Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume III, Vietnam, January–August 1963

204. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State¹

Saigon, July 4, 1963, 5 p.m.

28. CINCPAC for POLAD. Embtel 25.² In statement Times of Vietnam today, Mme. Nhu appears to be denying that this paper is her spokesman and, further, to be saying that, even if statements therein should conform with her own, they would still not represent GVN positions since she does not agree with GVN.

On reading statement this morning, I put off request for appointment with Nhu, feeling that it was predictable that if I raised Times article of July 1 with him, he would simply confront me with Mme. Nhu’s formal statement. I can think of no response to latter except to say that Mme. Nhu is not speaking the truth or to propose that GVN close down Times of Vietnam. Neither response would be in our interest, in my opinion.

I can of course see Nhu, talk to him about a variety of things and find a way to bring up Times of Vietnam problem in less pointed way than suggested Deptel 10.³ In all the circumstances, however, I think it is preferable not to upgrade our very satisfactory contact with Nhu at this time. It could result in blurring of what we are trying to tell GVN and it could give Nhu some wrong idea.⁴

So far as concerns specific Times of Vietnam article of July 1, Thuan informed me the President had instructed him to translate article for Nhu, using copy of newspaper I had left with Diem yesterday. Thuan said he had done so, that Nhu understood what we found offensive in article but had not reacted in any way.

Trueheart

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 15 S VIET. Secret; Priority; Limited Distribution. Repeated to CINCPAC.
2. In telegram 25 from Saigon, July 4, the Embassy transmitted the text of a front-page article in the July 4 edition of the Times of Viet-Nam, entitled “Who is Spokesman of Whom” and signed by Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu. The article reprinted the text of a declaration released on July 3 by Madame Nhu in which she declared that, contrary to reports published by foreign correspondents, “I have no spokesman, for the well-known reason that I can speak for myself, even when my opinion is the least orthodox.” She denied that her opinions reflected those of the South Vietnamese Government, and suggested that the correspondents who accused her of manipulating the government and the press in South Vietnam were echoing “perfidiously and repeatedly all the enemies of Vietnam, among whom the most virulent are the Communists and their lackeys.” (Ibid.)
3. Document 199.
4. On July 5, the Department of State responded, in telegram 27 to Saigon, drafted by Wood: “To Nhu or not to Nhu is up to you.” (Department of State, Central Files, POLS VIET-US)