751G.11/5–754: Telegram
The Chargé at Saigon (McClintock) to the Department of State
[Received May 8—2:58 a.m.]
2260. Repeated information Paris 777, Geneva 62, Hanoi unnumbered. Noforn. French expert Vietnamese Ministry of Interior has provided Embassy with following figures on Bao Dai’s income: 5 million piasters a month from national budget; 4 million from South Vietnam budget; 2 million from “secret funds”; and 50,000 piasters a day from “Grande Monde” gambling concession granted Binh Xuyen. This adds up to 12.5 million piasters a month or 150 million piasters a year, which equals approximately 4.3 million US dollars at official rate of 35 piasters to US dollar. Since this is official, overt revenue, Bao Dai may change it into French francs through Office des Changes at legal rate.
[Page 1504]Above figures do not include vast income derived from percentage of commercial enterprises run by numerous royal family, “triaute” gained through judicious appointments to foreign posts, or, for example, prerequisites such as yacht paid for by French Government, according French expert. Latter estimates Bao Dai’s total revenue at equivalent of 7 or 8 million US dollars at official rate of 35 piasters to US dollar, or 5 to 6 million US dollars, if allowance is made for fact income over US 4.3 million dollars would have to be exchanged at black-market rate.
Vietnamese source outside government claims Bao Dai is permitted legally change into French francs through Office des Changes 10 million piasters a month for himself, 2.5 million for Empress Nam Phuong, and one million for children. This comes to 162 million piasters a year, or US dollars 4.6 million, a sum even greater than official income listed paragraph one. Same source also insists French Government continues secretly to give Bao Dai civil list, amounting to something like 15 million piasters a year, granted him when Emperor former Annam protectorate. We recall in this connection final sentence second paragraph Embtel 2188, repeated Paris 747.1