108. Despatch From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Durbrow) to the Department of State1
SUBJECT
- Anti-Guerrilla Training for Civil Guard and ARVN
On February 22, the President discussed his views on the above subject with General White (Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army, Pacific), General Williams and me (see Memorandum of Conversation enclosed2) The conversation is summarized below.
Diem stated, that apart from the plan to recall 10,000 former servicemen with guerrilla fighting experience, he is very anxious to have sufficient numbers of U.S. special forces personnel brought in to train both the Civil Guard and ARVN. He expressed the hope that we could assign a larger number than the 10 now planned and that arrangements could be worked out quickly so that training could be started as soon as possible. He showed no concern over ICC reaction to such a move, but agreed it might be preferable to bring at least part of the special forces personnel in under some sort of cover. Others might be brought in within the MAAG ceiling limitations if, as the President had suggested, the Third Military Region was eliminated by dividing it between the Second and Fourth Regions and spaces now occupied by MAAG advisors in the Third Region were filled by special forces personnel.
The President concurred that special forces personnel should be assigned to Viet-Nam as instructors, not as advisors, and would receive authority to take full charge of anti-guerrilla training. Everyone agreed that the problem of financing could be worked out and General White said there were enough special forces personnel in Okinawa to permit the assignment of a second group to train ARVN. It was agreed that an ARVN battalion previously trained by U.S. special forces personnel could be used to train other ARVN units and Diem announced that he plans to charge the Field Command Headquarters under General Minh with the supervision and coordination of all anti-guerrilla training in ARVN.