Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
SECRET/NOFORN
18.
Changes in the composition of the inner circle have not been frequent. Its principal and consistent members have been Diem's own family: Ngo Dinh Nhu, who is officially political advisor to Diem, Ngo Dinh Can, who has no official status but is the political boss of the central and northern provinces; Ngo Dinh Thuc, who is one of three Roman Catholic archbishops in South Vietnam but holds no official position in the government; and probably Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu, Diem's sister in-law and a member of the National Assembly, whose influence is now difficult to judge in view of Diem's recent efforts to impress the government and he public with her absence from the inner circle in order to counter sharp criticism of her activities. Outside the Diem family, membership in the circle has changed from time to time and currently includes Nguyen Dinh Thuan, Secretary of State for the Presidency, and Brig. Gen Nguyen Khanh, Chief of Staff of the Army. Vice President Nguyen Ngoo Tho's position within the inner circle is no longer clear in view of his known criticism of Diem and the mutual dislike between him and Nhu.
Control over the implementation of policies outside the inner circle appears to be maintained by the Can Lao and by the large bureaucracy of local officials. Headed by Diem's brothers, Nhu and Can, the Can Lao also serves as a surveillance mechanism both within and outside the government. Its trusted and carefully selected members are placed at every echelon of government, including the military establishment and the police and security services, and frequently exercise greater authority than their non-party superiors. The power of the Can Lao outside the government bureaucracy is further enhanced by its direction of the government's mass political party, the National Revolutionary Movement, by its influence over other pro-government political organizations and labor, social, and cultural groups, and by its illegal control of certain economic activities. The importance of the local government bureaucracy for controlling policy implementation is derived from the fact that practically all officials at all levels, from the region down to the village, are appointed and removed directly or indirectly by the central government and frequently by Diem personally. These officials tend to operate essentially as Diem's personal agents, particularly the province chiefs who continue to exercise virtually unlimited powers over the people, despite efforts to inculcate in them a greater degree of public responsibility.
SECRET/NOFORN
