476-10036-10142 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM ' IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY : NARA RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10142 RECORD SERIES : National Security Files AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : CIA FROM : TO: TITLE : CIA Information Report DATE : 9/24/1963 PAGES YY. 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 , 7
PALE haed ~iel cf CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY v 4: - 7 Lews, Title #8, USC Secs This material contains Information offacting the National Gefense of the United States within the mesning of the Espiona : 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner fo an unauthorized person is prohibited by ta SECRET (When Filled In) CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS WO FREY Poze SSeH ABROAD BACKEROUND USE OLY COUNTRY SOUTH VIETNAM | od REPORT NO. TDCS DB-3/656,830 - SUBJECT HUYNH VAN LANG COUP MOVE TIMING ‘DATE DISTR. 24 septemBer 1963 , ; PRECEDENCE PRIORITY DATEOR 24 SEPTEMBER 1963 . REFERENCES IN| 2 INFO. 2583H PLACES VIETNAM, SAIGON (24 sepremBer 1963) DATE ACG. APPRAISAL 5 FIELD REPORT NO. THIS is UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE. SOURCE APPRAISAL! THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS INDICATING THAT A COUP IS BEING PLANNED AND SOME OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN AGREES WITH THAT IN. OTHER REPORTS. CLAIMS OF SUPPORT INDICATED HEREIN CANNOT BE ACCURATELY APPRAISED AT THIS TIME s NOR CAN — THE ACTUAL TIMING OF THE COUP. 1: SUMMARY. HUYNH VAN LANG, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT SAIGON UNIVERSITY, SAID-ON 24 AUGUST 1963 THAT HIS COUP GROUP WAS GOING TO LAUNCH A COUP BEFORE 5 OCTOBER AND PROBABLY ON 26 OR 28 SEPTEMBER BECAUSE TROOPS WILL BE IN SAIGON AT THAT TIME. THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE NOW INCLUDES GENERALS TRAN THIEN KHIEM, CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE JOINT GENERAL STAFF, NGUYEN KHANH, COMMANDING GENERAL OF I! CORPS, AND DUONG VAN MINH, MILITARY ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT. EVERY EFFORT 1S BEING TAKEN TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF EXTENSIVE BLOODSHED. LANG CLAIMS TO HAVE.SIX DIVISIONS GROuP 1 Estluded trom automates dowageading ond declosufaohon CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONT SECRET Hd FORAGH OSSEEG DISC ABRAM > yp . BACREROUNT USE UNEY Tavare7ine [ova [onwe7neoi] wn] fasta | oc | INFORMATION REPORT TELEGRAM. FORM 1K OBSOLETE PREVIOUS EDITIONS. . . 15-20)
CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS SECRET ~ | fas O20 SISTEM SD BUSSE BST (When Filled In) oe Dey pete us eet ay PLUS AIRBORNE, MARINE, AND ARMOR ELEMENTS READY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COUP, BRIGADIER GENERAL DO CAO TRI 1S ALSO WORKING WITH THE GROU?’, 2, LANG MADE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON THE STATUS OF THE COUP: A, 17 18 TO BE INITIATED BEFORE 5 OCTOBER, POSSIBLY ON 26 oR 28 SEPTEMBER. TROOPS WILL BE BROUGHT INTO SAIGON ON 26. SEPTEMBER FOR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION. MILITARY UNITS WILL REHEARSE ON 28 SEPTEMBER FOR THE 26 OCTOBER NATIONAL DAY PARADE, AND THESE TROOPS WILL REMAIN UNTIL 5 OCTOBER, GENERAL KHIEM WAS TRYING TO ARRANGE THAT HE TROOPS BROUGHT TO SAIGON WOULD BE THOSE WHO WOULD SUPPORT A COUP. | B. NO COUP HAS BEEN INITIATED AS YET BECAUSE EVERY EFFORT IS BEING TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT IT BE RELATIVELY BLOODLESS. LONE ATTEMPT WAS CANCELLED AT THE POINT OF EXECUTION BECAUSE. IT WAS THOUGHT HN FURTHER PREPARATION WOULD PREVENT BLOODSHED. C, A MAJOR PROBLEM 1S THE LACK OF SUITABLE EXPLOSIVES TO BLAST A CONCRETE BUNKER WHERE PRESIDENT DIEM 1S EXPECTED TO HIDE. THE ONLY OPENING TO THE BUNKER, OTHER THAN A HEAVY DOOR, 1S THE VENTILATION SYSTEM AND THE COUP GROUP HESITATES TO USE FLAME THROWERS OR FO!S0N GAS BECAUSE THEY PREFER TO TAKE CIEM ALIVE. D. THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE NOW INCLUDES LANG AND GENERALS KHIEM, KHANH, AND DUONG VAN MINH. GENERAL TRI HAS AGREED TO JOIN -  SLASSIFIC.ATION — DISSEMIN,.T/ON CONTROLS SECRET
CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS SECRET FE reste wires ere ene | ppespp-3/656,830 (When Filied In) , THE COUP ATTEMPT. COLONEL BU! DINH DAM, SEVENTH DIVISION COMMANDER, , IS BELIEVED READY TO SUPPORT THE COUP BUT HAD NOT-BEEN CONTACTED. COLONEL HGUYEN HUU IIANH, CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE 1V CORPS, WHO IS A COUP GROUP MEMBER, BELIEVES THAT BRIGADIER GENERAL HUYNH VAN CAO.1¥ CORPS COMMANDER, WOULD SUPPORT THE COUP SuY OTHER GROUP MEMBERS ARE NOY CONVINCED, | | i GENERAL, KIEM WILL COMMAND THE COUP FORCES. MAJOR LAM: TRANG THO, FORMER SECOND ARMOR SQUADRON COMMANDER AND ‘NOW WITH THE JOINT GENERAL STAFF, WILL COMMAND ARMOR UNITS, INCLUDING SOME ELEMENTS OF His OLD SQurRON PLUS THE FIRST TANK COMPANY AND THE FIFTH MECHANIZED RIFLE COMPANY OF THE FIRST ARMOR SQUADRON. | PF. FYREE, GATYALIONS OF THE AIRBORNE BRIGADE UNDER A MAJOR. WILL JOIN ARMOR UNITS IN THE SHOCK FORCE. G. THE, THIRD MARINE BATTALION UNDER ‘CAPTAIN MAHVIET BANG WILL SERVE, AS A BLOCKING FORCE TO PREVENT REINFORCEMENT OF THE PRES IDEr IAL FALACE BY THE PRESIDENTIAL GUARD. —LTEL SAY COLONAL PHAM NGOC THAO, STRATEGIC HAMLET INSPECTOR FOS, 0 BINH NHU, WILL NOT COMMAND THE SHOCK TROOPS BUT WILL SAVE 8% iM -GRTANT MILITARY FUNCTION DURING THE COUP. I. LYEUTESANT COLONEL NGUYEN DINH PHAT, KIEN PHONG PROVINCE CHIEF, WILL. "<8 ¥0 SAIGON AND ALSO HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE. ” CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS : nee BART TAME NRTA aah TROT HARM rae Tinnaee Re * SECRET.
~—, tem ageetem et sn Fe ym wom team en ' CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS S E C R FE T oe (MNS Poca we Biogen rapes TDCSDB-3/656,830 Chen Filled Tn) BACKERESHD GSE CELT J. MAJOR NGUYEN VAN Tu, COMMANDER OF THE EIGHTH REGIMENT, FIFTH DIVISION, WILi SUPPORT THE COUP WITH HIS FORCES. ALSO INVOLVED IS THE FIFTH RECONNAISSANCE COMPANY OF THE FIFTH DIVISION. Ke GENERAL KHANH WILL COMMANDSIX DIVISIONS, ASSISTED BY GENERAL TRI. THESE DIVISIONS INCLUDE THE FIRST, SECOND, TWENTY- SECOND, TWENTY FIFTH, TWENTY~ THIRD, AND’ THE NINTH. ACCORDING TO KHANH, COLONEL BU! DZINH, NINTH .DIVISION COMMANBER, 1S NOT IN. AGREEMENT WITH HIM BUT WILL SUPPORT HIM IN THE COUP, L. TIMING FOR THE COUP WILL PROBABLY BE 199 HOURS, gg HOURS, ‘OR @5@@ HOURS, SO THAT FAVORABLE UNITS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL GUARD WILL BE ON DUTY. THESE HOURS ALSO FALL BETWEEN THE NORMAL HOURS FOR CHANGING THE GUARD. | | M. ARRIVAL OF HIGH-LEVEL UNITED STATES DEFENSE DEPARTMENT - OFFICIALS DISCOURAGED THE COUP GROUP WHICH 1S RELUCTANT TO PROCEED WITH THEM PRESENT IN SAIGON. THE .GROUP HAS EVEN SPECULATED THE ARRIVAL OF THESE INDIVIDUALS MIGHT SIGNIFY THAT THE UNITED STATES WAS PREPARING A COUP OF ITS OWN; ARTICLES IN THE VIETNAM PRESS WERE CITED AS EVIDENCE OF THIS POSSIBILITY. | 3. FIELD DISSEM. STATE (AMBASSADOR LODGE) USMACV (GENERAL HARKINS) CINCPAC PACAF ARPAC PACFLT.. END OF MESSAGE od CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS