176 10036 10094

176-10036-10094

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AGENCY: NARA RECORD NUMBER: 176-10036-10094 RECORD SERIES: National Security Files AGENCY FILE NUMBER:

ORIGINATOR: CIA FROM: TO: TITLE: Ngo Dinh Nhu's Statement on Withdrawal of DATE: 4/20/1963 PAGES: 4 SUBJECTS: DOCUMENT TYPE: CLASSIFICATION: RESTRICTIONS: CURRENT STATUS: DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 9/10/2000 OPENING CRITERIA: COMMENTS: National Security Files, Box 197: Vietnam, 4/63-5/63. Box 2

TELEGRAM INFORMATION REPORT TELEGRAM

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

Vietnam

This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited. by law.

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COUNTRY SOUTH VIETNAM REPORT NO. TDCS-3/544,531

SUBJECT NGO DINH NHU'S STATEMENTS ON WITHDRAWAL OF AMERICAN AID DATE DISTR. 20 APRIL 1963

PRECEDENCE PRIORITY

DATE OF LATE MARCH-EARLY APRIL 1963. REFERENCES IN 21850 INFO.

PLACE & VIETNAM, SAIGON (1 AND 12 APRIL 1963) DATE ACO.

APPRAISAL SEE PARAGRAPH 7 FIELD REPORT NO. FVS 8804 THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE... APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.

SOURCE PARAS 1 & 3: AMEDIUM LEVEL OFFICIAL (C) OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE. PARAS 2 &4: A FIELD GRADE OFFICER (F) OF THE VIETNAMESE AIR FORCE.

  1. AT THE 5 APRIL MEETING OF THE INTERMINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON STRATEGIC HAMLETS, NGO DINH NHU MADE THE FOLLOWING REMARKS CON- CERNING AMERICAN FOREIGN AID:

A. THE AMERICANS HAVE STATED THAT THEY ARE GOING TO REVISE THEIR POLICY ON FOREIGN AID TO SOUTH VIETNAM; WE WILL REVISE OUR POLICY ON RECEIVING SUCH AID. WE MUST MARCH TOWARD THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE OF TERMINATING AMERICAN AID AND THE PEOPLE SHOULD LEARN TO DO WITHOUT SUCH ASSISTANCE.

B. AMERICAN AID SHOULD BE PLACED IN THE FOLLOWING CATE-

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STATE/INR DIA ARMY/ACSI NAVY AIR JCS SECDEF NSA NIC AID USIA OC I ONE OCR ORR 081 00 EX0

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FORM 5-62 1 Κα OBSOLETE PREVIOUS EDITIONS.

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GORTES OF PRIORITY. FIRST, AID WHICH WE MUST CONTINUE TO RECEIVE INDEFINITELY, SPECIFICALLY THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION; WE WILL NOT SEEK A REDUCTION IN THIS CATEGORY, NOR WILL WE REQUEST AN INCREASE. SECOND AID WHICH CAN BE EVENTUALLY PHASED OUT. THIRD, AID WHICH CAN BE TEMINATED IMMEDIATELY.

C. ALL SHOULD BE INSTRUCTED ON THE ABOVE LIST OF PRIORITIES BUT IT SHOULD ALSO BE MADE CLEAR THAT THIS. POLICY IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ANTI FOREIGN. FOREIGN AID WILL PROVIDE WITH THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION SO THAT WE CAN EVENTUALLY DO WITHOUT CONSUMER GOODS ASSISTANCE. WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, FOREIGN AID WILL CEASE SOONER OR LATER, AND SO WE MUST STRIVE TO BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT. MEANWHILE WE MUST MAKE PROPER USE OF THE AID WE RECEIVE.

  1. DURING THE LAST WEEK OF MARCH 1963 THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR ON ORDERS FROM NHU, ISSUED TO ALL PROVINCE CHIEFS INSTRUCTIONS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO START PRODUCING WEAPONS, LAND MINES AND AMMUNITION IN HOME WORK SHOPS WITH THE AIM OF ATTAINING A DEGREE OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY.

  2. ON ABOUT 5 APRIL PHAM DUC TIEN, CHIEF OF CIVIC ACTION IN PHUỌC TUY PROVINCE, ATTENDED A CONFERENCE ON STRATEGIC HAMLETS IN BINH TUY PROVINCE AT WHICH NGO DINH NHU SAID THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY AMERICAN ADVISORS IN SOUTH VIETNAM AND THAT BOTH THE NUMBER OF THESE ADVISORS AND THE AMOUNT OF AMERICAN AID SHOULD BE REDUCED.

  3. AT A MEETING OF VIETNAMESE AIR FORCE (VNAF) OFFICERS ON 18. CONFIDENTIAL CLASSIFICATION-DISSEMINATION CONTROLS

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APRIL 1963, VNAF COMMANDER COLONEL HUYNH HUU HIEN SAID THAT NHU HAD INSTRUCTED HIGH-RANKING GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM (GVN) OFFICIALS AT A 5 APRIL MEETING TO PREPARE FOR A COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF AMERICAN AID; NHƯ SAID THAT THE UNITED STATES WAS USING AID AS A MEANS OF PRESSURING THE GVN AND WAS IMPINGING ON GVN SOVEREIGNTY. AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE USE OF AMERICAN AID TO PRESSURE A RECIPIENT COUNTRY, HIEN CITED THE CUTOFF OF DELIVERIES OF GASOLINE TO THE ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE WHEN THE THAI GOVERNMENT REFUSED TO AGREE TO SOME (UNSPECIFIED) POINT; HIEN SAID THAT THE DELIVERY OF GASOLINE RECOMMENCED ONLY AFTER STRONG THAI GOVERNMENT PROTESTATIONS. (FIELD COHMENT. PRESUMABLY HIEN REFERS TO THE REDUCTION AND EVENTUAL TERMINATION BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 1965 OF U.S. SUPPORT OF MILITARY AID PROGRAM POL AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO THE THAI GOVERNMENT.)

  1. AFTER THE MEETING SEVERAL VNAF OFFICERS, INCLUDING MAJOR DANG DINH LINH, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MATERIAL, MAJOR TRẠN DO CUNG, ASSISTANT TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF, AND CAPTAIN HẠ DUONG DOẠN, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR BUDGET AND FINANCE, AGREED THAT THE VNAF WOULD BE UNABLE TO CONTINUE OPERATIONS WITHOUT AMERICAN SUPPORT AND THAT, IN FACT, ANY WITHDRAWAL OF AMERICAN SUPPORT WOULD RESULT IN COLLAPSE OF THE REGIME. ::
  2. FIELD DISSEM. STATE ARMY NAVY AIR USMACV MAAG USOM USIS 9TH FIELD STA 2ND AIR DIV CINCPAC PACAF ARPAC PACFLT.....

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  1. APPRAISAL: IT IS PROBABLY TRUE THAT NHU MADE THE STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN PARAGRAPHS 1 AND 3 AND THAT INSTRUCTIONS WERE ISSUED AS DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH 2. IT IS POSSIBLY TRUE THAT NHU MADE THE STATEMENTS IN PARAGRAPHS 4 AND 5 CONCERNING THE UNITED STATES USING AID. TO PRESSURE THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM BUT IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT HE TOLD GVN OFFICIALS TO PREPARE FOR A COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF AMERICAN AID. THE REACTION OF THE VIETNAMESE AIR FORCE OFFICERS TO HIEN'S VERSION OF NHU'S STATEMENTS IS PROBABLY TRUE.

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