Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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176-10036-10197

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY : NARA

RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10197.

RECORD SERIES : National Security Files

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

ORIGINATOR : DOS

FROM

TO : Secretary of State

TITLE : Action Department Priority 731

DATE: 10/18/1963

PAGES : 3

SUBJECTS :

DOCUMENT TYPE :

CLASSIFICATION :

RESTRICTIONS :

CURRENT STATUS :

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 201: Vietnam, State Cables, 10/15/1963-

10/28/1963. Box 1

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INCOMING TELEGRAM

H

Action.

SS

Info

(

SANITIZED MR . 02:324%/03 21

Department of State

SECRET

Control: 141.98

Rec'd:

OCTOBER 18, 1963

6344 AM

FROM: SAIGON

TO: Secretary of State

NO: 731, OCTOBER 18, 4 PM

EYES ONLY.

Cyt 2 dust

4/8/64

003

PRIORITY®

• ACTION DEPARTMENT PRIORITY 731, INFORMATION CINCPAC 42.

EYES ONLY FOR SECRETARY RUSK

PLS PASS SECRETARY MCNAMARA 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 579. WITH MACY CONCURRENCE !

APPOINTED MAJOR GENERAL RICHARD. GO STILWELL, ASSISTANT CHIEF

OF STAFF JU3 MACV AND THE CAS ACTING CHIEF OF STATION

(ACOS) TO CONVEY SUBSTANCE OF PARA 9 DEPTEL 534 TO DEPUTY

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NGUYEN DINA THUAN.

20 GENERAL STILWELL AND THE ACOS MET THUAN AT GIA LONG PALACE

BY APPOINTMENT ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 17* THE MEETING

LASTED APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES. GEN. STILWELL OPENED THE

CONVERSATION BY STAVING THAINE 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 THUANe

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

SPECIAL FORCES®" GEN. STILWELL AND THE ACOS ACKNONLEDGED

/ THAT THỊS

SECRETES

REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COPY IS

- PROMIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED"

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## Page 3

SECRET

•2e 731, OCTOBER 18, 8 PM 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 COMPANIES,

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

JGS AND COMMITTED TO FIELD OPERATIONS, ALL SUPPORT OF THESE

COMPANIES WOULD CEASE• GENO STILWELL ADDED THAT THIS APPLIED

TO THE MAP SUPPORTED UNITS ALSO BUT WOULD BE REFLECTED IN

THE LONG TERM, UNDER THE CONDITIONS SPEGIFIED, 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. •

4Ö THUAN SEEMED TO ABSORE THIS FULLY AND REPEATED HIS UNDER-

STANDING THAT BOTH MAP AND CAS SUPPORT OF SPECIAL FORCES WOULD

CEASE UNLESS VIETNAMESE SPEGIAL FORCES ARE EFFECTIVELY

SUBORDINATED TO THE JOS AND COMMITTED TO FIELO OPERATIONS.

5. 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 RAT NO LONGER BE GIVEN DIRECTLY

TO COLO TUNGO THUAN WAS ASSURED THAT THE ACTUAL PASSAGE OF

FUNDS WOULD BE THROUGH THE HANDS OF VIETNAMESE, NOT AMERICANS

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.

60 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

-Ze 731, OCTOBER 18, 4 PM FROM SAIGON.

ALSO INFORMED THAT THIS MATTER WOULD ALSO BE TAKEN UP DIRECTLY

WITH COLO TUNG. HE CONCURRED. IN THIS AND STATED THAT HE WOULD

DISCUSS THE MATTER IMMEDIATELY WITH THE PRESIDENT.

LODGE

MBK-27

NOTE:

PASSED WHITE HOUSE, AT 7:56 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963

PASSED OSO AT 8:89 AM, OCTOBER 18, 1963.

PASSEO CIA AT 8:03 AM, OCTOBER i8, 1963.

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

SECRET

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