VIEWS OF BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH VIETNAM, H.A.F. HOHLER, ON A NEUTRALIST SO

Created: 8/14/1962

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REPORT NO. DATE DISTIL PRECEDENCE

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COUNTRY SOUTH VIETNAM

SUBJECT VIEWSRITISB AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH

. HOHLER,HALIST SOLUTION FOR SOUTH VIETNAM

DATE OF BARLY3

FIELD REPORT NO.

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1. BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH. HOHLER, TOLD A

JOURNALIST2 THAT BE BAD BEEN READING SOME OF THE JOIJRNALIST 'S ARTICLES AND WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTEDATE JUKE ARTICLE ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS AND THE SOVIETS OVER NORTH VIETNAM. AFTER DISCUSSING THESE DIFFERENCES AT LENGTH, TBE AMBASSADOR STATED HIS BELIEFHIRD FORCE IN VIETNAM IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE, BUT ACTUALLY EXISTS, AND THATHIRD FORCE IN NORTH VIETNAM, COMBINED WITH NEUTRALIST ELEMENTS IN SOUTH VIETNAM, IS TEE ONLY HOPE FOR VIETNAM. HOHLER EMPHASIZED TEAT THE ONLY SOLUTION FOR SOUTH VIETNAMEUTRALIST OOA^TTTON

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WORKED OUT FOR LAOS. THE AMBASSADOR SAID THAT THE AMERICANS ARE NOT TRAINED IN GUERILLA WARFARE AND CAN NOT WIN THE WAR AGAINST THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNISTS (VC) IN SOUTH VIETNAM.

2, THE CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE AT THE HOME OF PETER ROBERTS, INFORMATION OFFICER AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN SAIGON, WHERE

JOURNALIST

ROBERTSEETING BETWEEN THE/ AND AMBASSADOR HOHLER. JOURNALIST

THE/ HAS KNOWN ROBERTS FOR SOME TIME THROUGH PRESS CONFERENCES

AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS AMONG JOURNALISTS. HE WAS SURPRISED TO LEARN

THAT ROBERTS HAD ARRANGED THE MEETING AT THE REQUEST OF THE

AMBASSADOR, WHO HADESIRE TO TALK WITH HDM. JOURNALIST

3. NEITHER THE/ NOR ROBERTS HAD MUCH OPPORTUNITY TO STATE

JOURNALIST

THEIR VIEWS DURING THE CONVERSATION. THE/ ASSURED THE AMBASSADOR

THAT, FAR FROM BEING NEUTRALIST MINDED, HE FEARS NEUTRALISM FOR

SOUTH VIETNAM MORE THAN ANY OTHER SOLUTION SINCE HE BELIEVES

NEUTRALISM TO BE NO MOREAJOR STEP TOWARD ULTIMATE TAKEOVER

AND CONTROL BY THE COMMUNISTS, ROBERTS POINTEDLY DISAGREED

WITH AMBASSADOR HOHLER'S STATEMENT THAT THERE IS NO CHANCE OF

WINNING THE WAR IN SOUTH VIETNAM, INDICATING THAT IT IS MUCH TOO

EARLY TO MAKELUNT STATEMENT, ALLUDING TO THE HUGE EFFORT .

UNDER WAY AND THE GAINS ALREADY APPARENT. ROBERTS DIO SAY,

HOWEVER, THAT THE SURFACING OF THE OPERATIONS IN NORTH VIETNAM '

NGHE AN AND HOA BlNH SHOULD DEMONSTRATE TO THE

OF

AMERICANS AND TO THE GOVERNMENT/iUETNAM THE FUTILITY OF SUCH OPERATIONS.

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ALSO COMMENTED THAT HE WAS SURPRISED AT THE FAILURE

OF THE VC TO REACT EARLIER IN THE PROPAGANDA FIELD TO OBVIOUSLY

EXPLOITABLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT NGO DJJTH DIEM

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AND THE

JOURNALIST

COMMENT. THE/ SAID THAT HE THINKS THE ARTICLE THAT CAUGHT MAY HAVE BEEN

THE INTEREST OF AMBASSADOR HOHLER/ ONE OATELI NED SAIGON,a,

APPEARING IN AN EARLY JULY ISSUE OF THE PHILIPPINE HERALD, ENTITLED

"INTRA-PARTY RIFT IN RED NORTHOSCOW HAS AN EDGE ONOURNALIST

THE/ SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THAT THE AMBASSADOR HAD READ OUT OF THE CONTEXT

AND MISINTERPRETED VARIOUS STATEMENTS IN THE ARTICLE TO WHICH HE

/LED HIM TO CONSIDER THE/ EUTRALIST. THE STATEMENTSWW ICH APPEAR IN LAST PARAGRAPH OF THE ARTICLE,FOLLOWS: "STUDENTS OF COMMUNIST NORTH VIETNAM HEREAGREEMENT THAT THE REPORTEDT LEAST FOR THE- BY THE PRO-SOVIET GROUP, WILLEMPERATETHE COURSE OF EVENTS. UNLESS THE SCALES ARE TURNED BYFAVOR OF ITS PUPPETS AND IF THE FREE WORLD KNOWS HOW TOON THE RED DISPUTE, THE CHANCES WERE NOT DISMISSED OF A AND EVENOLITICAL

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SOLUTION TO EMBATTLED

COMMENT. ATE JULY CONVERSATION WITH AN AMERICAN OBSERVER, THE COUNSELLOR OF THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN. BURROWS, ATTACKED THE DIEM GOVERNMENT, STATING THAT

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THERE COULD BE NO HOPE OF PROGRESS AGAINST THE VC

UNLESS DIEM WERE REMOVED. IN CRITICIZING THE

ILLIBERALITY OF THE DIEM REGIME, BURROWS APPLIED STANDARDS

OF CRITICISM THAT EVEN THE MOST ADVANCED WESTERN DEMOCRACY WOULD

FAIL TO MEET. DURING THE SAME CONVERSATION, COLONEL HENRY LEE,

MILITARY ATTACHE TO THE BRITISH EMBASSY, EXPRESSED HIS OPINION

THAT THE WAR AGAINST THE VC WAS NOT PROCEEDING FAVORABLY FROM

THE WESTERN POINT OF VIEW. HE APPEARED CRITICAL OF DIEM AND

SEEMED INCLINEDILITARY JUNTA, POSSIBLY UNDER Tn

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MAJOR GENERAL DUONG VAN MINE.)

ICOMMENT. US . AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH VIETNAM,

FREDERICK E. NOLTING,COMMENTEDUGUST THAT AMBASSADOR HOHLER

HAS NEVER GIVEN THE SLIGHTEST INDICATION THAT HE HOLDS THE

VIEWS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM IN THIS REPORT. UGUST, AMBASSADOR

HOHLEROMPLETELY CONTRARY LINEISCUSSION WITH

AMBASSADOR NOLTING, EXPRESSING OPTIMISM REGARDING THE PROSPECTS

OF THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM. AMBASSADOR NOLT ING SAID THAT HE

BELIEVED THAT THE INFORMATION SHOULD BE TREATED WITH GREAT

RESERVE, AND WITH THE POSSlBLILITY IN MIND THAT IT MAY REPRESENT

A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO CREATE MISTRUST BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES

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AND GREAT

NGO DINH NHU, BROTHER AND POLITICAL

ADVISOR OF PRESIDENT NGO DINH DIEM, TOLD AN AMERICAN OBSERVER

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UGUST THAT, WHILE HE CONSIDERS FRENCH POLICY BOTH IN PARIS AND IN SAIGON TO HAVE AS ITS OBJECTIVE THE NEUTRALIZATION OF SOUTH VIETNAM AND SOUTHEAST ASIA, HE FEELS THAT THE BRITISHONTRARY POLICY MORE SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE us. NHU SAID THAT HE HAS HAD NO INDICATIONS THAT CAUSE HIM CONCERN WITH RESPECT TO THE BRITISH ROLE IN SOUTH VIETNAM. AND INITIATED THE COMMENT THAT AMBASSADOR HOHLER HAD SAID TO HIM RECENTLY THAT AN CONFERENCE ON SOUTH VIETNAM OR THE NEUTRALIZATION OF SOUTH VIETNAM WAS

8. FIELD OISSEM: STATE (AMBASSADOR ONLY) cincpac pacflt pacaf arpac.

of message.

Original document.

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