BRIEFING PAPER ON RURAL CONSTRUCTION CADRE PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R000100040007-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 10, 2002
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: February 28, 1966
• Content Type: MF

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CONFIDENTIAL
.NIEMOPAN U OR: The Vice President
SUBJECT:
28 FEE 17.:13
Briefing Paper on Rural CoRstructio
Cadre Program
1. During your recent trip to Saigon, you were briefed on
the rural construction cadre program by the CIA Chief of Station
in Saigon, Mr. Gordon T. Jorgensen. Mr. Jorgensen has advised
me that you requested a full resume of the briefing to- include any
points which were not covered in the limited time available in
Saigon. i\e you requested, Mr. Jorgensen delivere.1 prior to your
departure a reeume of the briefing to your Administrative Assistant,
Mr. "011.11arn Connell.
2. Subsequently, Mr. Jorgensen has forwarded to me a
resume of the briefing which contains some minor variations and is,
in our view, an improvement on the paper which was handed to
Mr. Connell. I suggest that the attached revised resume, which
has the concurrence of Deputy Ambaesador William J. Porter,
be substituted for the paper v.tich was handed to Mr. C.-smell.
3. I appreciate the opportunity you pr.-.,vided for the brief-
ing in Saigon by Mr. Jorgensen. if you desire clarification or
additional details concerning CIA's role in the vitally important
rural constru.ction program, I trust that you will not hesitate to
call on me.
r p,inorn.
liaborn
ISiglea) fl and ritz6erila 24 FEB 1966
Signature Recommended
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N RURAL COtTRUCT1ON CAME
VICE PRZDENT FtUI3hRT H. RUMP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Se1ctton of flural ConatrucUu Cadre
Training and 1ithetrizzat1on of Rural Construction Cadre
Management and Support a Rural Construedon Cadre
4. Probable Future Trends with'
i4erations
ural CnstructiDfl C
X- resented by OordQn L. Jorgensen
Special Assistant to the Ambassador
U. S. Embassy, Saigon
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Selection M Rursi co:tattoo:ion Cadre
L ,?;irect ecroatitment frnn the rural pep?Aatt)u, 4iscier the
a4psrvisiott A province and district chiefs, has been the rule to date-
nte wilt of these recruits htie bees volunteers, elth3101 it sh,ould
be recognized that the alternotivee to joining the rural Oilstructiaa
cadre are not too attractive?that is, joining the VC, ilining the
PAW, Ar iorces, or taking coot'it chances c4 eetainit the GVN
;Iran Lew
-4,:',outtmetweing with the next clime, schedule,/ v.# enter
training on 21 February 1936. three ?ottter cadres- tztztths >MU
6.900 men it WM prising the m Ltile ,,Ontinistrative racirc, the new
life hamlet, au, the rural plittital entire-- will stis-?> be sent to Vag
d for treisietg or for eiUtt it pproximataly 100C 2, 099
of this cAul of 6,000 will eater 'Yung Tteit is the neat etsas
e.tip to no candidates- f3r the cadre are largely tolabt.,
awl about 50 pier cent fill within the present military draft age limits,
. between the ages of 29 to Zif}.. the remaining V.! 'pr cent are
nivitie4 about evenly between youth under 20 and men war 29,_
conelderebie number of women although the proportion is still
smell end prObably dye thtt exceed I ITOttektia to 30 mem, has beets
suctessfolly utilised mad tide number stay well .and profitably increase.
They
are trained for- -111 prenatal, postnatal, and etner'geney delivery;
(2) normal first aid. fori-rdon irlflage silt:nests; (7) t-'..ombatt first
add for tears members; (4) teaching yens( children A' 1-:?"er printery-
echool ages; and (5) for political, psychological, aa31 littolligence
among village women who,i Vietnam as elee*ivtre, exercise
a L-3.-rde influence in their families *tad communities.
bile literacy is 6-esired and facilitates instrectiqn. it
att reetaired.: The ttreltdett establishment at VtraL ltas learned
bow to traits Mid assess illiterate individuals tkith,,Izt, 1,4141g vritten
methods..
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2.
e. The teams of cadre from each province and district
normally remain intact during the training period. The actual
designation of team leaders is sometimes done by the local province
or district chiefs prior to the teams' being dispatched to Vung Tau--
is sometimes done at Vung Tau--or may be done after the teams'
return to their home areas. The faculty at Vung Tau does a remark-
ably good job of identifying leadership or other potential skills during
the 10 weeks that the cadre are under their superviaiotx. This
accomplishment owes a great deal to the presence of 'guides' with
each group of students. These guides are really apprentice instructors,
selected from the ranks of experienced cadre in the field. They
spend most of every working day with the various groups of students,
attending to one such croup for the entire 13-week training period.
1. Province and district chiefs are used to examine the
personal histories of candidates for 'lung Tau, and are urged when-
ever possible to identify either security risks or problem-types.
Some province and district chiefs do this very well. Many do not.
.:Iccordingly, after reaching Vung Tau, and as a first requirement,
aU candidates fill in a personal history statement and are photographed
and fingerprinted. These last are permanent records maintained
at Vung Tau.
g. The major reasons for dismissal of students prior to
completion of Vung Tau training courses are--(1) health--malaria
being the most common ailment; (2) maladjustment or homesickness;
and (3) disciplinary difficulties. in the last course at 'Yung Tau there
were 100 dropouts out of an entering class of 3,208. Ivor 70 per cent
of the dropouts were for health reasons.
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f Par Coastr don
1944, the curriculum at Yung Tau
wankel /Action tes-xte -'' TS)
Ovid subject-4S par cant - par*
tetelligence subjects- 19 per
f.tosurneact i ry end designed
uction c aprmied to PATS,
d a the farmer 10 weeks.. The additional
sed t instruct those portions of the cadre
h new functions *a armed ceases Arley's-nee, civic
and organizing the self-defense sad
the village populatiint
ttdr* Troia
pacity:
(1) As et one year ago, Le.. 1iaaary Vuag
ning capacity a epproximeiely e that
been a steady Increase in the member 3f students in
the last P!..T amiss finishing -:)a 4 February 1984
reately 31 100 *indents, a whom approximately 119
*he first rural construction cadre elites, commencieg
on 21 ebrufdvy IHa, will 44n1414413. 4, 400 students if the quotes
oppr rad y the goverment can be met by the province ciders,
(2) The training capacity at Yang Ten will be raised
000 students for the claim t4ftsmencl4e early June, Welk aed
600 students for the class commencing in early September
. In order to operate efiletently at present capacity a 4.1100
e necessary to fled a more adequate source IA pcitable water
Tau sad to secure relesee by the Vietnamese 'it Farce of
bombing staxt strafing practice area lot 'le discent to the
V T training site. This 44dit1enat space is reed e3 for * training
ver area.
(3) The new montage*
ocate4 at Pleiku, was originally eatablishe
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early spring of 1965 end produced the firat class of Montagnard
PATS, totaling about 400 people, in May 1963. At the present time,
it is operating at a capacity of 000 students every 10 or 11 weeks
and has facilities for teaching in 10 Mentagnard languages. The
first class of the new Montagne.rd rural construction cadre will
commence in the near future. it is anticipated that the training
capacity at Pleiku will be increased, and may reach 1, 200 - 1, SOO
per c lees by the end of 1968.
d. fi Leona for the continued expansion of training capacity
ur 1 construction cadre training centers:
(1) The teams appear to be effective in gradually
engaging the population in the war alongside the government.
it would, therefore, appear wise to be prepared to produce more
of the same product in order to hasten the enemy's frustration and/
or defeat. General Thang, the 'Rural Construction i'dinister, speaks
of there being 2,600 villages in South Vietnam, of which 650 are
generally considered already pacified (though still needing some
attention), and of which another 650 will be pacified by the end of
calendar year i987. As noted above, General Thang admits that
the first 650 need further attention and that, after pacifying the
second 650, the effort will have to continue against the remaining
I, 34)0 villages since to falter or stop then will simply discourage
the loyal, intensify doubt among inhabitants of ''contested" areas,
and encourage the enemy and strengthen his control over that portion
of the population already supporting him. Manpower requirements
for rural construction may, therefore, grow to very large numbers.
Accordingly, it is only prudent to have an adequate training capacity,
to include faculty, ready to meet probable requirements including
emergencies, or to exploit enemy vulnerabilities.
(2) As large numbers are absorbed into the pr
nticipated that the quality of manpower may decrease eornevehat,
resulting substantial increase in the number of dropouts during
ng. To compensate for this loss, the training caplcity should
be increased.
As the cadre program continues, there are going
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to be growing needs for specialized training, e. g. , leadership training,
refresher training, and in new techniques, etc.. This will become
a rather sizeable requirement in the near future?particularly for
refresher training--but it should not be allowed to interfere with
the continued training of an adequate number of new rural construction
cadre, In short, with a total capacity of 7,500 at Vung Tau, 5, 000
spaces could be devoted to new cadre and 2,500 spaces to the other
kinds of training just described.
(4) The Vung Tau faculty has been working overtime
for more than a year, always being stretched to catch up with new
incr asesin the student body and with new additions to the subject
matter being taught. The faculty is going to go -stale unless at
least a two-week break can be interposed between classes. The
3nly way to compensate for this loss of time is to Increase the
training capacity.
(5) Considerable pressure is already ;Juilding up
to move teams from one village to another village In two months'
time, three months' time, or six months' time, etc, . Vhile this
may be possible in some instances it is, generally speaking, the
exception. Accordingly, it is very unwise indeed to plan on such
rapid displacement. A far sounder rule of thumb is e minimum of
one year to a village. Some a the steam behind this injudicious
impulse to move teams prematurely can be reduced if there is an
adequate supply of new teams coming out of Vung TIM to meet new
requirements and opportunities. C:onversely. U there isn't an
adequate flow of new teams coming out of Vung Tau, this dangerous
and superficial tendency to displace existing teams prematurely will
be encouraged, and the old story will be repeated, i. a., the enemy
ill be oozing back around friendly flanks, into the interstices, etc..
(5) Casualties among Agency-sponsored cadre during
calendar year 1956 totaled 354 Kle. and 500 VIA. In addition, there
were 51 missing in action. Cnsualties will increase as the rural
construction cadre expands into contested areas, thereby creating
an additional requirement for trained replacements.
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Ceculiarities
(I) The personality and experience of Captain Mal,
the present Director of Training, are essential to the success of
the \rung Tau training establishment, and in particular to the very
effective indoctrination which is accomplished during an individual
cadre's study at Vung Tau. it is also doubtful that the bulk of the
present faculty would remain if Captain Mai were to be removed
from this position. He is a very thoughtful, Intense and dedicated
man--by no means hurnorleas, who as a young Tonkineso fought
in the resistance (Viet Minh) against the French.
(2) Captaira Mai has arranged the curriculum,
particularly thoie portions dedicated to political r.nd psychological
operations, so that the instruction actually amounts to an expertly
guided tour for each student through the history of his race and
society. The tour is so conducted that each of these students from
rural Vietnam, where education is meager, emerges with two dominant
convictions: (1) that he has reason to take pride in his nation and
now is the time for him to help and (2) that the rural people or
Peasantry have always been a great reservoir of Vietnamese national
strength in times of crisis, and can become a source of such strength
again if treated with respect and affection. Intat is important here
is that so far as the atudents are concerned, these conclusions are
consciously and rationally arrived at, hence constitute a firm and
adequate basis for refuting Communist propaganda both in the cadre's
mind and in the mind of the villager.
(3) Croup singing is used very deliberately as a means
on, as a means of strengthening spirit, and as a means
ening group and team cohesiveness and loyalty. The teams
aught to sing a new song each week and by the end of the course
have arned ten. The number will undoubtedly chank,fre to 13 songs
shortly. The songs, whatever number, are sometimes appropriate
to the cadre and its duties--in other cases they are broadly patriotic
and inspirational--and are apprapriate to any Vietnamese and can,
therefore, be effectively taught and sung by the villagers.
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7
Ic
-,)r study.
Al7 orkieg ays. it I* sat part
soma hind 4 competitive athletics, cm"
eitiptitLvi stexAing, etc. ?
rii teams re
during trainieg.
mpetitive sir4ltif,;, a c
ad sa pride in beleagiag to it are
ay grcelp a fellow hetnan beings
tally is rather rare in South Vietnam. In
ual relieace and group loyalty esoletn in part the
for-mance in the villages eit. email:fit the VC.
16) Tratn&ng is constantly refreshed by espertenee
of short seminars in Which selectee team leaders
participate. )04t such twto-410, seminar,
the critical problem of how a two ;night
A new himiet za4 village Zr the first time, It use
a come early in the day WI, sat that the team was
family navinil breakfast or %lei 1.44, I-44er fi,Foing
one entered the village at the end ni thtt day, ono
er and the rnilther tired, Cotnini at midday 4aa
hese absent in the field, itowever, the seminar
apectee the 'Id village etiquette. nereely. that
oust with le.f.ezein in it while the oil% of the house
away, there was a certain advantage in eomink at mid4ay.
The other WA then see that the team knew and reepected the old
after lunch, *We the wife was sleeping, the children
re to be playing- -sine* they didn't like t-,.) take nape:,
opportunity to make c-stact with the eat-are-a, 4ivo them
gift, such as candy, w? show them how V; make a toy
I' wood, thus ensuring that when the woliner awoke.
-auld report favorthly on the behavior 4 the st.reagers,
be *say i4r the team, while talking ti We ehildren,
were the head men of the hamlet or village, and also
e simple work which they could ecc,:ieaptish duriag the
would assist A family or the whole iL& which
ted by zsightfall, and would thereL4-0 i** noted lav4rably
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by the mail returning from the field and by the old people remaining
in the village. /laving done this much, the team should welt quietly
until the men had come in from the fields and had had time to visit
with their families, to receive reports on the strangers in the village,
and to have finished the evening meal. The team in the meantime
should prepare its evening meal and eat separately from the villagers.
At this point it would finally be appropriate to call at the home of
one or two of the senior village officials or family heads, The
talk should be brief, should explain the general purpose of the team,
should invite the villagers' confidence, and assure the villagers that
the team would pay for any local food used. The team should then
withdraw, noting that they were taking up positions during the night
to ensure the safety of the villa and the villagers could accordingly
sleep without fear.
Comment: The above detail is provided because it illustrates
the care and ingenuity with which the cadre personnel have in the
past analysed some of the small but important details which, if
improperly handled, can impair or negate even the best-intentioned
efforts to regain the confidence and revive the political initiative
and loyalty of the rural population. The chances of success in this
venture are, of course, snorraously increased by the fact that
practically all the cadre members are from the countryside them-
selves, and dress and look and talk and act like the rest of the
people in the villages rather than looking like "city slickers" or "govern-
ment bureaucrats"--both of which categories, like the professional
soldier, are suspect in rural Vietnam as in rural communities worldwide.
CONFIDENTIAL
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Ms gement arid Support of Run1 Con triicticn Cadre
Training and Operations
a. National Level:
(1) Prior t3 December. 111.5. the Agency, with the
oval of succeasive print. ministers, has dealt direct-1Y
and district chiefs in the management and supp4rt
?gram, then known as PATS or APA's (Advance
ftical Action teams) or CG's (Census Grievance teems).
(I) Upon his appointment as Rural Construction
Minister in the fail of 11105, General Thetis surveyed the intieting
cadre programs and resources and conchided that he was going to
recommend to his governmeM that the PAT program and the Yung
Tau training establishment be made the basis or the nucleus of the
new rural construction pr3gran3.. He then came to the Agency and
asked for assurances that Agency support of its old and his new
program would continue for a Miltihritlin of two to three years while
the WIN learned how to take over the responsibility. After con-
sulting Ambassador Lodge and Agency Headquarters, V+aahington,
the necessary assurance of continuing Agency support was evirell
General Thong.
(4) As a result of the factors just noted above, the
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national level msnagem nt of thi. cadre program is ow the primary
responsibility of the Rural Construction Ministry o,1 tile Vietnamese
side and of the Agency and USAID on the U. S. side. mith M.ACV
and JUSPAO in a support role. A joint control center for cadre
operations, manned by both U. S. and Vietnamese personnel, will
open for business in the next few days,
(6) The major danger is that Saigon will find it
confine its direction and support to the broader aspects
and will incline instead to overmanage to the point
the initiative of the various provinces and district
e rural construction cadre team chiefs. Such ixti-
local levels, is absolutely indispensable to any success
rural construction. This danger of over-management
-coordination at the national level pertains to the U. S. as
Vietnamese side.
(6) General Thing has wisely decided to inform the
Ion commanders in the PVN Armed Forces of the
substance of the rural construction program, to include the role of
the cadre who constitute the heart and -cutting edge' of any effective
rurel contructien effort in the countryside. By so doing, he has
probably succeeded in enlisting their support. Tide much is excellent.
The danger is that Vietnamese military comtnaaders may attempt
to interpose themselves in the direct command line between General
Thang, as Minister uf Rural Construction, and the individual chiefs
of province, district, village and cadre teams. The independent
Initiative and responsibility of these levels, as previously noted, is
absolutely essential to rural construction.
(7) On the Vietnamese side, management heretofore
onsteted of the province and district chiefs, assisted by one
or more of r own staff--frequently the deputy province chief
for security, the Pgency officer in the province. and a Vietnamese
staff selected jointly, in most cases, by the province or district
chief in consultation with the Agency representative. The MACV
advisors, at sector and sub-sector level, have been most helpful
in terms of ensuring that cadre operations are adequately coordinated
with proposed U. S. or CVN military operations, have frequently
organized the appropriate military reaction to intelligence on the VC
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provided by the cadre teams, and have assisted Agency officers I
the actual operations and deployment of the PAT teams. This close,
informal, and mutually reinforcing rels ionsldp is iroportent and moat
continue into the new ere of rural construction.
nder the new auspices of the Rural Construction
of management at province and district levels
somewhat. For example, the decrees estab
uction cadre provide for a I ti-man management
it is hoped that this management team can
r at least partially--staffed with some of the experienced
Vtstnarnese who are already assisting in the control and support of
this program. 1Vcond1y, it is obvious that USAID, as the second of
the two major U. 3. agencies responsible for the cadre, must par-
ticipate to a much greater extent than heretofore.
(9) eia the National Pollee begin to reach strength
ibr downward deployment into districts and villages--and
only just begun--it is obvious that the rural construction
and those elements of the police stationed in the countryside,
e the regular police, the Special Branch and the Police Field
Force4, must work together in close harmony. This will require
a similarly close relationship among USAID Public Safety sad Agency
advisors to these respective programs, and between them and their
Vietnamese counterparts. At some future date, when security con-
ditions in the countryside permit, a phaeed demobilisation of the
rural construction cadre should cora:nonce, with the first phase
seeing the incorporation into the police of those rural construction
cadre desiring such a career, and the second phase seeing the
remainder of the cadre revert to peacetime occupations.
(10) At the rural construction cadre or team le
has already made several wise decisions about leader-
g. One such decision is that all rural construction
be selected from graduates of Vung Tau. A second,
decision, is that all team members, regardless
pecialty, wtll complete the 10-week basic course
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at Vuag Tau before they enter spec ed training for irmed ee
grievance, civic affairs, new life development, and viii
defense and early warning activities,
b, Support:
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ture Trends within Rural Construction Cadre
ort to national priority areas.
Is already
or province
of the province or
effective utilization
orcement of areas where rural construction
e teams are already present; where corps
have been established; or where, in the judgment
ct chiefs, there is an opportunity for the
the rural construction cadre.
c. A heavier emphasis on the development of Montagnard
rural construction cadre in the provinces of I and II c-.)rpe, and a
very rapid increase in Vietnamese rural construction cadre for the
IMO and reinforcement in 111 and IV corps generally.
d. Efforts to determine the best methods of applying the
am to the needs of the urban population and, subsequently,
ntation of such plans,
CONMENTIA
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VIA:
SUBJECT:
2 3 f'EB 1966
OR: Director of Central Intsilienc.
Deputy Director for Plans
Transmittal of Briefing Paper on Rural
Construction Cadre Program to Vice
President Hubert H. Humphrey
1. Attached to a letter for the signature of the Director for
ittal to Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. Also attached
g paper prepared by Mr. Gordon L. Jorgensen, Chief
ation, concerning the rural construction cadre program.
2. The following is the background of the attached briefing
paper and draft letter. Following an oral briefing by Mr. Jorgensen
in Saigon on 12 February 1966, the Vice President requested that
he be provided with a written resume prior to his departure and
requested that this resume include any pointi which were not covered
in the limited time available for the oral briefing fi written resume
was prepared and delivered to the Vice President's Administrative
Assistant, Mr. William Connell. The letter resume was subsequently
slightly revised and improved and forwarded to Headquarters with
Mr. Jorgensen's request that it be passed to the Vice President as
a substitution for the paper given to Mr. Connell.
3. It is recommended that you sign the attached letter to
the Vice President. The revised briefing paper on the rural con-
ittruction cadre program which will be forwarded as an attachment
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to the letter is an excellent presentation of our role in the rural
construction cadre program, and I commend it to your attention.
Chief, F
eat:
ted above
cc: DDCI
East
on
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