1 L -L - ri 9's 'Oas 0'3 L Ihmeo'vuvn SPENE FROM SAIGON 1445 -5 OCTOBER 1983 1 LT COL CONEIN MET WITH GEN DUONG VAN MINH AT GEN MINI-1's HEADQUARTERS ON LE VAN DUYET FOR ONE HOUR AND TEN MINUTES MORNING OF 5 OCT 1963 THIS MEETING WAS AT THE INITIATIVE OF GEN MINI-I AND HAD BEEN SPECIFICALLY CLEARED IN ADVANCE BY AMBASSADOR LODGE NO OTHER PERSONS WERE PRESENT THE CONVERSATION WAS CONDUCTED IN FRENCH 2 GEN MINH STATED THAT HE MUST KNOWNIMERICAN POSITION WITH RESPECT TO A CHANGEEIN THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM WITHIN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE GEN MINH ADDED THE GENERALS WERE AWARE THE SITUATION Is DETERIORATING RAPIDLY AND THAT ACTION TO CHANGE THE MENT MUST BE TAKEN OR THE WAR WILL BE LOST TO THE VIET CONG BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT NO LONGER HAS THE SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE GEN MINH IDENTIFIED AMONG THE OTHER GENERALS PARTICIPATING WITH HIM IN THIS PLAN MAJ GEN TRAN VAN DON BRIG GEN TRAN THIEN KHIEM MAJ GEN TRAN VAN KIM 3 GEN MINI-I MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE DID NOT EXPECT ANV SPECIFIC AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR AN EFFORT ON THE PART OF no - HE STATED HE DOES NEED AMERICAN ASSURANCES THAT THE USG WILL NOT RPT NOT ATTEMPT TO THWART THIS PLAN POLITICAL AMBITIONS NOR DO ANY OF THE OTHER GENERAL OFFICERS EXCEPT PERHAPS HE SAID LAUGHINGLY GEN TON THAT DINH GEN MINE INSISTED THAT HIS ONLY PURPOSE IS TO WIN THE WAR HE ADDED EMPHATICALLY THAT TO DO THIS CONTINUATION OF AMERICAN MILITARY AND ECONOMIC AID AT THE PRESENT-LEVEL HE SAID ONE AND ONE HALF MILLION DOLLARS PER DAY Is NECESSARY S GEN MINH OUTLINED THREE POSSIBLE THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE CHANCE OF GOVERNMENT A ASSASSINATION OF NGO DINH NHU AND NGO DINH CAN KEEPING PRESIDENT DIEM IN OFFICE GEN SAID THIS WAS THE EASIEST PLAN TO ACEOMPLISH I -THE ENCIRCLEMENT OF SAIGON BY VARIOUS MILITARY UNITS PARTICULARLY THE UNIT AT BEN CAT COMMENT FIFTH DIVISION ELEMENTS COMMANDED BY GEN DINH C DIRECT CONFRONTATION BET WEEN MILITARY UNITS INVOLVED IN THE COUP AND LOYALIST MILITARY UNITS IN SAIGON IN EFFECT DIVIDING THE CITY OF SAIGON INTO SECTORS AND CLEANING IT OUT POCKET BY POCKET GEN NHNH-CLAIMS UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES DIEM AND NHU COULD GOUNT ON THE LOYALTY OF S 500 TROOPS WITHIN THE CITY OF SAIGON I 6 CONEN REPLIED T0 GEN ENS THAT HE COULD NOT ANSWER SPECIFIC QUESTION AS TO USO NON-INTERFERENCE NOR COULD r' HE GIVE ANY ADVICE WITH RESPECT TO TACTICAL PLANNING HE ADDED THAT HE COULD NOT ADVISE CONCERNING THE BEST OF THE THREE PLANS 7 GEN MINH WENT ON TO THAT THE MOST DANGEROUS MEN IN SOUTH VIETNAM ARE NGO DINE NGO DINH CAN AND NGO TRONG HIEU MINI-I STATED THAT HIEU WAS FORMERLY A COMMUNIST AND STILL HAS COMMUNIST SYMPATHIES WHEN COL CONEIN REMARKED THAT HE HAD CONSIDERED COL TUNG AS ONE OF THE MORE DANGEROUS INDIVIDUALS GEN I MINH STATED I GET RID OF NHU CAN AND HIEU COL TUNG BE ON HIS KNEES BEFORE ME 3 GEN MINE ALSO STATED THAT HE WAS WORRIED AS TO THE ROLE OF GEN TRAN THIEN KHIEM SINCE KHIEM MAY HAVE PLAYED A DOUBLE ROLE IN AUGUST GEN MIMI-I ASKED THAT COPIES 0E THE DOCUMENTS PREVIOUSLY PASSED TO KHIEM PLAN OF CAMP LONG AND MUNITIONS INVENTORY AT THAT CAMP BE PASSED TO GEN MINI-I PERSONALLY FOR CONE ARISON WITH PAPERS PASSED BY TO PURPORTEDLY FRJEOM CAS 9 MINH FURTHER STATED THAT ONE OF THE REASONS THEY ARE HAVING TO ACT QUICKLY WAS THE FACT THAT MANY REGIMENTAL BATTALION AND COMPANY COMMANDERS ARE WORKING ON COUP PLANS OF THEIR OWN WHICH COULD BE ABOETIVE AND A 3- 4 7 SEEN Io MINH APPEARED TO UNDERSTAND POSITION OF BEING UNABLE To AT THE PRESENT MOMENT BUT ASKED THAT CONEIN AGAIN MEET WITH GEN MINH TO DISCUSS THE SPECIFIC PLAN OF OPERATIONS WHICH GEN MINE HOPES TO PUT INTO ACTION NO SPECIFIC DATE WAS GIVEN FOR THIS NEXT MEETING CONEIN WAS AGAIN NON-COMMITTAL IN HIS REPLY GEN MINE ONCE AGAIN INDICATED HIS UNDERSTANDING AND STATED THAT HE WOULD ARRANGE TO CONTACT CONEIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND HOPED THAT CONEIN WOULD BE ABLE TO MEET WITH HIM AGAIN AND GIVE THE ASSURANCE OUTLINED ABOVE END OF MESSAGE 12w 2 INT if This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu Read related article New Light in a Dark Corner Evidence on the Diem Coup in South Vietnam November 1963 2020-11-01