176-10036-10129
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM
IDENTIFICATION FORM
AGENCY: NARA
RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10129
RECORD SERIES : National Security Files
AGENCY FILE NUMBER :
ORIGINATOR : CIA
FROM:
TO :
TITLE CIA Information Telegram
:
DATE: 9/17/1963
PAGES: 3
SUBJECTS :
DOCUMENT TYPE :
CLASSIFICATION :
RESTRICTIONS :
CURRENT STATUS :
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 9/10/2000
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 200: Vietnam, 9/17/1963-9/21/63. Box 2
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i Bundy
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: WASHINGTON HONOLULU
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FROM:
1.
SAIGON 0966, 17 SEPTEMBER 1963
AFTER MAKING AND BREAKING FOUR APPOINTMENTS WITH CAS
OFFICER, GEN TRAN TU OAI SENT MESSAGE ON 5 SEPT VIA LE TRUNG
THANH THAT HE CONSIDERED IT BEST IN PRESENT CLIMATE THAT CAS
OFFICER NOT COME TO GEN OAI'S HQS OWING HEAVY SURVEILLANCE.
TRANSPARENCY THIS EXCUSE INDICATED BY ASSURANCES THAT GEN OAI
THOUGHT IT PERFECTLY IN ORDER TO CONTINUE VISIT HIS HQS SO-
CALLED CLANDESTINE ENCLOSURE, GATE TO WHICH NOT MORE THAN FIFTY
FEET FROM MAIN GATE. ONE SURVEILLANCE WOULD COVER BOTH.
2. IN HOUR CONVERSATION THANH AND CAS OFFICER WENT OVER
VARIOUS SUBJECTS, FIRST BEING ARTICLE ON CAS IN VIETNAM TIMES,
AND CAS OFFICER ASKED THANH TO GIVE GEN OAI FULL ACCOUNT OF CON-
VERSATION. CAS OFFICER POINTED OUT THAT LIKE MOST EXPOSES THIS.
WAS MISHMASH OF FACT AND FANCY, THAT TO EXTENT IT WAS ACCURATE
THE WRITER DISCUSSED JOINT PROJECTS WHICH HAD BEEN APPROVED BY
U.S. AND GVN, IN MOST CASED BY COUNSELLOR NHU HIMSELF. IT WOULD
THEREFORE BE HEIGHT OF ILLOGIC FOR U.S. TO SPEND LARGE SUMS AND
EFFORTS ON BEHALF GOVERNMENT WHICH WE SIMULTANEOUSLY ATTEMPTING
OVERTHROW. CAS OFFICER TOLD THANH TO TELL OAI THAT IN SUCH
CIRCUMSTANCES CAS HAD NO CHOICE BUT REVIEW ALL PROJECTS.
3. THANH BROUGHT VARIOUS MESSAGES ON WHICH OAI ASKED FOR
CAS OFFICER'S OPINION. FIRST WAS QUERY WHETHER CAS OFFICER
AGREED WITH GEN OAI THAT PRES KENNEDY ERRED IN STATING GVN OUT
OF TOUCH WITH PEOPLE AND ALSO THAT BUDDHISTS BEING REPRESSED.
CAS OFFICER SAID HE DISAGREED WITH OAI ON BOTH COUNTS AND CONCURRED
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COMPLETELY WITH PRES KENNEDY, CITING IN BOTH CASES EARLIER AND
FAIRLY DETAILED CONVERSATIONS WITH OAI, WHO HAD SPOKEN STRONGLY
AGAINST GVN FOR HANDLING OF BUDDHISTS AND ALSO DENOUNCED DIEM
AND NHU BY NAME FOR MOUTHING THEORIES WHICH WERE MEANINGLESS TO
POPULATION, WHO OAI SAID HAD LOST 150,000 KILLED IN PAST TEN
YEARS. IT DISAPPOINTING TO SEE SUCH CRAVEN, OBVIOUSLY PARTY-LINE
CHANGE OF HEART ON PART OF SENIOR AND INTELLIGENT OFFICER, AND
NOT SURPRISING HE EMBARRASSED DELIVER SUCH OPINIONS PERSONALLY.
STATION HAS HAD NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH GEN OAI'S OFFICER SINCE
5 SEPTEMBER.
4.
APART FROM FOREGOING, STATION IS TAKING GOOD LOOK AT
GEN OAI'S OPS FOR ANOTHER REASON, NAMELY POSSIBLE DOUBLE PAYMENT
BY MACV AND STATION FOR SOME OF SAME PROJECTS. MACV IS CURRENTLY
BUDGETING ABOUT 140,000,000 PIASTERS ANNUALLY FOR THIS OP, SUM
. WHICH VASTLY SURPASSES OUR HELP. UNFORTUNATELY MACV SIMPLY
HANDS OUT MONEY AND REQUIRES NO ACCOUNTINGS WHATEVER. GEN OAI'S
HAS ALWAYS PROVIDED DETAILED ACCOUNTINGS TO STATION PER OUR
SPECIFICATIONS, BUT THEY COULD OBVIOUSLY BE MEANINGLESS SINCE
OPS SUBSIDIZED BY MACV CANNOT BE CHECKED. REQUEST HQS
RESERVE JUDGMENT UNTIL STATION AND MACV HAVE HAD CHANCE TO PIN
THIS
DOWN.
(NOTE:
NEXT STEPS INCLUDE CONSULTATION WITH MACV
HANDLED WITH MAJOR JAMES RICHARDSON, WHO HAS FULL CAS CLEARANCE),
FOLLOWED BY JOINT MEETING WITH GEN OAI'S HQS AND REQUEST FOR
EXPLANATIONS WHERE NECESSARY.
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER DUPLICATION
CAN BE PROVED, STATION AND MACV HAVE TENTATIVELY AND INFORMALLY
CONCLUDED THAT BEST GENERAL GROUND RULES WILL BE FOR MACV TO
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SUPPORT GEN OAI'S ACTIVITIES DIRECTED AT SVN TARGETS (EXCEPT
BLACK RADIO), CAS TO SUPPORT ONLY PROJECTS TARGETED AT DRV.
ALTHOUGH THIS SOLUTION MAY BE TOO PAT BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE
INJUNCTIONS RE USING DOD MONEY AGAINST CIVILIAN TARGET, AT LEAST
THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT ARISEN YET. EFFECT OF THIS TYPE ARRANGEMENT
WILL BE FOR STATION TO CONCENTRATE ON LEAFLETS AND BLACK RADIOS
(WHETHER TARGETED AT NORTH OR SOUTH), MACV ON ALL ELSE. STATION
WILL ADVISE SOONEST, PROBABLY WITHIN WEEK.
END OF MESSAGE
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