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176-10036-10099

2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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

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unitially.

TELEGRAM INFURMATION REPURT TELEGRAM

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

material

contains information aflecting

National Detense

of the

United States

Vietnam

within

793 and

transmission

meaning

ravelation of which

ony manner 0 an unduthoried berlin brombiting ol tho

onago Laws, Tillo 18, U.S.C

Sees.

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COUNTRY

VIETNAM

REPORT NO.

TDCS-3/547,646

SUBJECT®

APPREHENSIONS OF VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL

IN SINGAPORE REGARDING RECENT EVENTS IN.

VIETNAM

DATE DISTR.

18 MAY 1963

PRECEDENCE • ROUTINE

DATE OF

17: MẠY 1963

REFERENCES

INFO.

IN 41548

PLACE &

SINGAPORE

(17 MAY 1963)

DATE ACO.

APPRAISAL

SEE BELOW

FIELD REPORT NO: FSS 12881

THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.

SOURCE

AN AMERICAN. OBSERVER (B) FROM VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL TRAN KIM PHUONG.:

APPR: CONSUL GENERAL PHUONG HAS BEEN AN ARDENT AND DEVOTED SUPPORTER OF THE

PRESIDENTANO OF AGO DINH NHUÁS-CAN LAO: PARTYU: HEISTA CATHOLIC 'AND A FRIEND AND.: SUPPORTER

OF DR. TUYEN.

THIS REPORT IS BELIEVED TO REFLECT ACCURATELY HIS VIEWS WHICH ARE FELT TO

BE REASONABLY OBJECTIVE AS WELL AS SINCERE.

1. SUMMARY, VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL TRAN KIM PHUONG CONSIDERS

THAT THE COMBINATION 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 COMMUNISTS (VC). THESE THREE ACTS WERE: DISMISSAL. OF

HUNH VAN LANG OF THE OFFICE OF EXCHANGES FROM HIS POSITION OF

POWER IN THE SOUTHERN FACTION OF THE CAN LAO (REVOLUTIONARY WORKER'S)

PARTY; THE DENIGRATION AND REMOVAL FROM POWER AND AUTHORITY OF

DR. TRAN KIM TUYEN, DIRECTOR OF SEPES:; AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE

HUE INCIDENT ON BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY & MAY IN WHICH BUDDHIST PARADERS

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JOS SECOEF| NSA: MIC AID USIA!

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ONE

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Enctuded trom auromorre

declosufication

STATE/ INR

DIA 'ARMY/ACSI

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INFORMATION REPORT

TELEGRAM

OBSOLETE PREVIQUS EDITIONS.

(15-30)

4961

SANITIZED TER 01-197-6-910

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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. ¡CONSUL GENERAL PHUONG FEARED THAT TUYEN'S DISMISSAL IN

PARTICULAR WOULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE INSECURITY AMONG LOYAL SUPPORTERS

AND PUBLIC 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

QUESTION WHETHER ANYONE'S POSITION IN THE REGIME IS SAFE IF TUYEN

COULD FALL FROM FAVOR. PHUONG STATED THAT SEVERAL FRIENDS OF HIS

WITH LONG RECORDS OF SERVICE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM (GVN)

AND TO THE PRESIDENTIAL FAMILY HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN TO HIM DESPONDENT-

LY ALONG THESE LINES. 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

• DEVOTION TO NHU. YET NHU HAS STRIPPED HIM OF ALL REAL AUTHORITY

SUPPOSEDLY BECAUSE OF A SILLY WOMEN'S TIFF BETWEEN i ...

MADAME NHU AND MADAME TUYEN. ANY OBJECTIVE GVN OFFICIAL MIGHT

QUESTION THE FRIVOLITY, INGRATITUDE 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. VIETNAMESE

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INTELLECTUALS PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM NORTH VIETNAM. THOSE WHO

DID NOT LIKE HIM AT LEAST TRUSTED HIS FAIRNESS AND BASIC EMPATHY

WHEREAS THEY NEITHER TRUSTED NOR LIKED NHU EVEN THOUGH NHU HIMSELF

WAS AN INTELLECTUAL.

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

ÓCCASIONED SIMILAR DOUBTS AMONG THE PARTY'S RANK -AND-FILE. AS IN

TUYEN'S CASE, CAN LAO MEMBERS CAN QUESTION. WHAT VALUE IS 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 NOTORIOUS FOR ITS •

FAVORITISM TOWARD CATHOLICS; BELYING PRESIDENT DIEM'S

EARLIER REPUTATION FOR RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE. MANY VIETNAMESE

CATHOLICS FEAR THAT THE GVN'S INCREASING PRO-CATHOLIC BENT WILL BE

HARMFUL TO THE CHURCH. AS WELL AS TO THE REGIME. CERTAINLY THE

STUPID SUPPRESSION ÖF 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;

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BUDDHIST VIETNAM AGAINST BOTH THE REGIME AND THE CATHOLICS.

6. FROM REPORTS REACHING HIM PHUONG FOUND IT PARTICULARLY

SIGNIFICANT THAT 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 POLICE-

MEN REFUSED, SAYING THAT BUDDHIST FLAGS SHOULD BE PERMITTED JUST

AS CATHOLIC FLAGS ARE FLOWN ON SAINTS DAYS. SUCH DEFIANCE OF ORDERS 1

AT HUE IS QUITE RARE, PHUONG SAID.

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. ARCHBISHOP

THUC REPORTEDLY WENT TO SAIGON 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-CATHOLIC PEASANTRY IN ITS MOST CRUCIAL TIME.

IF THIS CONTINUES ONLY SYCOPHANTS AND XENOPHOBES WILL

PREDOMINATE IN THE GVN AND ITS RELATIONS WITH ITS PEOPLE, BUREAU-

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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.

IN 41548

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