VICE PRESIDENT KY'S INTENTION TO RELINQUISH HIS SPECIAL POWERS BECAUSE OF DISCO

Created: 2/15/1968

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

MCA

eb 15 6

145 0 YE KAD S

t.DEKZKSL

H CIA

g TO WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOMSSOA

SSO ARLINGTON HALL STATION -

AFSSO USAF

IA/ISIC

JCS

NIC

DIRNSA COMMAND CENTER

STATE <RCI)

CIA-OCI

Z1V,

LBJ LIBRARY Mandatory fevfcfeU^'MS

Approved for Kelaasj

DO I

SL'SJZCT

viet;

3

VICE PRESIDENT KY'S INTENTION TO RELINQUISH HIS SPECIAL ROWERS BECAUSE OF DISCOURAGEMENT WITH GOVERNMENT'S PERFORMANCE IN CURRENT CRISIS

CISC3iRsCIJ" at the gov. OF VIET NAMES' (GVN)the current crisis. DEFINITELY DECIDED THAT

jrtthljlxt fztf days he WILL RETURN TO PRESIDENT/NGUYEN vas tjiie'J all the "special POWERS" CONFERRED ON HIM BY TKIEU. ky was REFERRING to HIS CHAIRMANSHIP OF

t^sh force establishedHIEU TO COPE WITH THE AFTERMATH iF the viet cons cvc) TET OFFENSIVE.)

2. ky said the 3VN had SEEN TOTALLY AND UNNECESSARILY paralyzed immediately after THE VC ATTACKS. HE FELT THAT. given the destruction WROUGHT BY THE ATTACKS, IT WAS STILL sovins with too little EFFECTIVENESS AND SENSE OF URGENCY. ky said that while he HAD ATTEMPTED AS CHAIRMAN OF THE TASKd otherwise within THE POWERS CONFERRED ON HIPI BYonstitution to hove rapidly TO RETURN THE SITUATION TO hqreal, almost EVERY HOVE HE HAD HADE HAD COME UNDER FIRE FROKupporters tfho claimed THAT HE WAS ATTEHPTING TO SET himself upecond GOVERNMENT.

HE

even HIS OWN "ANTI-FRAUD" YOUTHhichoped COULD be USED IH THE PRESENT EMERGENCY, vasittle but COLLECTINS ITS SALARIES.

itv OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE THAT PRIMEYEN van logDISMAL FAILURE." HE ADDED tflTH. considerable bitterness that SINCE HE, KY, HAD BEEN THE CHIEF proponent OF lcc FOR the POSITION, HE FELT THAT LOC HAD LETo'is 3ably. KY also COMPLAINED THAT HOST OF THE CABINET ministers, despite the pro3LEMS FACING THE COUNTRY, SEEMED more concerned with BUREAUCRATIC PROPRIETY THAN WITH PROVIDING keanissful assistance to THOSE DISPLACED BY THE FIGHTING.

4. OHHLtCOXIIZKT: aKILSjJB Pto recognize the ROLE

disi-jriil.-is that ky SHOULD FEEL COMPELLED TO COMPLAIN ATvgih to so.-EONE OUTSIDE THE GOVERNMENT.

organizations can PLAY IN THE PRESENT SITUATION, disturbing that ky should feel COMPELLED TO CQMP

5. comment:

my told SOIJE close associates ONEBRUARY THAT HE INTENDED totc thieu, PROBABLY OHHE TASK

abolished. (HHHal SOURCES NOTED KY'S irritation kith criticism BY THIEU SUPPORTERS AND WITHL:cj_ty of getting CABINET MINISTERS TO DO THINGS,

s. field disssi;t STATE (AMBASSADOR BUNKER, POLITICAL. zort HI an) USSACV (GENERAL WESTMORELAND,AMS, ambassador XOMER, CHIEF OF) 7TH AIR FORCE (general kg."yer only) CINCPAC PACFLT ARPAC PACAF

Original document.

---

---