176-10036-10099
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM
IDENTIFICATION FORM
AGENCY: NARA
RECORD NUMBER: 176-10036-10099
RECORD SERIES: National Security Files
:
AGENCY FILE NUMBER :
ORIGINATOR : CIA
FROM:
TO :
TITLE: Central Intelligence Agency Information Report
DATE: 5/18/1963
PAGES: 5
SUBJECTS :
DOCUMENT TYPE:
CLASSIFICATION :
RESTRICTIONS :
CURRENT STATUS :
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 9/10/2000
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS: National Security Files, Box 197: Vietnam, 4/63-5/63. Box 2
NCK-81-307 + uphold b
TELEGRAM INFORMATION REPORT TELEGRAM
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
2 Việt nam
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Expionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C Secs.
793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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COUNTRY
REPORT NO. TDCS-3/547,646
SUBJECT
APPREHENSIONS OF VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL
IN SINGAPORE REGARDING RECENT EVENTS IN.
DATE DISTR.
18 MAY 1963
VIETNAM
17. MAY 1963
DATE OF
.INFO.
PLACE &
SINGAPORE
(17 MAY 1963)
PRECEDENCE ROUTINE
REFERENCES
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41548
DATE ACQ.
APPRAISAL SEE BELOW
FIELD REPORT NO. FSS 12881
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
SOURCE AN AMERICAN OBSERVER (B) FROM VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL TRAN KIM PHUONG.
APPR CONSUL GENERAL PHUONG HAS BEEN AN ARDENT AND DEVOTED SUPPORTER OF THE
PRESIDENTAND OF ERGO DINH NHURS CAN LAD PARTY HEISTA CATHOLIC AND A FRIEND AND SUPPORTER
OF DR. TUYẾN. THIS REPORT IS BELIEVED TO REFLECT ACCURATELY HIS VIEWS WHICH ARE FELT TO
BE REASONABLY OBJECTIVE AS WELL AS SINCERE.
1. SUMMARY. VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL TRAN KIM PHƯƠNG CONSIDERS
THAT THE COMBINATION OF THREE UNWISE POLITICAL ACTS IN THE PAST MONTH
MAY ULTIMATELY PROVE FATAL TO THE REGIME OF PRESIDENT
NGU DINH DIEM DESPITE ITS GAINS IN THE MILITARY STRUGGLE AGAINST
THE VIET COMMUNISTS (VC). THESE THREE ACTS WERE:
DISMISSAL OF
HUYNH VAN LANG OF THE OFFICE OF EXCHANGES FROM HIS POSITION OF.
POWER IN THE SOUTHERN FACTION OF THE CAN LAO (REVOLUTIONARY WORKER'S)
:
PARTY; THE DENIGRATION AND REMOVAL FROM POWER AND AUTHORITY OF
DR. TRAN KIM TUYEN, DIRECTOR OF SEPES:; AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE
HUE INCIDENT ON BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY 8 MAY IN WHICH BUDDHIST PARADERS
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STATE/INR DIA ARMY/ACSI NAVY AIR
STATE/DIR
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Excluded from automatic
downgrading and
declassification
JCS SECDEF NSA: NIC AID USIA OCI ONE OCR ORR OBI 00 EX
TELEGRAM INFORMATION REPORT TELEGRAM
-62
FORM 1K
OBSOLETE PREVIOUS EDITIONS.
SANITIZED MLK.01.197.6.9.0
་
49061
Dona.200
• ;
(15-20)
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WERE KILLED BY THE CIVIL GUARD. EACH OF THESE SEPARATE ACTS HAS
SERVED TO WEAKEN THE MOTIVATION OF DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF VIETNAMESE
AND TO FURTHER NARROW POSSIBLY TO A FATAL DEGREE, THE BASE OF
'
SUPPORT FOR THE REGIME.
2. CONSUL GENERAL PHUONG FEARED THAT TUYEN'S DISMISSAL IN
PARTICULAR WOULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE INSECURITY AMONG LOYAL SUPPORTERS
AND PUBLIC SERVANTS OF THE REGIME WHO KNOW DR. TUYEN'S RECORD OF
LOYAL
LOYAL 
SERVICE TO THE PRESIDENT AND ESPECIALLY TO HIS BROTHER, PRESI-
DENTIAL COUNSELOR NGO DINH NHU. THESE OFFICIALS CAN CERTAINLY
QUESTION WHETHER ANYONE'S POSITION IN THE REGIME IS SAFE IF TUYEN
COULD FALL FROM FAVOR. PHUONG STATED THAT SEVERAL FRIENDS OF HIS
WITH LONG RECORDS OF SERVICE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM (GVN)
AND TO THE PRESIDENTIAL FAMILY HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN TO HIM DESPONDENT-
LY ALONG THESE LINES. TUYEN HAD A BAD REPUTATION WITH MANY
OFFICERS IN THE VIETNAMESE ARMY AND BUREAUCRACY AS THE HATCHETMAN
"
AND TROUBLESHOOTER FOR NGO DINH NHU BUT NO ONE DOUBTED HIS
- DEVOTION TO NHU. YET NHU HAS STRIPPED HIM OF ALL REAL AUTHORITY
SUPPOSEDLY BECAUSE OF A SILLY WOMEN'S TIFF BETWEEN
...
MADAME NHU AND MADAME TUYEN. ANY OBJECTIVE GVN OFFICIAL MIGHT
QUESTION THE FRIVOLITY, INGRATITUDE AND LACK OF PERSPECTIVE OF A REGIME
THAT ACTS THUS.
3. FURTHERMORE TUYEN WAS ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING GVN OFFICIALS
IN HIGH POSITION RESPECTED BY OPPOSITION LEADERS AND VIETNAMESE
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INTELLECTUALS PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM NORTH VIETNAM. THOSE WHO
DID NOT LIKE HIM AT LEAST TRUSTED HIS FAIRNESS AND BASIC EMPATHY
WHEREAS THEY NEITHER TRUSTED NOR LIKED NHU EVEN THOUGH NHU HIMSELF
WAS AN INTELLECTUAL.
4. WITHIN THE CAN LAO PARTY, WHICH IS STILL ONE OF THE SECRET
MAINSPRINGS OF SUPPORT. IN VIETNAM FOR THE PRESIDENT AND THE NGO
FAMILY, THE PARALLEL REMOVAL FROM AUTHORITY OF HUYNH VAN LANG HAS
OCCASIONED SIMILAR DOUBTS AMONG THE PARTY'S RANK -AND-FILE. AS IN
TUYEN'S CASE, CAN LAO MEMBERS CAN QUESTION WHAT VALUE IS LOYALTY .
AND SERVICE IF A MAN LIKE LANG CAN LOSE HIS. POST.
5. THE EVEN MORE SERIOUS MISTAKE WHICH MAY NARROW THE BASE OF
SUPPORT FOR THE GVN TO A FATAL DEGREE WAS THE SHOOTING OF BUDDHIST
PARADERS AT HUE ON THE OCCASION OF BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY. THE HUE
REGIME OF CENTRAL VIETNAM COUNSELOR NGO DINH CAN HAS ALWAYS OPERATED
LIKE AN AUTONOMOUS POLICE STATE AND HAS BEEN NOTORIOUS FOR ITS
FAVORITISM TOWARD CATHOLICS; BELYING PRESIDENT DIEM'S
EARLIER REPUTATION FOR RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE. MANY VIETNAMESE
CATHOLICS FEAR THAT THE GVN'S INCREASING PRO-CATHOLIC BENT WILL BE
HARMFUL TO THE CHURCH. AS WELL AS TO THE REGIME. CERTAINLY THE
STUPID SUPPRESSION OF BUDDHIST RELIGIOUS FLAGS AT HUE ON 8 MAY (ON
PRETEXT THAT THEY MIGHT BE CONSTRUED AS CONNECTED TO VC
OF THE DIEN BIEN PHU VICTORY)
COMMEMORATION
AND CONSEQUENT FATALITIES WILL AROUSE THE ANTAGONISM OF PREDOMINANTLY
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BUDDHIST VIETNAM AGAINST BOTH THE REGIME AND THE CATHOLICS.
6. FROM REPORTS REACHING HIM PHUONG FOUND IT PARTICULARLY
SIGNIFICANT THAT WHEN CENTRAL VIETNAM AUTHORITIES ORDERED POLICE
TO EXECUTE THE DIRECTIVE BANNING FLAGS, INITIALY THE POLICE MERELY
RESTATED THE ORDER BUT WOULD NOT RIP DOWN ANY BUDDHIST FLAGS.
FINALLY SEVERAL CATHOLIC POLICE DID SO, BUT SOME BUDDHIST POLICE-
MEN REFUSED, SAYING THAT BUDDHIST FLAGS SHOULD BE PERMITTED JUST
AS CATHOLIC FLAGS ARE FLOWN ON SAINTS DAYS.. SUCH DEFIANCE OF ORDERS 1
AT HUE IS QUITE RARE, PHUONG SAID.
7. THE CROWNING INSULT TO BUDDHISTS WHICH WILL FURTHER ENFLAME THEM
AND ALSO REVIVE THE OUTCRY AGAINST NGO FAMILY RULE WAS
THE NEWS OF HUE ARCHBISHOP NGO DINH THUC'S PLAN THAT THE PRESIDENT
ASK BUDDHIST ASSOCIATIONS ELSEWHERE IN VIETNAM TO CONDEMN THE
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND DISORDER OF THE HUE BUDDHISTS.
ARCHBISHOP
THUC REPORTEDLY WENT TO SAIGON TO DEMAND. THIS. THE VC COULD NOT
HAVE A BETTER PROPAGANDA WEAPON IF THEY HAD LAUNCHED THE IN-
CIDENT AND DIRECTED THUC'S REACTION THEMSELVES.
8. BY SUCH ACTS THE REGIME IS DESTROYING CONFIDENCE AND LOYAL
MOTIVATION OF PUBLIC SERVANTS, INTELLECTUALS, PARTY SUPPORTERS, AND
THE MASS OF NON-CATHOLIC PEASANTRY IN ITS MOST CRUCIAL TIME.
IF THIS CONTINUES ONLY SYCOPHANTS AND XENOPHOBES WILL
PREDOMINATE IN THE GVN AND ITS RELATIONS WITH ITS PEOPLE, BUREAU-
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CRACY, ARMY AND FRIENDLY ALLIES WILL DETERIORATE IN A WELTER OF
PETTY JEALOUSIES, FEUDS, AND PREJUDICES.
9. FIELD DISSEM: STATE (CONGEN ONLY) CINCPAC PACAF PACFLT
ARPAC.
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