A GENERAL OFFICER'S COMMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE 3 FEBRUARY DIRECTO

Created: 2/5/1966

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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CONEtf^NTIAL

CENTRAL intelligence AGENCY

Intelligence Information Cable

Mandatory Review

XBJ LIBRARY

COUNTRY SOUTH VIETNAM

ROUTINE

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OF INFO.

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SUBJECT

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AND OBSERVATIONS CoNCRE^rTfBRUAR,I

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DATE ACQ. VIETNAM, SAIGON C3

THE FOLLOWING TOPICS WERE DESCUSSEOEETING Of THE NATIONAL DIRECTORATEEBRUARY:

A. IN ORDER TO KEEP CORPS COMMANDERS ADEQUATELY INFORMED ON POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, MILITARY, AND DIPLOMATICTHE DIRECTORATE GAVE CONSIDERATION TO PUBLICATIONEEKLY BULLETIN. PUTTING OUT THIS BULLETIN WOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITYOLITICAL BUREAU YET TO BE FORMED. PRIME MINISTER NGUYEN CAO KY AND DIRECTORATE SECRETARY GENERAL PHAM XUAN CHIEU WILL CONSULT WITH DEPUTY

Toll material conaiai information affcainj thr National De/cate of the United SteJei within tbe roeeatag ot the Ei pi doTitle IS. USC Scca. 7SJ. theox reeetauoa of woka in ear maacex to an ueauibotUEd penoaby

CONFIDENTIAL

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OF STAFF FOR POLITICAL WARFARE GENERAL HUYNH VAN CAO ABOUTTHE BUREAU.

ROGRAM WHICH HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE

CARRIED OUT IN THE PROVINCES FOR THE PURPOSE OF WINNING STRONGER

SUPPORT FOR THE WAR EFFORT. HE WANTS DEMONSTRATIONS ORGANIZED IN

THE PROVINCES IN WHICH THE PEOPLE WOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO GIVE

VOICE TO THE EXHORTATION TO "PRESS ON WITH THE WAR." HE WANTS

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THIS PROGRAM TO BEGJN BYEBRUARY. V OMMENT: IT ICI

WILL BE DIFFICULT TO ORGANIZEROGRAM BYEBRUARY AND IT

VERY WELL MAY BACKFIRE SINCE THE GENERALS MAY FIND THAT THE

PEOPLE REALLY WANT PEACE AND NOT WAR.)

CHAIRMAN NGUYEN VAN THIEU AND SECRETARY

GENERAL CHIEU WERE PLACED IN CHARGE OF INVESTIGATING THE ACTIVITIES

OF RETIRED GENERAL TRAN VAN DON AND HIS FOLLOWERS. PRESENT PLANS

ARE ONLY TO- TALK TO THEM PERSONALLY IN AN EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND

BETTER THEIR POINT OF VIEW AND REASONS FOR THEIR DISSATISFACTION.

PERTINENT TO THIS, PRIME MINISTER KY OBSERVED IN PASSING THAT THE

GENERALS WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO KILL BAO KIM.

BAO KIM IS IDENTICAL WITH NGUYEN EjAU KIM, NGUYEN BAU KlEM AND

NGUYEN BAO KIM, WHO WAS RECENTLY REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED

IN PLANSOUP TO HAVE TAKEN PLACEANUARY. SEE

PRIME MINISTER NGUYEN HUU CO ASSERTED THAT HE

'CANS WERE 0PP0SED T0EMAINING

-rorinnrNTi,AL

II CORPS COMMANDER. BOTH KY AND CO REMARKED THAT VINH

SHOULD REMAIN AS II CORPS COMMANDER- KY, CO, AND LOC EXPRESSED ANNOYANCE AT AMERICAN ATTEMPTS TO INFLUENCE DECISIONS IN SOLVING PROBLEMS CONCERNING THE MONTAGNAROS AND THE UNITED FRONT FOR THE STRUGGLE OF THE OPPRESSED RACES (FULRO). OURING THIS DISCUSSION DIRECTORATE SECRETARY GENERAL CHIEUODERATING INFLUENCE ON THE OTHERS WHO WERE CRITICIZING THE AMERICANS.

E. THE LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR THECOUNCIL FOR BUILDING DEMOCRACY WAS SUBMITTED FOR (J ^COMMENT: IT WILLONG TIME BEFOREFORMING THIS COUNCIL ARE

F. ORPS COMMANDER GENERAL NGUYEN CHANH THI CRITICIZED PRIME MINISTER KY ON THE SUBJECT OF RAISING THE FARES OF AIR VIETNAM. GENERAL THI POINTED OUT THAT THE POOR PEOPLEORPS AREA WOULD SUFFER THE MOST SINCE BOAT AND BUS TRANSPORTATION IS FOR THE MOST PART UNAVAILABLE TO THEM.

DIRECTORATE MEMBERS DECIDED TO POSTPONETOOLITICAL PARTY SPONSORED BY THE TENTATIVE PLANS FORARTY HAVE BEENFOR SEVERAL MONTHS.

THI AND CHIEF OF THE JOINT GENERALCAO VAN VIEN OPENLY ACCUSED DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER COBUI HUU NHON, JGS DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FORSEEKING WAYS TO OBTAIN MONEY FOR SPECULATIVE PURPOSES AND ALSO

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-of misappropriating funds available to them, suchumrs .seven hundred million piasters set aside for military housing construction.

prime minister kye would like to have the

.-directorate for montagnard affairsecretariat and placed under general vinh loc with headquarters in ii corps area. no one responded to this recommendation. one of the generals laterthat he interpreted thistrong show of support for vinh loc .on the part of ky.

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confided that he was sympathetic to retired

2. the following are confidential remarks the generals made to friends during recesses in the meeting:

tran van don and his followers.

proposal inconfidence '0 one of the generals whom he trusts that he thought it wouldood idea toolitical force with representatives from all the faiths and

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georaphical areas ofthat he was "i

certain they couldorce four timesretired general tran van don's association of southern(hoi liennot like don or

general duong van duc who is presently unassigned. | ^explained that his group wouldbrothers' school movement." the group would be broader in scope than don's which is entirely made

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up of southern catholics, buddhists, cao dai, and hoa hao.

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be or describe how the group would be utilized on the political

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3. one of the generals observed that no matter how polite the members of the directorate are with each other during these meetings and no matter how acceptable their relationship with each other may seem to the public eye, there is no unity among them.

k. field dissem: state usmacv usis usaid 2ND air div 9TH fld sta cincpac arpac pacflt pacaf.

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Original document.

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