' INCOMING TELEGRAM Department of S afe w SE ET Action ss Info 2_1 Control Rec'd FROM SA GON TO Secretary of State NO UNNUMBERED AUGUST 25713 AUGUST 30 1963 l 59 PM 003 30 OPERATIONAL lMMEDIATE I ACTION DEPARTMENT$ AND H LSMAN r✓HITE DA p 11 ss EXCLUSIVE FOR GENERAL TAYLOR PASS EXCLUSIVE FOR RUSK BALL HARRIMAN P HOUSE PASS EXCLUSI_VE FOR BUNDY SSO ACSI FOR MCNAMARA AND GILPATRIC--PASS EXCLUSIVE AND GENERAL KRULAK CIA 65072 FOLLOWING IS cAS SAIGON--· RECEIVED IN tJASH NGTON AS IN ·10175 ' 1 CAS OFFICER HAS BEEN HAVING SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS OVER PAST SEVERAL DAYS WITH LTa COLONEL PHAM NGOC THAO FORMER CHIEF OF KIEN HOA PROVINCE AND NOW NOMINALLY AN INSPECTOR OF STRATEGIC HAMLETS STATIONED AT PRESIDENCY D 2a COL THAO HAS FIGURED PROMINENTLY IN PAST REPORTING ON COUP PLOTTING BOTH ON PART OF TRAN KIM TUYEN AND NUYNH VAN LANG COL THAO HAS FOR SOME MO THS EXPRESSED HIS DISSATISFACTION WITH THE DIEM REG ME QUITE OPENLY AND HAS EVEN WRITTEN NOTES TO THIS EFFECT TO CAS 3 ON 30 AUGUST COL THAO REPORTED TO CAS OFFICER THAT HE HAD ATTENDED Dl NER EVENING BEFORE WITH GENERALS KHIEM KHANH P AND DUONG VAN MINH MAIN POINTS OF CONVERSATION FOLLOW A THEY STATED THAT IF SOMEONE ELSE TAKES INITIATI VE TO MOUNT COUP D1ETAT AGAINST GVN THEY WILL SUPPORT lT B GENERAL KHIEM POINTED OUT THAT GENERALS HAVE TOO MUCH TO LOSE BY INITIATING A COUP BY THIS HE APPARENTLY MEANT IN THAOrS OPINION THE GENERALS' HOUSES POSITIONS AND MATERIAL POSSESSIONS C THE GENERALS STATED THEY WOULD SUPPORT VICE PRESIDENT THO AS TEMPORARY INTERIM GOVERNfv1ENT THIS WOULD REPRESENT LEGALITY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 c -E - ET FROM THIS COPY IS _____ - _4_ ___ _____ REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED UNL SS UNCLASSIFIED SECRET -2- UNNUMBERED 9 AUGUST 30 i FROM SAIGON D GENERALS KHlEM AND KHANH AGREED THAT THEY WOULD SUPPORT GENERAL MINH lF BOTH DlEM AND NHU ARE KILLED DURING A COUP ATTEMPT THEY WOULD SUPPORT THO ONLY IF NHU SURVIVED A COUP ATTEMPT AND IN PREFERENCE TO NHU E GENERALS FOR FIRST TlME OPENLY INDICATED THEIR OPPOSITION TO NHU VvHEREAS AS RECENTLY AS ONE WEEI AGO THEY WOULD PERHAPS PRIVATELY l ND l CATE THEIR OPPOS IT i ON TO NHU ll THEY NO r STATE TH IS AS A GROUP F GENERALS SAID THAT IF FIRST STEP OF ATTEMPTED COUP IS SUCCCESSFUL 1 l eE THE ASSASS i NAT i ON OF PRESIDENT DI EM 11 THEY WOULD THEN SUPPORT THE COUP OPENLY GENERALS KHANH AND l H I EM PROM I SEO THEY rJOULD DO THEIR BEST TO SEND UN ns i N r✓RONG Dl RECT IONS IN CASE THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAKE STEPS TO CRUSH COUP ATTEMPT G COLONEL THAO TOLD GENERALS IT MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO MOVE MILITARY UNl7S iN SAIGON THAT IS SOME UNITS INCLINED TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE MOVED AWAY FROM PALACE AND OTHER UNITS THAT MIGHT SUPPORT A COUP ATTEMPT WOULD BE BROUGHT INTO POSITION WHERE THEY COULD DO S0 GENERALS AGREED THEY WOULD DO THEIR BEST TO IMPLEMENT THIS SUGGESTlONe THEY ALSO SAID THEY WOULD TRY TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO COLONEL LE QUANG TUNG TO HAVE THE LATTER MOVE SOME OF HIS UNITS OUT OF THE VJAY COL THAO CLAIMED THAT_SOME UNITS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MOVED AND THAT THIS IS PROCEEDING WELL H COL THAO CLA i MED THAT HIS GROUP NO r✓ CAN COUNT ON THREE BATTALIONS THEY HOPE TO HAVE A TOTAL OF FIVE BATTALIONS HE SAID THAT THE PLAN IS TO USE THREE BATTALIONS TO HIT THE PALACE KEEPING TWO BATTALIONS IN RESERVEe THIS IS BASED ON GROUP'S BELIEF THAT THEY MUST HAVE ENOUGH FORCES TO CONTROL THE SITUATION FOR THREE OR FOUR HOURS TH IS tJOU LD Gi VE GENERALS TI ME TO PROCLAIM SUPPORT AND COME TO THE ASSISTANCE OF THE COUP GROUP 1 THAO SAID THAT HIS GROUP HOPES TO EXECUTE A COUP WITHIN ONE MONTH AND PREFERABLY SOONER HE SAID THAT THERE ARE RISKS INVOLVED IN HASTY AcTWN AND RISKS INVOLVED IN WAITING TOO LONG THE GROUP IS ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE THE BEST TIMING J THAO SAID THAT THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS WOULD BE WELCOME IN A NEW GOVERN V ENT VU VAN MAL TRAN VAN CHUONG 1 TRAN LE QUANG 1 VU VAN THAlj HUYNH VAN LANG NGUYEN HUU CHAU THAO ALSO SAID THAT OPPOSITION POUTic ANS-9 FOR EXAMPLE DAI VIET LEADERS WOULD BE CONSIDERED IF THEY AGREED WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF THE GROUP HE SAID THAT THE GROUP IS NOT NOW IN CONTACT WITH THE DAI VIET PARTY K THAO SAID THAT HE i OULD WISH TO BECOME HEAD OF Ml LITARY SECURITY IN A wtw GOVERNMENT 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ' r 0 0 I _ I SE¼T -3- UNNUMBERED AUGUST 30 FROM SAIGON L THAO STATED THAT HE DlD NOT KNOW IF HIS GROUP CONSISTED OF THE BEST MEN 11 BUT HE WAS CERTAIN THAT IT cONSiSTED OF THE MOST DETERMINED D 4 CAS COMMENT WE BELIEVE THAO IS TRYING TO PLAN AND ORGANIZE TOWARD A COUP AT SOME INDETERMINATE TIME WILL ATTEMPT SOME ASSESSMENT OF THA0 1 S ACTIVITIES 31 AUG REF PARA 3 G THAO APPEARS UN AWARE THAT THE GENERALS HE WAS TALKING WITH LACKS THE CAPABILITY OF MOVING TROOP UNITS AROUND WITHOUT DIEM'S APPROVAL THAT IS AT THIS TIME AND IN THE ABSENCE OF A COUP ATTEMPT ON THEIR OWN PARTe 0 SCP-1 JTc NOTE ADVANCE DELIVERY S S-0 AT 2 19 PM AUGUST 30