34. Letter From the Acting Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Arneson) to the Ambassador in Vietnam (Durbrow)1
Dear Durby: We have been giving careful consideration to your two letters of August 6 and 11, 1958,2 concerning Diem’s interest in US-Vietnamese cooperation in covert anti-Communist activities and his suggestion for the creation of a “super-Ambassador”.
We are not completely certain what Diem had in mind about covert activities, but assume it could cover a) covert operations of a political action nature, b) intelligence collection through covert means, and c) sharing of classified intelligence.
We believe it is probably best to say nothing more to Diem at this time about covert operations. As you well know, we turned down two recent approaches of this nature by the Vietnamese Government. [Page 86] Such cases should continue to be handled on an ad hoc basis as they arise.
We understand that no joint US-Vietnamese intelligence collection activities have been carried out to date. There might, however, be some possibilities for cooperation in this field, particularly with respect to North Viet-Nam and possibly other countries in the area as well….
In the intelligence-sharing field it is evident… that we receive a great deal from official Vietnamese services. There is, however, no sharing in reverse as far as Washington knows. This may also be a field in which it could be to our advantage to cooperate with the Vietnamese Government by furnishing some classified intelligence. We suggest you let us have the coordinated views of the Embassy… together with any specific suggestions you may have.
If, in the meantime, Diem again raises the question of cooperation with respect to covert activities, you might reply that the matter is still under study.
We concur in the reply that you have already made concerning the “super-Ambassador” idea. As you told Diem, coordination among the U.S. Ambassadors in Southeast Asia is achieved through extensive exchange of cables and fairly frequent personal meetings of the various Chiefs of Mission.
With best personal regards,
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, FE Files: Lot 60 D 90, Durbrow. Secret; Official–Informal. Drafted by Mendenhall on September 26. Cleared with SEA and Parsons.↩
- See Document 26.↩
- Printed from a copy which bears this typed signature.↩