751G.5 MSP/6–1054: Telegram
The Chargé at Saigon (McClintock) to the Department of State
priority
[Received 6:11 a.m.]
2712. Repeated information Paris 965, Geneva 211, Hanoi unnumbered. General O’Daniel yesterday saw General Ely and latter requested that US promptly take over organization and training of Vietnamese National Army apparently on a divisional basis as General O’Daniel has consistently required. O’Daniel is informing Department of Defense that he visualizes an American–French KMAG type of organization for training with French combat advisors initially to be assigned to Vietnamese regiments and divisions but not US advisors so assigned, at least in beginning phase. According to O’Daniel’s understanding of conversation he would command training mission with a French deputy. Department will note however that this is in contrast to message Quat sent me (Embassy telegram 2711)1 indicating [Page 1675] that Ely wanted French command and US training mission subordinate to that command.
At all events General O’Daniel requested General Ely to place his proposal in writing and is promised a letter on Monday2 following Ely’s return from Tonkin.
Before this interview took place I lunched yesterday with Colonel Brohon, Chief of Staff to General Ely, who said that he had impression that Washington was now less eager to get into the training of Vietnamese armed forces than previously. I said that I had not received any word from Washington but that in any event neither General O’Daniel nor the Embassy had received any formal request from either French or Vietnamese Governments for a training program.
Brohon emphasized need “for Admiral Radford to send in American training officers quickly” in order that they might be on the spot before a possible armistice should freeze numbers of personnel now in Indochina. Brohon likewise repeated remark earlier made to me by General Ely that he hoped US would get into war in Indochina as quickly as possible.
I believe that we should tread softly until we see what specific proposals General Ely will formulate in writing. Department of Defense will of course give thought to all aspects of such a combined American–French training mission and to problems of command which will eventually arise. One thought which occurs to me is that French are rather patently seeking to use bait of training mission as a means to get US into this war or at least to hold bag if they have to leave Indochina.