Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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176-10036-10192

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY : NARA

RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10192

RECORD SERIES : National Security Files

AGENCY FILE NUMBER

ORIGINATOR :

FROM :

TO :

TITLE : Variations in Vietnamese Attitudes

DATE : 9/25/1963

¡PAGES : 2

SUBJECTS :

DOCUMENT TYPE :

CLASSIFICATION :

RESTRICTIONS :

CURRENT STATUS :

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS : National Security Files, File 11: Vietnam

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F.

G

REET

25 Soptember 1963

SUBJECT: Variationg in Vietnamese Attitudes

SoURCE: Light CAS officers during dinner discussion

1.

The consensus was that the recent Buddhist disturbances and the

repression thereor had had little effect in the provinces outside Saigon.

There was sone awareness of these developments, however, and their effect

in the provinces may be expected to grow.

2. In saigon there is only moderate basis for the public attitude

of concern over repression, bus the public attitude on the subject is

rost intense despite this inited besis.

Despite this concern the

normal civil servant or liaison official is doing his job in the govern-

nent at about the sane pace as formerly.

3.

Some Liaison officials have taken a very cautious approach

toward their Anerican counterparts and are avoiding intimacy or even

an uncooperative spirit.

A senior Vietnanese oificial sympsthetic to Dien pictured the

current problen by the following analogy.

lost in tho jungle and saved fron tigers by a friendly father figure.

This father figure raised the child but at maturity insisted that the

child be a nusician for which the child had no inclination or desire.

This divergence of views and the fact that Dien's insistence on certain

policies seened, in ihts Vietnanese official's eyes, to be similar to the

present problen.

The Vietnanese people, as the child, retain nuch

respect for the father but find thenselves unable to accept his injunc

5. The students in general, as a result of recent events, will

be more vulnerable to anti-GN appeals and activity, not solely of a

Viet. Cong nature.

6.

One source has indicated that the Viet Cong can bo expected

to react to the present situation by turning to a note vigorous

political as distinci fron militery action as the political field is

now more fertile for their sowing.

7. The analogy was suggested that the danger of an explosion in

Vietnam is sonerhat sinilnr so a diessl cylinder.

The air vould be

represented by tho degree of organization of the students and of the

political cleonte. The feul would be represented by the regree oi

morale, discipline, and tactical ability of the police and military

Iorces of order.

These two elements would then be sunjected do the

pressure of a cylinder, representing the degree of governeutal

repression and public opposition thereto.: The consensus of these

SEGRET

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SECRET

officers was that the present situation does not offor the elements

of an explosion in that the students are relativoly disorganized and

only reasonably intense, the morale, discipline and tactical efficioncy

of the police forces is reasonably good and there is an awareness that

the real repressive acts are relatively linited, although there is

considerable runor and some feeling about noro dranatic repression.

SECRET

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