SOUTH VIETNAM'S ELECTIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00826A001200010032-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 4, 2004
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: September 11, 1966
• Content Type: IM

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No. 11931/66
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
11 September 1966
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
SOUTH VIETNAM'S ELECTIONS
(As-ol-1:00 PM ED-TT-
1. The polls are now closed in. South Vietnam.
All evidence points to a large voter turnout and
a well-administered election. About 69 percent
of the registered voters in. Saigon and Gia Dinh
Province--where one fourth of the country's voters
live--went to the polls today. Unofficial totals
from the other provinces generally range between.
70 and 85 percent. Final, validated returns
will probably indicate that around 70 percent of
the country's registered voters participated in.
today's election.. There is no information available
on election results as yet.
2. There has thus far been no evidence of
government pressure on the voters or of favoritism
towards specific candidates in. Saigon and surrounding
Gia Dinh Province. Wire service press accounts with
any interpretive coloring have been. uniformly favor-
able. Good weather conditions throughout the country
were a contributory factor in the large voter turnout.
Viet Cong Activity
3. The countrywide level of Viet Con.g terrorism
and harrassmen.t was high from noon yesterday
through this morning, with some 90 incidents reported
during the period. This is roughly a five-fold
increase over the figure for a normal 24-hour period.
Six district capitals received harrassing fire but
there was no sensational terrorist action or sabotage,
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and no large-scale military activity was reported.
There were some 12 grenade explosions in. Saigon
yesterday, but the capital was generally free from
antielection activity while the polls were open
today.
Buddhist Activity
4. The call for a boycott by militant members
of the Buddhist Institute failed to deter any significant
number of voters from casting ballots today. Hunger
strikes are being conducted in pagodas in Saigon., Hue,
Da Nang, Ban. Me Thuot, and Nha Trang, but are attracting
little public attention.. No serious efforts were made
by Buddhists to disrupt the voting. One march was
attempted by approximately 80 monks in. Saigon. this
morning but they were quickly dispersed by police.
Polling places in, strong Buddhist areas in, Saigon were
crowded and some monks from the Buddhist Institute cast
ballots. Thich Tam Chau, leader of the moderate
Institute Buddhists, reportedly broadcast an. appeal
today urging the Buddhist faithful to vote. In the
Buddhist stronghold of Hue, a surprising 86 percent
of registered voters went to the polls and the city
generally was free from any disruptive activity.
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No. 1601/66
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
11 September 1966
SOUTH VIETNAM'S ELECTIONS
(As of
1. Unofficial sources, citing a "government
spokesman.", indicate that the number of voters at
the close of the polls (6:00 PM Saigon time) was
nearly 70 percent of those registered. The latest
official report from several provinces on voter
turnout as of mid-afternoon tends to confirm that
the overall vote will be heavier than the 50 to
60 percent figures quoted as the requirement for a
successful election.
2. In any event, it appears that South
Vietnam's national assembly candidates are being
ushered in with a stinging testemonial to the
failure of the Vietnamese Communists to offer a
viable alternative. Viet Cong efforts to keep
people away from the polls during the past 24
hours have been solely based on terrorism and
physical coercion. Several instances of mortar
and grenade attacks on. polling places, district
capitals, and government outposts have not had a
significant effect on the peoples' willingness to
cast their ballots. There has been no "major"
enemy incident reported. However, a small airstrip
at a district capital in Quang Ngai Province was
overrun and held by the Viet Cong today.
3. Heavy voter turnouts were reported in. the
northern cities of Hue and Da Nang. Some of those
ballots, however, might be invalidated. Previous
reports indicated that Buddhists were being exhorted
to vote but in such a manner as to negate their vote.
There have been no reports that the Buddhist hunger
strike or threats of immolations have affected the
actual voting.
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