Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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176-10036-10157

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY : NARA

RECORD NUMBER

.: 176-10036-10157

RECORD SERIES : National Security Files

AGENCY FILE NUMBER

ORIGINATOR : DOS

FROM : Saigon

TO : Secretary of State

TITLE : Embtel 731

DATE: 10/18/1963

PAGES : 3

SUBJECTS :

DOCUMENT TYPẺ :

CLASSIFICATION :

RESTRICTIONS :

CURRENT STATUS :

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 201: Vietnam, 10/15/63-10/28/63, State

Cables. Box 2

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21

INCOMING TELEGRAM

Department of State

SECRET:

H

Action.

SS

Info

Control: 14198

Rec'd :

OCTOBER 18, 1963

6:44 AM

FROM: SAIGON

TO:

Secretary of State

NO: 731, OCTOBER 18, I PM

EYES DALY

Cyt 2 dust

0004/1/64

PRIORITY®

• ACTION DEPARTMENT PRIORITY 731, INFORMATION CINCAC :420

EYES ONLY FOR SECRETARY RUSK.

PLS PASS SECRETARY MENAMARA AND DEI, MR• JOHN MCCONE, EYES ONLY

CINCPAC POLAD EXCLUSIVE FOR ADMIRAL FELT

1 PURSUANT OT INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED PARA 9 DEPTEL 534

AND ELABORATION PARA 9 DEPTEL 578= WITH MAC CONCURRENCE I

APPOINTED MAJOR GENERAL RICHARD GO: STILWELL, ASSISTANT CHIEF

OF STAFF J3 MACV AND THE CAS ACTING CHIEF OF STATION.

(ACOS) TO CONVEY SUBSTANCE OF PARA 9 DEPTEL 53 TO DEPUTY

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NGUVEN DINH

THUAN.

2e GENERAL STILWELL AND THE ACOS MET THUAN AT GIA LONG PALACE

BY APPOINTMENT ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 17* THE MELTING

LASTED APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES. GEN. STILWELL OPENED TH

CONVERSATION BY STAVING THANG HAD RECENTLY BEEN 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

•30 THUAN IMMEDIATELY STATED, "YOU'VE COME TO TALK ABOUT THE

SPECIAL FORCES." GEN. STILWELL AND THE ACOS ACKNOWLEDGED

•THAT THIS

SECRETE

$ 0

REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COPY IS

PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED"

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SEGRET

0? 7318 OCTOBER 18, 4 PAA 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 COMPANIESE

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

THE CIVILIAN COMPANIES WERE EFFECTIVELY SUBORDINATED TO THE

COS AN CO

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. IT WAS CAREFULLY EXPLAINED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS

ACTION WAS TO PLACE THESE UNITS IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF THE WAR

EFFORT UNDER HIS CONTROL. .

DO THUAN SEEMED TO AESORE THIS FULLY AND REPEATED HIS UNDER-

STANDING THAT BOTH MAP AND CAS SUPPORT OF SPECIAL FORCES WOULD

CEASE UNLESS VIETNAMESE SPECIAL FORCES ARE EFFECTIVELY

SUBORDINATEO TO THE JGS AND COMMITTED TO FIELD OPERATIONS.

5º THUAN WAS FURTHER INFORMED THAT HENCEFORTH PAYMENTS TO

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 COLO 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 USG DOES NOT RPT NOT PLAN ANY

PUBLIC ANNOUNGEMENT OF THIS STEP BUT, IF IT BECAME KNOWN

AND IF THE EMBASSY WERE QUERIED, WE WOULD STATE THAT THIS

ACTIVE SCO BEEN TAKEN SINCE WE CANNOT SUPPORT FORCES NOT

RPT NOT DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE WAR EFFORT THUAN WAS

/ ALSO INFORMED

SECRET

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## Page 4

SECRET

- Z0 731, 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 WOULD

DISCUSS THE MATTER IMMEDIATELY WITH THE PRESIDENT•

GP→2•

LODGE

MBK 27

NOTE:

PASSED WHITE MOUSE, AT 7:56 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963.

PASSED OSO AT 8:U8 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963.

PASSED CIA AT 8:03 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963.

ADVANCE COPY TO S/S-O AT 7:31 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963.

SECRET

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