176-10036-10099 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
ated Nef Bed email CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 5. Nate sonage Loews, Title 18, USC Sees. This “material contains information affecting the National Defense “of ‘the United’ States within fhe meaning of the ’ 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unsuthoriued Berson is prohibited by faw. CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATI SECRET | Ne FOREIGN Diss: COUNTRY VIETNAM ae {TROLS REPORT NO. TOCS-3/547, 646 SUBJECT APPREHENSIONS OF VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL pate piste, 18 may 1963 a IN SINGAPORE REGARDING RECENT EVENTS IN: , ve VIETNAM ’ PRECEDENCE: ROUTINE paTteor 17 Mav 1963 | REFERENCES IN INFO. , whe PLACE &. SINGAPORE (17 may 1963) oe :, ae DATE ACO, APPRAISAL SFE BELOW FIELD REPORTNO. . FSS 12881 THIS is UNEVALUATED inrormaTION. souRCcE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE. SOURCE a il. SUMMARY . | THAT THE COMB INAT |ON 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 COMMUNI STS (VC). THESE THREE ACTS WERE: DISMISSAL. OF HUYNH VAN LANG OF THE OFFICE OF EXCHANGES FROM HIS POS |'T1ON" “OF? POWER IN THE SOUTHERN FACTION OF THE CAN LAO (REVOLUTIONARY WORKER'S) PARTY; THE DENIGRATION AND REMOVAL FROM POWER ‘AND. AUTHOR ITY OF DR. TRAN k KIM TUYEN, DIRECTOR OF SEPES: ; AND MOST |MPORTANTLY, THE HUE INCIDENT ON BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY 8 MAY IN WHICH BUDDHIST PARADERS GROUP 1 j€acheded from outomose ‘dawngioding ond CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS “SECRET. "A "FAG DISSER parecer serra pe eee TTT eh ELEGRA [INFORMATION REPORTS deciouficonon ran FoR 1K . OBSOLETE PREVIOUS EDITIONS. . (15-20) eee SAMMUT NUK OG 197 960
GLASSIFICATION ~~ DISSEMINATION CONTROLS We FOREN use | rcs aad 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. TUYEN'S DISMISSAL IN PARTICULAR WOULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE INSECURITY AMONG LOYAL SUPPORTERS AND PUBL IC SERVANTS OF ‘THE REGIME WHO KNOW DR. TUYEN'S RECORD OF LOYAL SERVICE To THE | PRESIDENT AND ESPECIALLY TO HIS BROTHER: PRESI- DENTIAL COUNSELOR NGO DINH NHU. THESE OFFICIALS CAN CERTAINLY QUEST ION WHETHER ANYONE'S POSITION IN THE REGIME IS SAFE IF TUYEN COULD FALL FROM FAVOR. 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 "| BEVOTION 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, INGRATI TUDE 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. 2 VIETNAMESE. , CLASSIFICATION ~- DISSEMINATION CONTROLS W FOREIR DISSEM * wig
. : CLASSIFICATION — BISSENINATION CONTROLS . . , . . SECRET : ta | tocs-3/siz,6ue FHSS RE sO FOREIGN DISSE - INTELLECTUALS PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM NORTH VIETNAM. THOSE WHO | DID NoT LIKE HIM AT LEAST TRUSTED HIS” FALRNESS | AND BASIC. EMPATHY WHEREAS THEY NEITHER TRUSTED NOR LIKED NHU EVEN THOUGH NHU HIMSELF WAS AN INFELLECTUAL. 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 OCCAS! ONED SIMILAR DOUBTS AMONG THE PARTY'S RANK ~AND-FILE. ‘AS IN TUYEN'S CASE, CAN LAO MEMBERS CAN QUESTION. WHAT VALUE 1S 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 NOT@RIOUS FOR ITS © FAVORITISM TOWARD CATHOLICS; BELYING PRESIDENT -DIEM'S EARLIER REPUTATION FOR- RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE, MANY VEETNAMESE CATHOLICS FEAR THAT THE GVN'S INCREAS ING 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 COMMEMORATION OF - THE. DIEN BIEN PHU VICTORY) : . ” AND’ CONSEQUENT. FATALITIES WILL. AROUSE THE ANTAGONISM OF PREDOMINANTLY’: ‘ ie CLASSIFICATION = DISSEMINATION CONTROLS: [Eecrer NA FOREN Dassen
CLASSIFICATION = DISSEMINATION CONTROLS SECRET NO FOREIGN pSSea | res-s/5h 6 BUDDHIST VIETNAM AGAINST BOTH THE REGIME AND THE CATHOLICS, 6. | 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 POL ICE— MEN REFUSED, SAYING THAT BUDDHIST FLAGS SHOULD BE PERMITTED JUST AS CATHOLIC FLAGS ARE FLOWN ON SAINTS DAYS. SUCH DEFIANCE OF ‘ORDERS ! AT HUE 1S QUITE RARE, 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. ARCHB!SHOP THUC REPORTEDLY WENT TO. SA 1GON 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-CATHOL IC -PEASANTRY IN ITS MOST CRUCIAL TIME. . IF THIS CONT.INUES ONLY SYCOPHANTS AND XENOPHOBES WILL PREDOMINATE IN THE GVN AND ITS RELATIONS WITH ITS PEOPLE, BUREAU- “Ay CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS [secret WH FOREIGN Dose
CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS SECRET Nd FOREIGN vsseM | roes-3/547,646 a 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. END OF MESSAGE CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS SECRET  — i FOREIGN