176-10036-10149
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM
IDENTIFICATION FORM
(
AGENCY: NARA
RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10149
RECORD SERIES : National Security Files
AGENCY FILE NUMBER :
ORIGINATOR: CIA
FROM:
TO :
i
TITLE : CIA Information Report
DATE 10/2/1963
PAGES: 6
SUBJECTS :
DOCUMENT TYPE :
CLASSIFICATION :
RESTRICTIONS :
CURRENT STATUS:
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 9/10/2000
OPENING CRITERIA:
COMMENTS: National Security Files, Box 200: Vietnam, 9/22/63-10/6/63, CIA
Reports. Box 2
TELEGRAM INFORMATION REPORT TELEGRAM
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C Secs..
793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any mannor to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
SECRET
(When Filled In) KES TORRIGY BIOSEM/NO DISSEM ABROAD
COUNTRY
SOUTH VIETNAM
SUBJECT FURTHER PLANNING OF LANG COUP GROUP
BACKGROUND USE ONLY
REPORT NO.
TDCS DB-3/657,031
DATE DISTR.
PRECEDENCE
2 OCTOBER 1963
PRIORITY
REFERENCES
IN 31379
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
26-30 SEPTEMBER 1963
VIETNAM, SAIGON (30 SEPTEMBER 1963)
APPRAISAL SEE BELOW
FIELD REPORT NO. FVS 9725
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
SOURCE A CLOSE ASSOCIATE (C) OF LANG, FROM LANG.
APPR:
LANG MAY BE MAKING COUP. PLANS AS REPORTEDBUT THE DEGREE TO WHICH OTHER IN-
DIVIDUALS NAMED MAY BE INVOLVED CANNOT BE JUDGED. GENERAL TÝ PROBABLY HAS SUPPORTED THE
GENERALS' DEMANDS ON PRESIDENT DIEM. . THE MEETING OF DIEM WITH THE TROOP COMMANDERS POS-
SIBLY TOOK PLACE AS REPORTED. LANG PROBABLY HOLDS THE VIEWS CITED:
REFORMS BUT THAT
1. SUMMARY. ON 30 SEPTEMBER 1963 HUYNH VAN LANG, PROFESSOR
OF ECONOMICS AT SAIGON UNIVERSITY SAID THAT LIEUTENANT GENERAL
L'E VAN TY CHIEF, JOINT GENERAL STAFF (JGS), HAD REINFORCED THE
GENERALS' DEMANDS FOR GOVERNMENTAL REFORMS BUT THAT SOME
GENERALS WERE CONVINCED THAT THE COUP SHOULD TAKE PLACE
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER DIEM INITIATES REFORMS. BRIGADIER GENERAL
TRAN THIEN KHIEM, CHIEF OF STAFF, JGS, WASCOONCERNED ABOUT
VIET CONG MILITARY ACTIVITY NEAR SAIGON. HE AND OTHER GENERALS
WANTED TO BE ASSURED OF UNITED STATES SUPPORT IN THE EVENT THAT
A COUP SUCCEEDED. COLONEL DO MAU, CHIEF, MILITARY SECURITY
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STATE/INR DIA ARMY/ACSI NAVY. AIR JCS SECDEF NSA NIC
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XXXXXXXX oci. ONE
OCR
STATE/DIR
СТВ
GROUP I
Excluded from automatic
downgrading.and
declassification
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX EXO
TELEGRAM INFORMATION REPORT TELEGRAM
FORM
10-62
1K: OBSOLETE PREVIOUS EDITIONS.
(15
יייי
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31375
PAGE 2_
SERVICE, HAS ATTEMPTED TO INFLUENCE VIETNAMESE AIR FORCE (VNAF)
OFFICERS TO ATTACK GIA LONG PALACE. THE COUP PLOTTERS WERE
CONCERNED ABOUT PRESIDENT DIEM'S MEETINGS WITH ARMY OFFICERS
DURING WHICH THE LATTER RECEIVED GIFTS OF MONEY. LANG'S PLAN FOR
REORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT FOLLOWING THE COUP HAS BEEN
ACCEPTED IN PRINCIPLE BY THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE AND HE HAS
STARTED SELECTING MEMBERS OF A SHADOW GOVERNMENT, LANG HAS
ADVISED POSTPONING THE COUP UNTIL HIS GOVERNMENTAL PLANNING
HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
2. LANG MADE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ABOUT MILITARY
DEVELOPMENTS:
A. LIEUTENANT GENERAL LE VAN TY, RECENTLY RETURNED FROM
THE UNITED STATES, MET WITH OTHER GENERALS ON 26 OR 27
SEPTEMBER AND THEN SAW PRESIDENT DIEM TO URGE GOVERNMENTAL REFORMS,
INCLUDING THE APPOINTMENT OF GENERALS TO THE MINISTRIES
OF NATIONAL DEFENSE AND INTERIOR.
B. GENERAL KHIEM AND OTHER GENERALS WERE BECOMING
CONVINCED THAT REFORMS ALONE WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT AND THAT
THE ENTIRE NGO FAMILY HAD TO BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE.
C. KHIEM WAS CONCERNED ABOUT INCREASED VIET CONG (VC)
MILITARY ACTIVITY NEAR SAIGON AND THE COUP PLOTTERS FEARED
POSSIBLE VC EXPLOITATION OF AN ATTEMPTED COUP D'ETAT.
CLASSIFICATION - DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
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BACKGROUND USE ONLY.
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— DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
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31379
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PAGE 3
D. KHIEM AND OTHER GENERALS DID NOT WISH TO ATTEMPT A
COUP UNTIL IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE UNITED STATES WOULD
SUPPORT THEM IF THEIR COUP SUCCEEDED.
E. COLONEL DO MAU, WORKING THROUGH LIEUTENANT COLONELS
NGUYÊN CAO KỲ, 1ST TRANSPORT GROUP COMMANDER AND DO KHÁC MÁI,
VNAF CHIEF OF STAFF, HAS INDEPENDENTLY ATTEMPTED TO INFLUENCE
VNAF OFFICERS TO MOUNT A COUP AND ATTACK GIA LONG PALACE.
LANG'S GROUP BELIEVED THAT MAU WAS TOO INDISCREET BUT PLANNED
TO CAPITALIZE ON THE SITUATION IF THE VNAF DID BEGIN A COUP.
(FIELD COMMENT. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT MAI AND MAU WERE
DISAPPOINTED THAT NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN AGAINST THE REGIME.)
GENERAL KHIEM CLAIMED THAT HELICOPTER UNITS WERE
F.
INCLUDED IN THE LANG COUP GROUP.
G. PRESIDENT DIEM RECENTLY SUMMONED MILITARY OFFICERS,
WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN AND ABOVE, WHO COMMANDED TROOP UNITS IN
AND NEAR SAIGON AND GAVE THEM SUMS OF MONEY RANGING FROM
30,000 TO 100,000 PIASTERS. THE MONEY OSTENSIBLY WAS SEIZED
FROM THE VC. COLONEL NGUYEN VAN THIEN, VIETNAMESE ARMOR COMMANDER,
RECEIVED 100,000 PIASTERS, WHICH APPARENTLY HAS CAUSED HIM TO
RENEW HIS ALLEGIANCE TO DIEM. SOME JUNIOR OFFICERS COUNTED ON
TO SUPPORT THE COUP HAD BEEN IMPRESSED BY THEIR MEETING WITH THE
PRESIDENT, BUT OTHERS WERE NOT AND HAVE JOINED THE COUP GROUP.⠀
CLASSIFICATION - DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
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NO FOREIGN DISSEM/NO DISSEM ABROAD.
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innra
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PAGE
(FIELD COMMENT.
SEE FVS 9712 (TDCS-3/560,375
) FOR THAO'S STATEMENT T
THẠT NHU HAD GIVEN LARGE SUMS OF MONEY TO MILITARY OFFICRS..)
H. DIEM HAS GIVEN LARGE SUMS OF MONEY TO COLONEL HUYNH
ACCORIDNG TO GENERAL KHIEM, DIEM HAS
HUU HIEN, VṆAF COMMANDER.
GIVEN HIEN ORDERS TO USE THE VNAF FOR COUNTERCOUP ACTION AND
FOR EVACUATION OF THE PRESIDENT IF NECESSARY.
1. DIEM OFFERED LIEUTENANT COLONEL PHAM NGOC THAO,
INSPECTOR OF STRATEGIC HAMLETS, THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR
GENERAL OF NATIONAL POLICE WHILE NHU OFFERED HIM COMMAND OF THE
SPECIAL FORCES. THAO, HOWEVER, HAS NOT WAVERED IN HIS SUPPORT
OF THE COUP.
3. LANG SAID THAT HE HAS URGED DELAY IN MOUNTING THE
COUP UNTIL HE HAS COMPLETED HIS PLANS FOR THE NEW GOVERNMENT
SO THAT THERE WOULD BE NO VOID FOR THE VC TO EXPLOIT. HE
SAID THAT THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE HAS ACCEPTED IN
PRINCIPLE HIS IDEAS CONCERNING ORGANIZATION OF A. NEW GOVERNMENT.
(FIELD COMMENT: IN LANG'S PROPOSED GOVERNMENT THE REVOLUTIONARY
COMMITTEE WOULD REPLACE PRESIDENT DIEM. THE TERM MINISTER WOULD
BE USED INSTEAD OF COORDINATING SECRETARY OF STATE AND
MINISTER OF SECURITY AND MINISTER OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS WOULD
BE ADDED TO THE GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE, WHICH WOULD NOT
DIFFER DRASTICALLY FROM THE PRESENT ONE.) LANG HAS SELECTED
CLASSIFICATION DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
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PAGE 5
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THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF A SHADOW CABINET:
A. GENERAL KHIEM, MINISTER OF SECURITY
B.
JUSTICE.
VO VAN HIEN, CURRENTLY A SAIGON LAWYER, MINISTER OF
C. LANG, EITHER MINISTER OF ECONOMY OR DEPUTY MINISTER
OF ECONOMY FOR FINANCE.
D. NGUYEN TON HOAN, PROMIENT OPPOSITION LEADER IN
EXILE, MINISTER OF CULTURAL AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS.
E. NGUYEN THAI, OPPOSITION LEADER IN THE UNITED STATES,
EITHER MINISTER OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS OR DEPUTY MINISTER OF
:
POLITICAL AFFAIRS FOR CIVIC ACTION.
F..
MAJOR GENERAL TRAN VAN MINH, DEPUTY MINISTER OF
SECURITY FOR DEFENSE.
G NGUYỄN HUY NGHĨA, GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM (GVN)
AMBASSADOR TO TOKYO, DEPUTY MINISTER OF SECURITY FOR INTERIOR.
H. NGUYEN HUU CHAU, FORMER MINISTER OF INTERIOR UNDER
DIEM CURRENTLY IN EXILE, DEPUTY MINISTER OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS
FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
1. AU TRUONG THANH, PROFESSIONAL ECONOMIST, DEPUTY
MINISTER OF ECONOMY FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS.
J. LIEUTENANT COLONEL PHAM NGOC THAO, DIRECTOR GENERAL
OF NATIONAL POLICE.
CLASSIFICATION - DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
SECRETO FOREIGN DISSEM/NO DISSEM ABROAD
BACKGROUND USE ONLY
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(When Filled In)
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IN
TDCS DB-3/657,031
31379
BACKGROUND USE ONLY.
LANG. HAS CONTACTED ALL OF THE ABOVE EXCEPT NGHIA, CHAU AND HOA.
HE HAS SENT A CATHOLIC PRIEST TO PARIS TO CONTACT CHAU AND
WAS PLANNING TO CONTACT THE OTHERS EVENTUALLY.
4. LANG SAID THAT HE WAS STRONGLY OPPOSED TO THE
INCLUSION OF TRAN KIM TUYEN, RECENTLY ASSIGNED AS GVN CONSUL
GENERAL TO CAIRO, IN THE NEW GOVERNMENT. NEVERTHELESS, THAO
HAS ASSURED TUYEN'S SUPPORTERS IN SAIGON THAT TUYEN WILL BE A
MEMBER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE IN ORDER TO ASSURE
THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE COUP.
5. FIELD DISSEM. STATE (AMBASSADOR LODGE) USMACV (GENERAL
HARKINS) CINCPAC PACFLT ARPAC PACAF.
PAGE 6
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* TURN