176-10036-10168 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM “{[DENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY : NARA . RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10168 RECORD SERIES : National Security Files AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : DOS FROM : Ambassador Lodge TO : Rusk TITLE: DATE : PAGES : 3 SUBJECTS : DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000 OPENING CRITERIA: _ COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 201: Vietnam, 10/29/63-10/31/63, State Cables. Box 2
TOP SEGRET- GEN DON... WE BELIEVE THAT: THE LINITATION OF CONTACT. TO. DON AND” CONEIN: ts AN APPROPRIAT SECTION. Tuo oF THREE VIA CAS. SAIGON 2063 - FROM AMBASSADOR LODG To SECSTATE Wash EYES. ONLY FOR RUSK, HARRINAN, BALL, HILSUA HUGHES: © OSD EYES ONLY FOR noNAHARA, GILPATRIC,. TAYLOR, KRULAK, “UR. WN. BUNDY 7 WHITE HOUSE/EYES: “ONLY MCGEORGE BUNDY. o oy INFO. |_|} HONOLULU FOR ‘ADM FELT ‘EYES: ‘ONLY . CLA/EYES ONLY MCCONE, CARTER, HELMS “REF: “cas WASHINGTON TS1GS | Ae” RE, PARA 4 REF, WE EXPECT THAT. (CONEIN WILL MEET DOH ON | THE NIGHT. OF 38 OCT OR EARLY MORNING 51 OCT. WE AGREE WITH PARA a REF THAT YE. SHOULD. CONTINUE TO PRESS FOR DETAILS AND QUESTION DON . AS TO HIS, ‘ESTIMATE. OF THE ‘RELATIVE STRENGTHS OF OPPOSING FORCES. WE DO NOT. BELIEVE, HOWEVER, THAT WE SHOULD SHOW ANY SIGNS OF “ATTEMPTING TO ‘DIRECT THIS AFFAIR OURSELVES OR OF GIVING THE IMPRESSION OF. SECOND THOUGHTS ON THIS VIETNAMESE. INITIATIN IN THE MEANTIME, WE WILL RESPOND SPECIFICALLY TO CAS WASHINGTON 79126. PLEASE NOTE THAT CAS SAIGON 2059 CORRECTS CAS SAIGON 2823 AND THe | REGINENTS OF THE 7TH DIVISION ARE INCLUDED IN THE. _ COUP FORCES De “APPARENTLY PARA 3: REF OVERLOOKS cas. 1445, 5 OCT 1963 WHICH GAVE AN ACCOUNT OF THE, FACE TO FACE MEETING OF GENERAL | -"BIG MINH AND CONEIN. AT “MINH S INSTIGATION AND: THROUGH THE SPECIFIC. ARRANGEMENT OF | GEN ‘DON. MINH SPECIFICALLY IDENTIF LED GEN DON as PARTICIPATING IN A PLAN TO CHANGE THE GOVERNWENT.” PLEASE NOTE os THAT MINK'S REMARKS PARALLEL IN. EVERY WAY THE LATER STATEWENTS OF Lo ECURITY. MEASURE _consouany“prH: OUR,
are Te ee URGING THAT. THE SMALLEST NUMBER OF PERSONS BE AWARE OF THESE | | a 7 DETAILS. : (6. WE DO NOT BELIEVE IT WISE TO ASK THAT."BIG MINH” PASS HIS. > PLANS TO GEN STILWELL. THE VIETNANESE. BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY WHO LEAK TO THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM. I DO NOT | DOUBT THAT THIS IS AN UNJUST SUSPICION BUT IT IS A FACT THAT THIS. * SUSPICION EXISTS AND THERE IS NOQ USE IN PRETENDING THAT IT DOES NOT. Ta I MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR FURNISHING THE BERTH EQUIPPED MILITARY”: “AIRCRAFT WHICH 1 TRUST IS A JET. I INTEND TG-TELL PAN AMERICAN THAT A JET HAS BEEN DIVERTED FOR MY USE AND THEREFOR I WILL NO. LONGER | NEED ‘THEIR SERVICES. , THIS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY LEAK TO THE NEWSPAPERS AND |. THE GVN MAY STUDY THIS MOVE WITH SOME SUSPICION, 1 WILL ANSWER ANY INQUIRIES ON THIS SCORE. TO THE EFFECT THAT I aM’ MOST PLEASED SY THIS “ATTENTION AND THAT: THIS IS OBVIOUSLY DONE aS A MEASURE TO INSURE MY 'CONFORT AND SAVE MY TINE. | ‘TO ALLAY SUSPICIONS FURTHER, I WILL “OFFER ~ SPACE ON THE AIRCRAFT TO MACV FOR EMERGENCY LEAVE CASES, ETC, AND: HANDLE THIS IN AS ROUTINE FASHION AS POSSIBLE. I WISH TO RESERVE “COMMENT AS TO MY ACTUAL TINE OF DEPARTURE UNTIL I HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL “INFORMATION, HOPEFULLY. TOMORROW. _ | _B. YOUR PARA 7. SOMEWHAT PERPLEXES ME. -I1T DOES. NOT SEEM SENSIBLE ‘TO WAVE THE MILITARY IN CHARGE OF A MATTER WHICH IS SO PRO : FOUNDLY POLITICAL AS A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT « IN FacT,, I WOULD SAY TO DO THIS WOULD PROBABLY BE THE END OF ANY HOPE FOR A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT HERE». THIS: 18 SAID. INPERSONALLY AS A GENERAL PROPOSITION, SINCE GEN HARKINS Is A “SPLENDID GENERAL AND AN OLD FRINED OF MINE TO WHOM I WOULD GLADLY ENTRUST ANYTHING I’ HAVE. I ASSUNE ‘THAT . . THE: EMBASSY AND MACV ARE ABLE To HANDLE NORMAL ACTIVITIES UNDER A, THAT CAS CAN CONTINUE COUP CONTACTS UNDER By AND As REGARDS Cy WE MUST SIMPLY DO. THE VERY BEST. WE CAN IN THE LIGHT OF EVENTS AFTER THE ‘COUP HAS STARTED. er amemmet, antes ot atone abe i eat 6 BE ue
3. VE APPRECIATE. THE ‘STEPS Faken AS “OUTLINED: IN "PARA Bg. a HOWEVER , WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT THE GVN IS NOT TOTALLY INEPT IN its: “OREIS N SOUNDINGS AND. THAT ‘THESE MOVES SHOULD BE AS DISCREET AND SECURITY CONSCIOUS AS POSSIBLE. I. WOULD, OF COURSE, CALL FOR THESE “ORCES ONLY IN CASE OF EXTREME NECESSITY SINCE MY HOPE COINCIDES” JITH THE GENERALS THAT THIS WILL BE AN ALL VIETNAMESE AFFAIR. ©