[1]176-10036-10099 | 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 : 176-10036-10099
[7]RECORD SERIES : National Security Files
[8]AGENCY FILE NUMBER : . .
[9]ORIGINATOR : CIA
[10]FROM :
[11]TO:
[12]TITLE : Central Intelligence Agency Information Report
[13]DATE : 5/18/1963 .
[14]PAGES : 5
[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 197: Vietnam, 4/63-5/63. Box 2
[24]some eliiaieedidesi venutad
[26]_ ——————— NOK 2
[27]BINFORMATION REPORT]
[29]CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY BN
[30]sonage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C Secs.
[32]This “material costains intormation affecting the Nations! Delense “of the United’ States within the meaning of the
[33]" 793 and 794, tho transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthornied Gerson it prohibited by law
[35]CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATI ONTROLS
[37]SECRET | we FOREIGN DISSEM
[39]COUNTRY VIETNAM , REPORTNO. TDCS-3/547, 646
[41]SUBJECT, APPREHENSIONS OF VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL pare pistr. 18 may 1963 7
[42]IN SINGAPORE REGARDING RECENT EVENTS IN-
[43]VIETNAM "PRECEDENCE: ROUTINE
[45]DATEOF = 17 MAY 1963 REFERENCES IN oh8
[47]INFO. Nd
[49]PLACE @-. SINGAPORE (17 may 1963)
[51]DATE ACO.
[53]APPRAISAL SEE BELOW FIELD REPORTNO. . FSS 12881
[54]SouRCE AN AMERICAN. OBSERVER (ps) FROM VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL TRAN KIM PHUONG....
[56]APPR? “CONSUL GENERAL PHUONG HAS 6E EN AN ARDENT AND DEVOTED .SUPPORTER oF THE
[57]PRES | DENTAND OF “RGO’ DINH. ‘NAUSS“CAN* GAD. PARTY SHE TTS*=A CAFHOLTC “AND A FRIEND AND..SUPPORTER
[58]OF DR. TUYEN. THIS REPORT IS BELIEVED TO REFLECT ACCURATELY HtS VIEWS WHICH ARE FELT TO
[60]BE REASONABLY OBJECTIVE AS WELL AS SINCERE. |
[61]1. SUMMARY . VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL TRAN KIM PHUONG CONSIDERS
[63]THAT THE COMBINATION OF THREE UNWISE POLITICAL ACTS: tN THE PAST MONTH
[64]MAY ULTIMATELY PROVE FATAL TO THE REGIME OF PRES IDENT
[66]NGU ‘DINH DIEM DESPITE” 17S GAINS IN THE MILITARY “STRUGGLE AGAINST
[67]THE VIET COMMUNI STS (vc). THESE THREE ACTS “WERE! DISMISSAL OF
[69]HUYNH VAN LANG OF THE OFFICE OF EXCHANGES FROM HIS POSITION" “OF”
[71]POWER IN THE SOUTHERN FACTION OF THE CAN LAO (REVOLUTIONARY. WORKER'S)
[72]PARTY; THE DENIGRAT JON AND REMOVAL FROM POWER “AND. AUTHORITY OF
[74]DR. TRAN k KIM TUYEN, DIRECTOR OF SEPES: ; AND MOST iMPORTANTLY, THE
[76]HUE INCIDENT ON BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY 8 MAY IN WHICH BUDDH! ST PARADERS
[78]CLASSIFICATION — — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
[81]{Eschded from ovtomore
[83]~SECRET
[85](15-20)
[86]; i
[88]= 1K ; OBSOLETE PREVIOUS EDITIONS.
[90]Sanirivey NUK Ol 19726960
[94]“CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS —____- $$,
[95]__W FOREN USM | rmes ys
[97]WERE KILLED BY THE Civil GUARD. EACH OF THESE SEPARATE ACTS HAS
[99]“SERVED TO WEAKEN THE MOTIVATION OF DIFFERENT | SEGMENTS - OF VIETNAMESE
[101]AND TO FURTHER NARROW , POSSIBLY TO A FATAL DEGREE, THE BASE OF
[103]SUPPORT FOR THE REGIME.
[105]2. ©CONSUL GENERAL _PHUONG FEARED THAT TUYEN'S DISMISSAL IN
[106]PARTICULAR WOULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE INSECURITY AMONG LOYAL SUPPORTERS
[107]AND PUBL IC SERVANTS OF ‘THE REGIME WHO KNOW DR. TUYEN'S RECORD OF
[108]LOYAL SERVICE TO THE | PRESIDENT AND ESPECIALLY To HIS BROTHER: PRESI-
[109]DENTIAL COUNSELOR NGO DINH NHU. THESE OFFICIALS CAN CERTAINLY
[110]QUEST ION WHETHER ANYONE'S POSITION IN THE’ REGIME IS SAFE IF TUYEN
[111]COULD FALL FROM FAVOR. PHUONG STATED THAT SEVERAL FRIENDS OF HIS
[112]WITH LONG - "RECORDS OF SERVICE TO THE: GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM (GVN)
[114]AND TO THE “PRESIDENTIAL FAMILY. HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN TO HIM DESPONDENT-
[115]Ly ALONG THESE LINES. TUYEN HAD A BAD REPUTATION WITH MANY
[117]OFFICERS IN THE VIETNAMESE ARMY AND BUREAUCRACY AS THE HATCHETMAN
[119]AND TROUBLESHOOTER FOR NGO DINH NHU BUT NO ONE ‘DOUBTED HIS
[121]- DEVOTION TO NHU. YET NHU HAS STRIPPED HIM OF ALL REAL AUTHORITY
[123]“SUPPOSEDLY BECAUSE OF A SILLY WOMEN'S TIFF: ..BETWEEN
[125]MADAME NAU AND MADAME TUYEN. ANY OBJECTIVE GVN OFFICIAL MIGHT
[127]_ QUESTION THE FRIVOLITY, INGRAT I TUDE AND. LACK OF PERSPECTIVE OF A REGIME
[129]THAT ACTS THUS.
[130]3. FURTHERMORE TUYEN WAS ONE OF: THE FEW REMAINING GVN OFFICIALS
[131]_!N. HIGH POSITION RESPECTED BY. OPPOSITION LEADERS AND. 2 VIETNAMESE.
[133]- CLASSIFICATION — iN DIS CONTROLS
[135]NQ FOREIGN DISSEM
[137]7
[139]; . ASTOR = BRBARATER CONTROLS . 7 ; ; - , : "
[140]SECRET NG FOREIGN DISSEM | r2cs-3/5¥r «1 ae
[142]INTELLECTUALS PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM NORTH VIETNAM. THOSE WHO |
[144]DID NoT LIKE HIM AT LEAST TRUSTED. HIS: FAIRNESS AND BASIC EMPATHY
[145]WHEREAS THEY NEITHER’ TRUSTED NOR LIKED NHU EVEN THOUGH NHU HIMSELF
[147]WAS AN INTELLECTUAL.
[148]4, WITHIN THE - CAN ‘LAO PARTY, WHICH tS STILL ONE OF THE SECRET
[150]" MAINSPRINGS OF SUPPORT IN VIETNAM FOR THE PRESIDENT AND THE NGO
[151]FAMILY, THE PARALLEL REMOVAL FROM AUTHORITY OF .HUYNH VAN LANG HAS
[152]OCCASIONED SIMILAR DOUBTS AMONG THE PARTY'S RANK ~AND-FILE. ‘AS IN
[153]TUYEN'S CASE, CAN LAO MEMBERS CAN QUESTION WHAT VALUE 1S LOYALTY .
[154]AND SERVICE IF A MAN LIKE ‘LANG CAN LOSE HIS. POST.
[156]5, THE EVEN MORE SERIOUS: MISTAKE WHICH MAY NARROW THE BASE OF
[157]SUPPORT: FOR THE GVN TO A FATAL DEGREE WAS THE SHOOTING OF BUDDHIST
[158]PARADERS AT-HUE ON ‘THE OCCASION OF” BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY. |THE HUE
[159]REGIME OF CENTRAL VIETNAM COUNSELOR NGO DINH CAN HAS ALWAYS OPERATED
[160]LIKE AN-AUTONOMOUS POLICE STATE ‘AND HAS BEEN NOTGRIOUS FOR ITS:
[161]FAVORITISM TOWARD CATHOLICS;- BELYING PRESIDENT -DIEM'S
[162]EARLIER REPUTATION FOR. RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE, MANY VIETNAMESE
[163]CATHOLICS FEAR THAT THE GVN'S INCREAS ING PRO-CATHOLIC BENT WILL BE
[164]HARMFUL TO.THE CHURCH.AS WELL AS TO. THE REGIME. CERTAINLY THE
[165]STUP|D SUPPRESSION OF BUDDHIST RELIGIOUS FLAGS AT HUE ON 8 MAY (ON
[167]PRETEXT THAT THEY MIGHT BE CONS TRUED AS CONNECTED TO VC COMMEMORAT | ON
[169]OF - THE: DIEN BIEN PHU VICTORY) : .
[170]” AND’ CONSEQUENT. FATALITIES WILL. AROUSE THE ANTAGON| SM OF PREDOMINANTLY’: a)
[172]wey CLASSIFICATION = DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
[174]I SECRET NB FOREIGN Dissrm
[177]CLASSIFICATION — DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
[179]SESRET FOREIGN nSSe ~ | rocs.a/shre
[181]BUDDHIST VIETNAM AGAINST BOTH THE REGIME AND THE CATHOLICS.
[182]6. FROM REPORTS REACHING HIM PHUONG FOUND \T PARTICULARLY
[183]SIGNIFICANT THAT WHEN CENTRAL VIETNAM AUTHORITIES. ORDERED POLICE
[185]TO EXECUTE THE DIRECTIVE BANNING FLAGS, INITIALY THE POLICE “MERELY
[186]RESTATED THE ORDER BUT WOULD NOT RIP DOWN ANY BUDDHIST FLAGS. |
[187]FINALLY SEVERAL CATHOLIC POLICE DID SO, BUT SOME BUDDHIST POLICE-
[188]MEN REFUSED, SAYING THAT BUDDHIST FLAGS SHOULD BE PERMITTED JUST
[189]AS CATHOL IC FLAGS ARE FLOWN ON SAINTS DAYS. SUCH DEFIANCE OF “ORDERS !
[190]AT HUE 1S QUITE RARE, PHUONG SAID.
[191]7. THE CROWNING INSULT TO BUDDHISTS WHICH WILL FURTHER ENFLAME THEM
[192]AND ALSO REVIVE THE OUTCRY AGAINST NGO FAMILY RULE WAS
[193]THE NEWS OF HUE ARCHBISHOP NGO DINH THUC'S PLAN THAT THE PRESIDENT
[194]ASK BUDDHIST ASSOCIATIONS ELSEWHERE IN VIETNAM TO CONDEMN THE
[195]CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: AND DISORDER OF THE HUE BUDDHISTS. ARCHB1SHOP
[196]THUC REPORTEDLY WENT TO-SAIGON TO DEMAND. THIS. THE VC COULD’ NOT
[197]HAVE A BETTER PROPAGANDA WEAPON IF THEY HAD LAUNCHED THE 1N-
[198]CIDENT AND DIRECTED THUC'S REACTION. THEMSELVES.
[199]8. BY SUCH ACTS THE REGIME IS DESTROYING CONFIDENCE AND LOYAL
[200]MOTIVATION OF PUBLIC SERVANTS, INTELLECTUALS, PARTY SUPPORTERS, AND
[201]THE MASS OF NON-CATHOLIC PEASANTRY IN ITS MOST CRUCIAL TIME.
[202]IF THIS CONTINUES ONLY SYCOPHANTS AND XENOPHOBES WILL
[204]PREDOMINATE IN THE GVN AND ITS RELATIONS WITH ITS PEOPLE, BUREAU-
[206]: ‘, CLASSIFICATION = DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
[208]“FOREIGN ise
[211]SUARIFIGATION = DISSEMINATION CONTROLS . i . , ce . ao —
[212]_NQ FOREIGN usseM Sinn ae
[214]CRACY, ARMY AND FRIENDLY ALLIES WILL DETERIORATE IN A’WELTER OF
[216]PETTY JEALOUSIES, FEUDS, AND PREJUDICES.
[217]9. FIELD DISSEM: STATE (CONGEN. ONLY) CINCPAC PACAF. PACFLT
[219]ARPAC.
[221]END OF MESSAGE
[223]CLASSIFICATION — ‘DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
[225]SECRET