[1]176-10036-10129 | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
[3]JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM
[4]IDENTIFICATION FORM
[5]AGENCY : NARA
[6]RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10129
[7]RECORD SERIES : National Security Files
[8]AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ;
[9]ORIGINATOR : CIA
[10]. FROM :
[11]TO:
[12]TITLE : CIA Information Telegram
[13]DATE : 9/17/1963
[14]PAGES : 3
[15]SUBJECTS :
[16]DOCUMENT TYPE :
[17]CLASSIFICATION :
[18]RESTRICTIONS :
[19]CURRENT STATUS :
[20]DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000
[21]OPENING CRITERIA :
[22]COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 200: Vietnam,9/17/1963-9/21/63. Box 2
[24]CRONE LE SN MC re T/L VY
[25]( _ (
[27]| bawdy
[29]~ TO : WASHINGTON HONOLULU
[31]FROM : SAIGON 0966, 17 SEPTEMBER 1963
[33]1. APTER MAKING AND BREAKING FOUR APPOINTMENTS WITH CAS
[34]OFFICER, GEN TRAN TU OAI SENT MESSAGE ON 5 SEPT VIA LE TRUNG
[35]THANH THAT HE CONSIDERED IT BEST IN PRESENT CLIMATE THAT CAS
[36]OFFICER NOT COME TO GEN OAI'S HQS OWING HEAVY SURVEILLANCE,
[37]TRANSPARENCY THIS EXCUSE INDICATED BY ASSURANCES THAT GEN OAI
[39]‘THOUGHT IT PERFECTLY IN ORDER TO CONTINUE VISIT HIS HQS SO-
[41]CALLED CLANDESTINE ENCLOSURE, GATE TO WHICH NOT MORE THAN FIFTY
[42]FEET FROM MAIN GATE, ONE SURVEILLANCE WOULD COVER BOTH. .
[43]2, IN HOUR CONVERSATION THANH AND CAS OFFICER WENT OVER
[44]VARIOUS SUBJECTS , FIRST BEING ARTICLE ON CAS IN VIETNAM TIMES,
[45]AND CAS OFFICER ASKED THANH TO GIVE GEN OAI FULL ACCOUNT OF CON-
[47]VERSATION. CAS OFFICER POINTED OUT THAT LIKE MOST EXPOSES THIS .
[49]WAS MISHMASH OF FACT AND FANCY, THAT TO EXTENT IT WAS ACCURATE
[50]THE WRITER DISCUSSED JOINT PROJECTS WHICH HAD BEEN APPROVED BY
[51]U.S, AND GVN, IN MOST CASED BY COUNSELLOR NHU HIMSELF. IT WOULD
[53]THEREFORE BE HEIGHT OF ILLOGIC FOR U.S. TO SPEND LARGE SUMS AND
[55]‘EFFORTS ON BEHALF GOVERNMENT WHICH WE SIMULTANEOUSLY ATTEMPT ING
[57]OVERTHROW. CAS OFFICER TOLD THANH TO TELL OAI THAT IN SUCH
[58]CIRCUMSTANCES CAS HAD NO CHOICE BUT REVIEW ALL PROJECTS.
[60]3. THANH BROUGHT VARIOUS MESSAGES ON WHICH OAI ASKED FOR
[61]CAS OFFICER' S OPINION. FIRST WAS QUERY WHETHER: CAS OFFICER
[62]AGREED WITH GEN OAI THAT PRES KENNEDY ERRED IN STATING GVN OUT
[63]OF TOUCH WITH PEOPLE AND ALSO THAT BUDDHISTS BEING REPRESSED .
[65]y»y ov sO
[66]a,
[68](D
[70]CAS OFFICER SAID HE DISAGREED WITH OAI ON BOTH COUNTS AND CONCURRED
[73]COMPLETELY WITH PRES KENNEDY, CITING IN BOTH CASES EARLIER AND
[74]FAIRLY DETAILED CONVERSATIONS WITH OAI, WHO HAD SPOKEN STRONGLY
[75]AGAINST GVN FOR HANDLING OF BUDDHISTS AND ALSO. DENOUNCED DIEM
[76]AND NHU BY NAME FOR MOUTHING THEORIES WHICH WERE MEANINGLESS ‘TO
[77]POPULATION, WHO OAI SAID HAD LOST 150,000 KILLED IN PAST TEN
[78]YEARS, IT DISAPPOINTING TO SEE SUCH CRAVEN, OBVIOUSLY PARTY-LINE
[79]CHANGE OF HEART ON PART OF SENIOR AND INTELLIGENT OFFICER, AND
[80]NOT SURPRISING HE EMBARRASSED DELIVER SUCH OPINIONS PERSONALLY.
[81]STATION HAS HAD NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH GEN OAI'S OFFICER SINCE
[82]5 SEPTEMBER.
[84]4. APART FROM FOREGOING, STATION IS TAKING GOOD LOOK AT
[85]GEN OAL'S OPS FOR ANOTHER REASON, NAMELY POSSIBLE DOUBLE PAYMENT
[86]BY MACV:‘AND STATION FOR SOME OF SAME PROJECTS. MACV IS CURRENTLY
[87]BUDGETING ABOUT 140,000,000 PIASTERS ANNUALLY FOR THIS oP, SUM
[88]‘WHICH VASTLY SURPASSES OUR HELP, UNFORTUNATELY MACV SIMPLY
[89]HANDS OUT MONEY AND REQUIRES NO ACCOUNTINGS WHATEVER, GEN OAI'S
[90]HAS ALWAYS PROVIDED DETAILED ACCOUNTINGS TO STATION PER OUR
[91]SPECIFICATIONS, BUT THEY COULD OBVIOUSLY BE MEANINGLESS SINCE
[92]OPS SUBSIDIZED BY MACV CANNOT BE CHECKED. REQUEST HQS |
[93]RESERVE JUDGMENT UNTIL STATION AND MACV HAVE HAD CHANCE TO PIN
[95]DOWN, NEXT STEPS INCLUDE CONSULTATION WITH MACV (NOTE: THIS
[97]HANDLED WITH MAJOR JAMES RICHARDSON, WHO HAS FULL CAS CLEARANCE) ,
[99]FOLLOWED BY JOINT MEETING WITH GEN OAI'S HQS AND REQUEST FOR
[100]EXPLANATIONS WHERE NECESSARY. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER DUPLICATION
[101]CAN BE PROVED, STATION AND MACV HAVE TENTATIVELY AND INFORMALLY
[103]CONCLUDED THAT BEST GENERAL GROUND RULES WILL BE FOR MACV TO
[105]. : : va
[106]{ CY
[108]SUPPORT GEN OAI'S ACTIVITIES DIRECTED AT SVN TARGETS (EXCEPT
[110]BLACK RADIO), CAS TO SUPPORT ONLY PROJECTS TARGETED AT. DRV.
[111]ALTHOUGH THIS SOLUTION MAY BE TOO PAT BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE
[112]INJUNCTIONS RE USING DOD MONEY AGAINST CIVILIAN TARGET, AT LEAST
[113]THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT ARISEN YET, EFFECT OF THIS TYPE ARRANGEMENT
[114]WILL BE FOR STATION TO CONCENTRATE ON LEAFLETS AND BLACK RADIOS
[116](WHETHER TARGETED AT NORTH OR SOUTH), MACV ON ALL ELSE, -STATION
[118]WILL ADVISE SOONEST, PROBABLY WITHIN WEEK,
[119]END OF MESSAGE