Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
Despatch No. 205
From SAIGON
transmitter/receiver and this may also be required in the defended These sets would work back to a control set at District Headquarters next door to the Civil Guard Company set which would then be responsible for relaying any messages so required to Civil Guard Headquarters at the Province level. The Civil Guard Company Headquarters at District level would also provide the connecting link with Civil Guard patrols and any other Civil Guard posts within the district.
26. When the army is operating in any Province it should always provide a set to as the connecting link at the appropriate point in the static framework. Naval patrol craft and the larger river patrol craft must also be able to link to he nearest Province (or District) as well as to their own headquarters.
Intelligence
27. Bearing in mind the whole framework the first requirement here is to establish a joint committee in one room at district level with representatives of the Surete, the Chef de District, the Self-Defence Corps, the Civil Guard and, if military units are operating in the District, the Army together. The most suitable person among these should be placed in charge to direct, under the Chef de District, the intelligence effort in the District. At this level, the closest contact must be kept with the Self-Defense Corps, villages and hamlets which will be the main source of intelligence. At the Provincial level there should be a similar but larger joint intelligence staff directing and co-ordinating intelligence for the Province as a whole and undertaking intelligence projects which are beyond the capability of the District. At the Combined Headquarters there should be a similar intelligence staff directing intelligence for the area as a whole. AS this system is developed it will gradually turn into a security intelligence organisation and eventually, if the Civil Guard and Surete in particular can be amalgamated, will become part of the National Police Forces. There can always bye attached to it any level an army intelligence officer to provide the army link.
28. Another important source of intelligence, though not always of immediate tactical importance, will be SEPs (Surrender enemy personnel) and captured documents. SEPs should always be interrogated at the nearest District Headquarters in case they have any tactical intelligence which can be immediately exploited. They should then be returned to Province Headquarters each of which should have a small interrogation centre where SEPs can be interrogated on communist orders of battle, sources of supplies and other particulars. If of sufficient importance the SEP may need to be brought back for interrogation at the Combined Corps Headquarters. Everything possible should be done to encourage surrenders and all SEPs, including any captures, should be well treated as they may become of great importance for propaganda purposes.
SECRET
