Enclosed is the English text of the memorandum on liberalization which
Ambassador Durbrow handed to
President Diem on December 23,
1960, as indicated in Saigon’s Telegram 1216. The French text of the
memorandum is being forwarded under transmittal slip to Mr. Wood in SEA.
As indicated in Telegram 1216, the Ambassador supplemented the memorandum
with the following oral remarks about the supplying
[Page 746]
of H–34 helicopters to Viet-Nam: “I have
just learned today that my Government has approved the request to give
H–34 helicopters to Viet-Nam. The total will be 11 units. I have been
told that the first ones will be delivered shortly and that we shall be
furnished soon with the delivery dates for all of them.”
[Enclosure]
MEMORANDUM HANDED TO PRESIDENT DIEM BY AMBASSADOR DURBROW ON DECEMBER 23, 1960
I have reported to the Department of State your serious concern and
that of other high-ranking Vietnamese officials about the critical
articles about Viet-Nam which have appeared in American as well as
other foreign papers. I have also reported on the progress being
made in working out new policies, and organizational and
liberalization changes in the governmental and military structure
which you and other officials have informed us you are planning to
implement in the near future.
As you know, my Government has taken certain steps to assist you in
strengthening the GVN against the
Communist attacks being made against it. The new AD–6 planes whose
delivery was speeded up I understand are proving effective and
helpful, and you are aware of the large quantity of electronic
communications equipment MAAG and
USOM secured on an expedited
basis. Lastly, I have instructed Mr. Gardiner to seek an appointment with the Vice
President and Secretary of State Thuan to re-examine carefully the entire problem of
your piastre shortage to see whether there may be some new technique
or action to meet your critical need in this area. Your
comparatively satisfactory foreign exchange and balance of payments
position has of course created special problems which we hope we can
jointly solve.
On the basis of these reports I have received instructions to discuss
these matters with you, particularly certain liberalizing projects
which would have a favorable effect on world public opinion. As you
no doubt know, Mr. President, since the press conference held by Mr.
Thuan on November 17 at
which he stated that the Government
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had for some time been working out details for
new organizational and liberalization schemes, many elements here in
Viet-Nam and in the world press have questioned whether these
projected schemes would be adequate and sufficiently profound to
increase the public support for your Government and make it clear to
world opinion that the criticisms of your Government in the world
press were unfounded.
In an effort to be as helpful as we can to assist you in your efforts
to broaden the base of your Government, the Department of State has
instructed me to discuss with you some of the suggestions which we
have already made and which the Department of State believes would
have beneficial effects if adopted now in connection with the other
measures you are planning. Apart from the organizational changes
proposed in the governmental and military structure and those
liberalizing schemes you have told me about—such as elections of
youths to village councils and other progressive matters of this
nature—we believe it would be helpful if you could also adopt the
measures outlined below. We, of course, recognize that security
considerations impose certain limitations on liberalization, but we
believe that the political situation requires certain calculated
risks in order that the public and world opinion will become
convinced of the sincerity of the steps you are taking to evoke
broad participation in your efforts to improve security and develop
the economy and institutions of Viet-Nam. It is our belief that the
liberalization schemes should be clear-cut, effective, and of a
broad nature so that the impact of their announcement will have the
desired beneficial effect on the public here and abroad and will
enhance the public support for your regime. With this thought in
mind, it is suggested that:
- 1.
- In connection with the excellent new method of having
Ministers defend their budgets before Assembly Committees,
it would be advantageous from a political and press point of
view either to publicize these hearings in full or at least
to give fairly full minutes of these meetings to the
press.
- 2.
- As has already been suggested, it would be politically
worthwhile to authorize the Assembly to conduct
investigations of any Department or Agency of the
Government. While public hearings would be politically more
useful, closed hearings could be held providing the results
of the investigations are made public in considerable
detail.
- 3.
- While it is realized that it is not a simple matter to
work out an effective domestic press code, we believe it
would be most beneficial to a better understanding of the
fruitful efforts being made by your Government on behalf of
the people and a better appreciation of the many problems
you and your colleagues have to face, if the Assembly could
adopt in the near future a fairly liberal press code. If
this cannot be accomplished shortly, the press should be
encouraged to set up machinery to police itself. Under such
a system the Government
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should only intervene if articles are
flagrantly dishonest, in-accurate, or favorable to the
Communists. In case of a breach of the press code it might
be better to require the paper to publish a full retraction
rather than confiscate the particular edition or suspend the
newspaper.
- 4.
- I have already discussed with you our suggestions on ways
and means to have more favorable foreign press coverage. In
this connection, the Department of State believes that it is
almost as important for your Government to have favorable
foreign press relations as it is to have diplomatic
recognition from friendly countries. The Department suggests
that you continue to have periodic press conferences such as
those recently conducted by Mr. Thuan, that effective use
be made of the weekly press conferences of the Directorate
General of Information by channelling items of substantive
information through that agency for release, that foreign
correspondents be permitted to make trips in the country to
learn for themselves the nature of the Viet Cong threat, and
that Ministers of the Government be available to have open
and frank talks with correspondents about the
accomplishments and problems of the various Ministries. It
is believed that this might be helpful in improving the tone
of foreign press articles.
- 5.
- We are pleased to learn that steps are being taken to
increase and stabilize the price of paddy to the peasants.
We also suggest that further efforts be made to grant
broader credit facilities to the peasants.
It is the belief of the Department of State that if measures such as
those suggested above, in addition to the other liberalizing steps
regarding elections of youth representatives to village councils,
sending better administrators into the countryside, periodic
“fireside chats”, etc., are adopted in the near future, it would be
worthwhile to withhold the announcement of individual measures, so
that a meaningful official announcement could be made, preferably by
you, of all of the liberalizing measures you are putting into
immediate effect. If the individual measures were not disclosed in
advance, such an across-the-board announcement of genuine
liberalizing measures would, we believe, have a most beneficial
effect on the people of Viet-Nam and on world opinion. It is certain
that such an announcement would do a great deal to correct any
erroneous impressions that have been given to world opinion in
recent months and encourage the world press and government spokesmen
to support you in your tireless efforts to eliminate the Viet Cong
threat and continue the fine programs attained in Viet-Nam in such a
short period of time.
