176-10036-10197 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY : NARA RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10197. . RECORD SERIES : National Security Files AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : DOS FROM : TO : Secretary of State TITLE : Action Department Priority 731 DATE :; 10/18/1963 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, State Cables, 10/15/1963- 10/28/1963. Box 1
INCOMING TELEGRAM (  Salerivep Me 021 32d “oy 2! Department of State : = — _ | F "Action. Control: 14198 ‘SS . Rec'd: OCTOBER 18, 1963 FROM: . . 6:44 AM | Info ‘ROM: SAIGON | : Capt 2- pt TO: Secretary of State . figs f° iifef NO: 731, OCTOBER 18, 4 PM 3 Gly | PRIORITY: ACTION DEPARTMENT PRIORITY 732, INFORMATION CINCPAC 42. EYES ONLY FOR SECRETARY RUSK PLS PASS SECRETARY MCNAMARA AND DCI, MR. JOHN MCCONE, EYES ONLY CINCPAC POLAD EXCLUSIVE FOR ADMIRAL FELT lo PURSUANT OT INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED PARA 9 DEPTEL 534 AND ELABORATION PARA 9 DEPTEL 570, WITH MACW CONCURRENCE | APPOINTED. MAJOR GENERAL RICHARD.Go STILWELL, ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF J@3 MACY AND THE CAS ACTING CHIEF OF STATION | (ACOS) TO CONVEY SUBSTANCE OF PARA 9 DEPTEL 534% TO DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NGUYEN DINH THUAN. 2. GENERAL STILWELL AND THE ACOS MET THUAN AT GIA LONG PALACE BY APPOINTMENT ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 17. THE MEETING ‘LASTED APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES..GEN. STILWELL OPENED THE - [CONVERSATION BY. STATING THAXNE HAD RECENTLY SEEN TRAVELING WITH ACTING ARVN CHIEFOF STAFF,.MAJOR GENERAL TRAN VAN DON, TO VARIOUS SUBORDINATE HEADQUARTERS’ THROUGHOUT VIETNAM AND. THAT THE PURPOSE OF THESE TRAVELS HAD BEEN TO INSURE THAT ALL UNITS WERE MAKING FULL CONTRIBUTION TO THE WAR EFFORT. GEN. STILWELL ADDED THAT IN THIS LIGHT, .THIS MEETING HAD BEEN |. REQUESTED WITH: THUAN. = .36 THUAN IMMEDIATELY STATED, "YOU'VE COME TO TALK ABOUT THE SPECIAL FORCES." GEN, STILWELL AND THE ACOS ACKNOWLEDGED : or Eure 7 THAT THIS oe WES fame, . - REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COPY 1S SECREFES HAV PROHIBITED UNLESS “UNCLASSIFIED”
SECRET 20 731, OCTOBER 18, 4 PM FROM SAIGON. THAT THIS WAS TRUE AND THEN PROCEEDED TO EXPLAIN THE STRUCTURE. AND SUPPORT OF SPECIAL FORCES UNITS IN THE SAIGON AREA. iT WAS POINTED OUT THAT OF TEN SPECIAL FORCES COMPANIES, . SEVEN ARE MEMBERS OF ARVN AND ARE MAP-SUPPORTED; THREE COMPANIES ARE CIVILIAN AND ARE SUPPORTED ENTIRELY BY CAS. ACOS THEN STATED THAT HE WAS INSTRUCTED To INDICATE TO THUAN THAT UNLESS JHE CIVILIAN COMPANIES WERE EFFECTIVELY SUBORDINATED TO THE JGS AND COMMITTED TO FIELD OPERATIONS, ALL SUPPORT OF THESE COMPANIES WOULD CEASE. GEN. STILWELL ADDED THAT THIS APPLIED TO THE MAP=SUPPORTED UNITS. ALSO BUT WOULD BE REFLECTED IN THE LONG TERM, UNDER THE CONDITIONS SPECIFIED, BY A DECREASE EQUIVALENT TO SEVEN COMPANIES IN THE OVERALL MAP SUPPORT BUDGET. !T WAS CAREFULLY EXPLAINED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTION- WAS TO PLACE THESE UNITS IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF THE WAR EFFORT UNDER HIS CONTROL. - 4S THUAN SEEMED TO ABSORE THIS FULLY AND REPEATED HIS UNDER}e STANDING THAT BOTH MAP AND CAS SUPPORT OF SPECIAL FORCES WOULD CEASE UNLESS VIETNAMESE SPECIAL FORCES ARE EFFECTIVELY — SUBORD INATED TO THE JGS AND COMMITTED TO FIELO OPERAT |ONS= So THUAN WAS FURTHER INFORMED THAT HENCEFORTH PAYMENTS 7) ‘MOUNTAIN SCOUTS AND BORDER SURVEILLANCE PERSONNEL WOULD BE MADE ONLY THROUGH US SPECIAL FORCES MECHANISMS AND FUNDS FOR THESE PROGRAMS WOULD NO RPT NO LONGER BE GIVEN DIRECTLY TO COL, TUNG. THUAN WAS ASSURED THAT THE ACTUAL PASSAGE OF FUNDS WOULD BE THROUGH THE HANDS OF VIETNAMESE, NOT AMERICAN, OFFICERS BUT THAT AMERICAN SPECIAL FORCES WORKING WITH THEIR. VIETNAMESE COUNTERPARTS IN THE PROVINCES WOULD DIRECTLY OVERSEE THE EXPENDITURES OF THESE FUNDS. THUAN WAS INTERESTED IN THE AMOUNTS INVOLVED AND SEEMED SURPRISED AT THEIR MAGNITUDE. 6. THUAN WAS TOLD THAT THE WSG DOES NOT RPT NOT PLAN ANY PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF THIS STEP BUT, IF IT BECAME KNOWN AND IF THE EMBASSY WERE QUERIED, WE WOULD STATE THAT THIS ACTIVE SCD BEEN TAKEN SINCE WE CANNOT SUPPORT FORCES NOT RPT NOT DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE WAR EFFORT. THUAN WAS / ALSO INFORMED SECRET \ C
SECRET ~3e 7315 OCTOBER 18,4 PM FROM SAIGON. ALSO INFORMED THAT THIS MATTER WOULD ALSO BE. TAKEN UP DIRECTLY WITH COL. TUNG. HE CONCURRED. IN THIS AND STATED THAT HE WouLb DISCUSS THE MATTER IMMEDIATELY WITH THE PRESIDENT. GP=2 6 LODGE MBK=27 NOTE: PASSED WHITE HOUSE, AT 7:56 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963 . PASSED OSD AT 8319 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963. PASSED CIA AT 8293 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963.. ADVANCE COPY TO S/SeO AT 733}! Ae OCTOBER 185 19630 SECRET