Office of the Historian

212. Letter From the Ambassador in Vietnam (Durbrow) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Irwin)1

Saigon, October 31, 1960.

Dear Jack: Thank you for your letter of October 21st enclosing the memorandum of your conversation with President Diem on October 19th.2 As you stated to us orally, there wasn’t much new that developed during this conversation. I was glad to note that you gave a couple of good plugs for grass-roots intelligence which we all feel here is one of the main things that is lacking in the present set-up. It was interesting to note that he again referred to the fact that according to to the Geneva Accords the GVN would have up to 225,000 men in the Armed Forces. This is the second time he has touched on that theme. While he may need more security forces, and we are trying to help him on this score by stepping up the training of the [Page 622] Civil Guard, all of us here are convinced that one of the principal things he has to do is to make concrete effective efforts to win over the population and not antagonize them as he has unwittingly done in the past.

In view of the increasing criticism from all quarters about the activities and influence of Nhu, it was interesting to note that Diem again gave a plug for his fine work with the trade unions. Unfortunately, whether Nhu is doing a good job or not, the antagonism toward him has so increased in the last year that he has become the symbol that represents all the bad and corrupt things in the country. Whether he is the sinister figure he is reputed to be or not, is, as I have said, beside the point, the sad fact is that more and more people think that he is.

As you know, MAAG is working up a U.S. plan for counter-insurgency in South Viet-Nam which will form the basis for a Country Team recommendation for our future activities in the country. MAAG’s paper3 has just reached me and it is basically quite realistic.

I am glad that you could pay us another visit to pick up the feel of growing seriousness of the situation, but I am sorry that during the rush I did not have more time to discuss matters with you. If everything doesn’t go completely to pot, I hope to be home on leave toward the end of the year and we’ll have a chance to discuss material problems at that time.

With kindest personal regards,

Sincerely yours,

  • Durby
  • Elbridge Durbrow
  1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/ISA Files: FRC 64 A 2170, 092 Vietnam. Secret; Official–Informal.↩
  2. Neither Irwin’s letter of October 19 nor the memorandum of his conversation with Diem has been found.↩
  3. Document 210.↩