C06672771 Approved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 u MEMORANDUM FOR Director of Central Intelligence VIA Deputy Director Plans SUBJECT Leadership in V etnam - Ngo Dinh Nhu 1 The associated· questions have been posed whether we can hope for eventual victory over the Viet Cong with·the Diem-Nhu regime in Vi tnam and whether alternate leadership is available in the country This memorandum will discuss Ngo- Dinh Nhu in this connection ·and will not cover the unrealistic assumption that Diem and Nhu can be separated As preliminary I believe that Nhu would not attempt to displace his brother but would remain in a subordinate po ition during Diem 1s incumbency• Even assuming no other critical event however the likelihood of Diem retjring in April 1966 is cons derable and at that time if not before Nhu may take over the full leadership of Vietnam 2 Nhu is a highly complexinclividual who is very little known or ·understood by the Vietnamese or foreigners For many years he ·deliberately took a very withdrawn position as p litical cqunsellor 11 to his brother in order o emphasize his brother's full authority as President of Vietnam • During the past year Nhu has taken public responsibility for the strategic hamlet program and there are clear -indications of a political build up of Nhu as a public figure in Vietnam During _the withdrawal period however he was the ·subject of a plethora ·of rumors and allegations which established his public image in Vietnam and abroad as that of an intriguing sinister and ruthless individual supplemented by his wife's harsh and sometimes hysterical utterances On the basis of this image many have concluded that it is impossible to win the war in South Vietnam as long as he is in a position of leadership I believe that an examination of the man and the facts behind the image would indicate a contrary conclusion A balance sheet of Ngo Dinh N u might be drawn up as --Approved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 C06672771 Approved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 u V · ASSETS A Highly intelligent sophisticated and experienced in the practical techniques of politicai power · B He has adopted and is translating into_ action the political philosophy of personalism Despite much cynicism from outside_rs about this philosophy its key factors are certainly laudable and compatible with u s interests i e· the dignity of the human person his full participation in a community and the need for collective effort to progress_ C ·Courage dedication and toughness D The author and executor ·of the strategic hamlet revolutions designed to create a new poihtical and social infrastructure· for Vietnam to include self reliance community development defense against the Viet Cong individual participation in community decisions etc This included the establishment of an effective interministerial coordinating committee to bring all Vietnamese agencies together on this It also included an intense effort of indoctrinating the entire bureaucracy and military who are weak at best with-the objectives of the program E Organizer of the Republican Youth Movement While this _organization may have fascist overtones and more than ·a modicum of the· Potemkin Village which was the fatal weakness of other GVN sponsored political movements it has represented a mechanism for activating and integrating the youth of the country into its development and defense As usual in Vietnam there is a difference between objectives and realities and therefore this organization can only be evaluated as ambiguous at this time F Fully anti-communist stemming from the incompatibility of the Communist doctrine with his own The similarity of some of Nhu's techniques of political action with those of the communists e g the CanLao party should not be understood as implying a collaboration between Nhu and communism 2 Aooroved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 C06672771 Approved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 u V G Non-corrupt Despite the Saigon rumor factory we have- no evidence of corruption by the Ngo family and the atmosphere· of the GVN in this respect has been noted by many as contrasting sharply with the governments of Thailand Cambodia and otherso There is an indication that shady tec niques have been used with Nhu 1s approval to accumulate funds for use for political organizations but not for p_ersonal gain H The grudging respect of and some contact with intellectual and political circles outside the GVN e g the labor movement certain intellectual fronts etc I An intense Viet amese nationalism arid anti-colonialism • with insistence that the Vietnamese solve their problems and build their country to the greatest extent possible through their own efforts rather than relying on foreign assistance · J Supervision and molding of unconventional paramilita y and political action in support of the war effort including the efforts among the Montagnards in which he has demonstrated imagination flexibility and- judgment • LIABILITIES A Vanity a fascination with intrigue and an intellectual arrogance This has on occasion led h i m to statements which if not false can only be tortuously rationalized and occasionally to an acceptance of patently false but tempting-stories e g some contacts 11 with the Viet Cong B Highly unfavorable public image stemming in good part from poor handling of the press C An intense nationalism frequently re·sulting in an anti-foreig attitude and a rejection of recommendations or assistance because of his belief that these will encourage reliance upon foreign guidance or · assfatance It also appears in his rejectiot or the significance of foreign and U S opinion on Vietnam if he considers it mis taken Approved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 C06672771 - Approved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 · 0 u D Ruthless in achieving political goals and manipulating people and organizations toward these ends This ruthlessness should however be properly evaluated in light of the fact that even for acts of treason such as the 1960 revolt and the 1962 bombing of the palace no individual has been executed altheugh this may represent Diem rather than Nh u In general however Vietnam under t he GVN has seen little Asian brutality excep in the Viet Cong war E Frequent confusion between the goals and the reality of a program and in particular·a faiture to appreciate the ways in which lower level officials may warp theoretically laudable programs Nhu frequently complains of the inadequacy of Vietnamese cadre and _their inability to carry out uch prqgrams but he is also inclined to press toi ward with them despite these inadequacies • F A temptatio11 to shenaaj gans in international affairs in matters in which his hand is not welcome e g Cambodia Nhu 3 Just as Mr Nhu cannot be separated from Diem so Mrsocannot be separated ·from Mr Nhu with any degree of practicality Her liabilities are we 11 known and stem largely from her complete lack of tact in all of her activities It is essential however to say that some of her activities have had a positive side These would include many of the p r ovisions of the family law end of polygamy prot ction of property rights of wives etc and the organization of the Women Solidarity Movement to bring the hereto withdrawn Vi etnamese woman to her full role in modern society and give her a sense of responsibility and partic_ipation in the community outside her family She al o contributes her full portion of courage to the ample reservoir -possessed by _the Ngo family ' 4 Reviewing all of the above I believe that a case can be made that Ngo Dinh Nhu represents a strong rea sonably well oriented and efficient potential successor of Diem as a leader of a country fighting communist ubversion establishing its national solidarity and building a modern society His major liability is the highly unfavorable public image possessed by Nhu and his wife but I suggest that efforts to improve this Aooroved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 C06672771 Approved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771 • rathe r than to assume its continuation would be well directed This ·is not to say that there are no alternatives in Vietnam it is merely to suggest that a careful review of the man and the facts rather than the image suggests that Nhu is a desirable rather than a c·apostrophic · candidate in the searc for 'dynamic leadership for Vietnam Few others offer as favorable a list of some· of the critica assets necessary to Vietnam 1s situation Approved for Release 2024 08 05 C06672771