NGUYEN rVAN TRUONG BY NAME. HUONG SAID HE UNDERSTOOD THE SENT OF SUCK PERSON AROUND HIM AND DEPRECATED THE AMOUNT OF INFLUENCE THEY WOULD HAVE ON HIS POLICIES AND GOVERNMENT.

KY ENCOURAGED HUONG TO GO AHEAD WITH FORMING HIS GOVERNMENT AN! NOT BE OVERLY DISTURBED BY RUMORS AND GOSSIP. HE PROMISED THAT AS LONG.AS.HUONG SERVED THE -COU NTRY.AND DID NOT COMPROMISE WITH THE VC KE (KY) WOULD BE WITH HUONG. HUONG SAID THAT EVEN THOUGH KE HAD EXPE TED TO BZ REASSUREDY, .KE FOUND KY'S REMARKS VERY SATISFYING. HE THEN TOLD KY THAT IF HE EVER TOOK ANY ACTION THAT KY THOUGHT WAS A

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EETRAYAL OF THE COUNTRY, KY SHOULD TELL KIM AND HUONG WOULD RESIGN AT ONCE.

A. THE REST OF THE CONVERSATION WAS ON AN EVEN MORE PERSONAL BASIS, WITH HUONG REFERRING TO THEIR COMMON PERSONALITY TRAITS AND INTERESTS. HUONG ALSO RECALLED AN. INCIDENT' AT KY'S WEDDING WHEN HUONG GRASPED KY' HAND IN THE CARAVELLE HOTEL AND PREDICTED THAT HE WOULD SOMEDAY ACHIEV GREAT-THINGS IN SOUTH VIETNAM. HE MENTIONED THEIR COMMON LIKING FOR DOING "SHOWY" THINGS WHEN OUT AMONG THE PEOPLE AND FOR WRITING POETRY.

HE PAST, KY HAS HIMSELF REMARKED ON THE FACT THAT HE AND HUONG ARE ALIKE. KY REACTED POSITIVELY TO WHATOMEWHAT SENTIMENTAL AND OBVIOUS ATTEMPT TO PLAY ON HIS FEELINGS AND FLATTER K; EGO. KY IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS. APPROACH UPLTHOUGH HIS REACTION WAS POSITIVEERSONAL LEVEL', KY REMAINS RESENTFUL OF THIEU'S HANDLING OF THE CHANGE OF CABINET AND SOMEWHAT MISTRUSTFUL OF ThE "HUONGEVERTHELESS KY APPARENTLY DOES NOT INTEND TO WITHDRAW TO THE SIDELINES AND HAS STATED HIS WILLINGNESS TO BECOME ACTIVE WITH THE ABOUT-TO7BE-CONSTITUTED COUNCILS PROVIDED FOR IN THE CONSTITUTION AND TO CONTINUE HIS DIRECTION OF THE SELF-DEFENSE CORPS.)

5. (FIELD COMMENT: ACCORDING TO ANOTHER SOURCE, HUONG HAS OFFERED TO NAME LIEUTENANT COLONEL PHAM VAN MINH,Y AIDE, AS MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND TO RETAIN LUU VAN TINH, REPUTEDLY A

TER, INpgrjOST AS.

Associate'

A7IESEETING THAT HI WAS EN7RE3SED BY HUONG'SIT SINCERITY IS SEEXINS KIS COLLAEOEATIOMO

Original document.

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