Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
SECRET
of the Civil Guard are now being trained and equipped by the Army. Since the Vietnamese are hard put to pay the cost of the increased burden, U.S. Defense officials suggest that we train and equip the remaining 36, 000 Civil Guard immediately. They figure that $20-million would cover the initial equipment and first year costs. We could start training and equipping the best of the remaining 36,000 from FY 61 funds.
- b. Control and power of the Joint General Staff has been improved, with U.S. advisors in a more favorable position to assist. The Director of the Civil Guard is now subordinate to the Chief of Staff. Time lag between alert and air strike has been shortened considerably. Logistical methods are being improved.
- c. The Internal Security Council was founded and now meets weekly. Other structural changes of the government, (such as having "super-Secretaries" in charge of a group of related Departments), have been announced but await implementation. The Vietnamese agreed to having a national planning system, as recommended in the U.S. Plan, and progress is reported.
- d. The Vietnamese government published a decree on the tactical zone organization, although not as complete as in the U.S. Plan. At the same time, the Vietnamese have accepted, de facto, closer MAAG help at the tactical level; U.S. military are now actually visiting small tactical units on operations.
- e. The Vietnamese have agreed to Chief MAAG's proposed 20,000 additional troops, as in the Plan. Implementation of this increase is tied-up with discussions on the Plan in Saigon. Our Ambassador wants the Vietnamese to accept responsibility for pay and allowances of this increase; U.S. Defense officials propose that the increase be supported the same as other MAP forces.
On top of the problem of the Viet Cong actions, and getting the Counter-Insurgency Plan implemented, there still remains the continuing threat of a coup against President Diem. Much of this is still parlor talk in Saigon and other urban areas, but there reportedly are groups seriously plotting. Some plain, private
SECRET
