Office of the Historian

289. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency to the Station in Saigon1

Washington, August 19, 1967, 11:40 a.m.

For Mr. Hart only. The Department of State has asked that we pass the following message from the Secretary to Ambassador Bunker. Please cable confirmation of the Ambassador’s receipt of this message.

Begin text: To Ambassador Bunker from the Secretary of State:

1.
Your proposal to provide financial support to Ky and Huong campaigns has been carefully considered.2 After examining advantages and disadvantages we have concluded it is best to avoid such involvement.
2.
Ky seems to have more than enough money already and we do not wish develop this sort of relationship with him. The success of your private advisory relationship [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] is well established and fruitful without such involvement.
3.
As for Huong, we have serious doubts that passing money in way described could be kept secret. We also wonder whether Huong is aware of request. We suspect his associate who made contact with Embassy officer may be shopping around without Huong’s knowledge. In any event we do not wish to engage in this sort of operation.
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 14 VIET S. Secret; Immediate; Most Sensitive. An August 19 covering note from Carver to Read indicates that the telegram was sent via CAS channels, although no telegram number appears on the attached draft.↩
  2. See Document 282.↩