A L INTELLIGENCE PRIORITY
intelligence information cable
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Case*
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SOVKE
AYNO.
OF VIETNAM MARINES MOVED INTO DANANG00 HOURS ON " 'NAM "LIGHTS WERE CANCELLED FOR .5 MAY, PRESUMABLY TO RESTRICT TRAVEL OF UNDESIRABLE ELEMENTS OR POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF GVN AIR TRANSPORT NEEDS.0 HOURS ON 15 MAY. SAIGON POLICE RAIDED THE BUDDHIST YOUTH CENTERIEN VUONG AND THE LABCfi OFFICEE TAY WHICH WAS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE COMJNIFLUENCED LABOR YOUTH ASSOCIATION RESPONSIBLE FCR THE ANTI-UNITED STATES DEMONSTRATION ON MAY DAY.
OR TWO PLATOONS OCCUPIED T
2. o SEVEN TANKS UNDER MARINE COMMAND TOOKORPS HEADQUARTERS IN OANANG, DISARMING VIETNAMSE ARMT TROOPS THERE. ONE
THE STRUGGLE HEADQUARTERS AT PHO DA PAGCOA.
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second marine battalion was reported to be moving toward danang from quang ngai, and thebattalion of the seventh regiment of first division was reported to be moving toward hue from pku bai. some grenades were thrown early in the day, but no casualties were reported from early action- danang city was quiet, with sky raiders and observation planes overhead. the rangers were in the north part of the city, and the marines in the southern part.
3. the struggle movement moved fast to set up defenses in many parts of danang, and the struggle radio broadcast the following messages:
of armed forces revolutionary artillery stand by to fire at twoli taryairports. antiaircraft units stand by and ready issued for colonel dam quang yeu, commanding officer,tran huu trai, chief of staff."
call to the marines: you should join the rankspeopleorps to fight against ky andrue national assembly."
k. 5 hours colonel yeu flew to hoi an from danang. he
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TWO COMPANIES OFH RANGER BATTALI ON, NORMALLY STATIONED AT QNSS HEADQUARTERS IN HOI AN TRIED TO MOVE TOWARD Ml EU BONG, SOUTH OF DANANG, BUT WERE BUZZEDIETNAMESE AIR FORCE (VHAF) FIGHTER PLANE, AFTERIGHT VNAF AIRCRAFTESSAGE TO THE COLUMN WARNING IT NOT TO PROCEED TO DANANG. YEU ALLEGED THAT PAT ELEMENTS IN QUANG NAM WERE ASSEMBLING AT DlEN BAN WITH THE INTENTION Of MARCHING NORTH TO DANANG. (flELD COMMENT. PRESUMABLY YEU WAS IMPLYING THE PAT ELEMENTS INTENDED TO GO TO THE ASSISTANCE OF GVN FORCES IN DANANG.)
0 HOURS AN ORDER ORIGINATED BY SECOND DIVISION COMMANDED GENERAL LAM WENT INTO EFFECT RESTRICTING ALL TROOPS UNDER LAM'S COMMAND TO QUARTERS. ON DISTRIBUTION WERE ALL MILITARY UNITS, THE BUDDHIST CHAPLAIN CORPS, AND THE PAT OFFICE. DEPUTY PROVINCE CHIEF LE TICH THlEU AT TAM KY ISSUED THESE ORDERS TO ALL MILITARY IN HIS AREA. PROVINCE CHIEF NGUYEN THANH TOA WAS IN DANANG AT THIS TIME AND WAS SCHEDULED TO RETURN TO TAM KY ON THE MORNING OFAY. (FIELD COMMENT. THIEU HAS BEEN CONSIDERED TO BE PRO-STRUGGLE BECAUSE Of HIS PAST AFFILIATIONS AND HIS ACTIONS DURING THE RECENT STRUGGLE MOVEMENT.)
AT0 HOURS ONAY GENERAL LAM RETURNED TO QUANG NGA! FROM DANANG; HE HAD REPORTEDLY FLOWN TO DANANG AT ofiOO HOURS. ONE TANK APPEARED AT "THE PAGODA" AT QUANG NGAI AND THEN LEFT. ONE
OF WRINES LEFT QUANG NGAI FOR DANANG VIA AIR VIETNAM.
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NGAI CITY WAS PLACED OFF LIMITS TO THE MILITARY.
7- 0 HOURS THE STRUGGLE RADIO AT DANANG ANNOUNCED THAT THE RADIO WAS UNDER ATTACK AND COMING UNDER CONTROL OF THE GVN FORCES. GENERAL NGUYEN CHANH THI WAS REPORTEDLY IN GENERAL NHUAN'S FIRST DIVISION COMPOUND DIRECTING OPERATIONS. AN ARMY OFFICER WAS REPORTEDLY IN CONTROL OF THE TOWER AT PHU BAI WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO PREVENT THE LANDING OF TROOP CARRIERS. THE FIRST AND SECOND MARINES WERE REPORTEDLY IN DANANG.
OURS ONAY PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS INWHERE COLONEL YEU IS LOCATED, WEREG THATAND AMBASSADOR PORTER SUPPORTED THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE
KY GOVERNMENT ANDORPS COMMANDER GENERAL DINH WAS ORDERING TROOPS TO FIGHT THE INVADERS.
HOI AN, BUI QUANGF RCCF0RNATIONALIST PARTY (VNQDO) WENT TO COLONELAT YEU'S REQUEST, AND WAS APPARENTLY CAPTUREDOI AN BUDDHIST WHO IS OPPOSED TO THE 0 HOURS COLONEL YEU INSTRUCTED BUDDHISTALL YOUNG BUDDHIST MEN TO ASSEMBLE AT THE PAGODA,RESPONSIVE TO HIS ORDERS ASSEMBLED THERE. COLONELSAN AFTER INSTRUCTING SAN TO GIVE ORDERS TO PAT
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BECAME ONE OF SEIGE, WITH OCCASIONAL SHOTS BEING EXCHANGED.
ELSEWHERE IN DANANG CITY THE MARINES APPEARED TO HAVE REINFORCED
THEIR CONTROL OF KEY POINTS, INCLUDING THE STRUGGLE HEADQUARTERS
AT PHO DA PAGODA.
13. ALL REMAINEDN TAM KY AND HUE. HOWEVER, IN HUE WORK
HAD CEASEDESULTENERAL STRIKE AND THERETRUGGLE
MEETING SCHEDULED0 HOURS. THE FIRST DIVISION REPORTEDLY
HAD FORCES READY TO MOVE TO THE HUE AIRPORT IF THE GVN ATTEMPTED
A MILITARY MOVE AGAINST THE CITY.
a. SOHETlPC0EOPLE IN HUEUDOHIST MEETING AT WHICH GVN ACTION IN DANANG WAS CONDEMNEDLEDGE FOR SUPPORT OF THE STRUGGLE WAS MADE. RADIO HUE, WHICH
IS CONTROLLED BY STRUGGLE FORCES, STATED IN AN ENGL ISH-LANGUAGE BROADCAST THAT ALLIED FORCES WERE STANDING BY THE STRUGGLE MOVEMENT.
THERE WAS NO ACTIVITY BY THE FIRST DIVISION EXCEPT PASSIVE DEFENSE OF
HUE CITY. GENERAL THI WAS RUNNING THE SHOW AND WAS EXTREMELY ACTIVE.
15. EETING AT TlNH HOA PAGODA CALLED BY COLONEL *EU
0 HOURS WAS ATTENDED BYOOUNG MEN. YEU'S MESSAGE
WAS THAT HOI AN WOULD BE ATTACKED BY GVN TROOPS AND THE YOUTHS SHOULD
TELL EVERYONE TO BE READY TO SOUND THE ALARM WHEN THE TROOPS ARRIVED.
POLICE CHIEF MlHH OF QUANG NAM IN HO! AND HIS CHIEF OF OPERATIONS,
VAN TAM, WERE SPENDING THE NIGHT AT THEW1TTEE IN TlNH HOI liiiiaVJIHiiBHil
Original document.
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