TEXT OF (SANITIZED)SAIGON CABLE DATED 27 NOVEMBER 1971

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01720R000700030062-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 14, 2008
• Sequence Number: 62
• Publication Date: January 1, 2000
• Content Type: MEMO

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SUB,7ECT: Text of~~aigon Cable Dated 2? November 1971
1. The following is a text of CAS/Saigon telegram) dated
V is intermediary
A.
V.
A.
HELLO,
HELLO.
YES.
V.
YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK TO MR. LOUIS.
A.
V.
YES, M
OH, GO
R. LOUIS SPEAKING.
OD MORNING MR. LOUI5. HOW DO YOU DO?
A.
HOW AR
E YOU?
V.
YOU HA
VE THE SALUTATIONS
A.
V.
A.
THANK
YES.
YES. W
YOU.
E'VE BEEN AWAITING YOUR CALL FOR SOME
TIME NOW.
V.
A.
YES.
AND . .
.
DPMO review(s) completed.
State Dept. review completed
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V. BUT WHAT' HAS HAPPENED WITH EXCHANGE IN TA
GANG ROBON?
A, YES.
V, WHAT HAS BEEN?
A, NO. 1, WE HAVE THE NEW TELEPHONE NUMBER THAT
A, pKAy, FINE. (IN FRENCH)
YOU WOULD LIKE. MAY I
GIVE IT TO YOU?
V, YES.
A, THE NUMBER IS
V ,
WOULD YOU PLEASE REP
EAT ?
A.
YES
V,
WOULD YOU REPEAT IN
FRENCH?
V, (IN FRENCH). OKAY, SHOULD WE SPEAK IN FRENCH?
A, OKAY, IF YOU WISH.
V. WHAT HAPPENED REGARDING THE TA GANG ROBON EX-
CHANGE? (OCOMMENT: INTERMEDIARY SPOKE AS
THOUGH THERE HAD BEEN PREVIOUS AGREEMENT TO
EFFECT PRISONER EXCHANGE" FACT IS, NO SUCH
AGREEMENT WAS MADE DURING 27 OCTOBER TELEPHONE
CONTACT.)
A, WE AWAITED YOUR TELEPHONE CALL TO CONFIRM IT.
I'LL READ YOU OUR PROPOSAL.
2
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V. YES.
A. I WROTE IT IN ENGLISH, BUT I'M GOING ,
V. (IN ENGLISH). YOU CAN SPEAK ENGLISH IF YOU LIKE.
A. (IN FRENCH). NO, IT'S OKAY. WHICH DO YOU PREFER?
V. (IN FRENCH). FIRSTLY, WE'LL HAVE TO REVIEW THIS
MATTER AGAIN BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW WHAT COUNTS
IN THIS BUSINESS IS SINCERITY.
A. YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
V. (IN ENGLISH), THE FAIRPLAY, YOU SEE?
A. (IN FRENCH). YES.
V. THE LAST TIME IT WAS AGREED THERE WOULD BE NO
PROPAGANDA OVER THE JOHN SEXTON, JR. AFFAIR AND
YOU DIDN'T KEEP YOUR WORD. THAT WASNT NICE.
COMMENT: SEXTON'S RELEASE WAS ON VC
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INITIATIVE RATHER THAN BASED ON PRIOR AGREEMENT. ] e
SECONDLY .
A. (INTERRUPTING).
V. LET ME TALK FOR A FEW MINUTES. WE AGREED (~ 25X1
COMMENT; INTERMEDIARY DID NOT PERMIT INTERRUP-
TION TO HIS REFERENCE TO PREVIOUS AGREEMENT. } THAT
AFTER THE RELEASE OF JOHN SEXTON, JR. THAT YOU
25X1 WOULD FREE TWO OF OUR MEN
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WE WAITED, AND INSTEAD OF THE 5E
TWO MEN YOU FREED ANOTHER, A LIEUTENANT. THIS
IN PRINCIPLE T O THE RELEASE
WAS NOT PART OF OUR AGREEMENT. AND ALSO THE
LAST TIME AT TA GANG ROBON WE WAITED AND WE SAW
TWO HELICOPTERS WHICH CAME, BUT THE AGREED-UPON
SIGNAL WAS NOT GIVEN. IF YOU THINK WE CAN CONTINUP~
THIS EXCHANGE IN A CORRECT MANNER, , WE MU5T DO IT
UNDER THE AGREED-UPON CONDITIONS.
A. VERY WELL. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE PROPOSE.
V. YES.
A. FIR5T. WE HAVE CAREFULLY STl'JDIED YOUR REQUEST,
YOUR REQUESTS, AND UNDERSTANDABLY THEY REQUIRED
CONSIDERABLE THOUGHT AND DISCUSSION. WE AGREED
IF YOU STILL AGREE, A'I'
TA GANG ROBON.
V. YES.
A. OKAY.
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V. LET ME TALK IF YOU WILL.
p,, OKAY.
V.
INDICATES SPECIAL
IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO HIS RELEASE BY INTER-
MEDIARY.) WHAT'S HAPPENED TO HIM?
COMMENT: BELIEVE DIRECT REFERENCE AT
THIS POINT
,A, GOOD.
LIKE T
O BEGIN
WE WOULD
THEN
LIKE TO RECEIVE
A LIST OF OUR PRISONERS AND A LIST OF
FOREIGN PRISONERS AND ALSO OF SOUTH VIETNAMESE
ARMY OFFICERS. WE WOULD LIKE TO STUDY THIS LIST .
AND THEN REDISCUS5 THI5 MATTER AFTER HAVING
RECEIVED THE LIST .
V, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAY AND YOU PLAY A VERY
TIGHT GAME. THAT'S VERY GOOD, BUT I REPEAT, WE
TOOK THE FIRST 5T E P. AND YOU KNOW THERE I5 NO
QUESTION OF BARGAINING OVER THE FIR5T STEP. WE
WANTED TO TEST YOUR SINCERITY IN SEEING YOU
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I REPEAT THAT WE
ARE HOLDING OUT FOR OUR MEN BUT ALSO FOR SIN-
CERITY FROM BOTH SIDES. IF YOU THINK YOU CAN
ARE POORLY CALCULATING. YOU KNOW THAT FOR
US SACRIFICE IS OUR DAILY BREAD. THIS TIME, THERE
IS ONLY ONE THING. REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID THE
COMMENT: AS NOTED ABOVE, 25X1
NO PRIOR AGREEMENT WAS MADE.) THAT IS, THAT
YOU WILL FREE
BOTH AT THE SAME TIME AND YOU WILL
SEE THAT WE WILL REPLY VERY APPROPRIATELY TO
YOUR GOOD FAITH. IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF BARGAIN-
ING. I REPEAT, THERE WILL BE NO DISCUSSIONS
BECAUSE THEY WILL RUIN EVERYTHING. WE WANTED
THROUGH A SERIES OF SECRET CONVENTIONAL EX-
CHANGES TO TEST YOUR SINCERITY AND FROM THERE
GO ON TO OFFICIAL EXCHANGE. YOU SEE. THEREFORE
IT'S NOT IN YOUR INTEREST NOR IN THE INTEREST OF
NGUYEN VAN THIEU'S GOVERNMENT TO BARGAIN THIS
TIME. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? YOU.HAVE OUR CONDITIONS.
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p,,, GOOD. YOU UNDERSTAND, SIR, WE ARE NOT BAR-
GAINING IN THAT SENSE, BUT IF YOU STILL INSIST
ON HAVING THESE TWO MEN, WHO WILL YOU RELEASE
FOR THEM?
V, WE ARE GOING TO RELEASE A NUMBER OF PRISONERS,
AND AFTERWARDS, WE'LL SEE. IN THIS MAN
A. I UNDERSTAND. WE CONSIDER IT A SIGN OF GOOD WILL
NER WE
CAN, LITTLE BY LITTLE, ARRIVE AT A VERY FRANK
DISCUSSION AND HAVE LISTS AND A KIND OF FAIRNESS,
A KIND OF JUSTICE FOR BOTH SIDES. SEE. AND FOR
THE FIRST STEP, I REPEAT , NO BARGAINING. IT IS
ABOVE ALL A MARK OF GOOD WILL.
ON OUR PART
AM I CORRECT?
V. NO, HE I5 NOT THE MAN AGREED UPON, YOU SEE.
COMMENT : AS NOTED ABOVE, NO PRIOR AGREE-
E
MENT WAS MADE) OUR AGREEMENT WAS TO RELEAS
THE TWO GENTLEMEN
WE ARE SORRY YOU DIDN'T TAKE THIS FIRST
STEP; OTHERWISE THIS BUSINESS WOULD BE GOING
BETTER THAN IT I5.
YES BUT THERE. WA5 A BIG PROBLEM. YOU CALLED US
A.
7
S RET
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AT A BIG MOMENT, DURING THE INAUGURATION OF
PRESIDENT THIEU, AND WE HAD A LOT OF DIFFICULTY
IN REACHING THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES.
V. GOOD. THEN I BELIEVE THAT BOTH SIDES WANT TO GET
THIS MATTER MOVING. THEREFORE, WE WON'T TALK
ANY LONGER ABOUT THE PAST. NOW IF YOU HAVE A
MINUTE, LISTEN TO OUR CONDITIONS. AH, I REPEAT
FOR THIS TIME, IT'S THE SAME PLACE - TA GANG
ROBON, PHUC TINH, TAY NINH. WE'RE GOING AHEAD
A BIT. IT WILL BE FROM 16 HOURS, THAT IS 4 O'CLOCK
IN THE AFTERNOON, NOT 3 O'CLOCK AS BEFORE. I
REPEAT, FROM 1600 HOURS, TA GANG ROBON. THERE
IS ONLY ONE WAY, THAT IS BY USING HELICOPTERS.
NO AUTOMOBILES THIS TIME, NO JEEPS THIS TIME.
i
ONLY A MAXIMUM OF TWO HELICOPTERS SHOULD COME,
A MAXIMUM OF TWO HELICOPTERS. YOU TURN (CIRCLE)
TWO TIMES, YOU TURN (CIRCLE) TWO TIMES. YOU WILL
SEE BELOW TWO SMOKE SIGNALS. TWO GROUPS OF
SMOKE SIGNALS TO NOTIFY YOU THE APPROXIMATE
AREA WHERE WE CAN MEET, AND THEN ONE OF YOUR
HELICOPTERS, OR BOTH, SHOULD GIVE THE THP~EE
AGREED-UPON SMOKE SIGNALS; ONE RED, ONE YELLOW
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AND ONE BLUE, BETWEEN THESE TWO (OUR) SMOKE
SIGNALS,
~OMMENT: DETAILS REGARDING
LANDING SITE ARE MUCH MORE PRECISE THAN IN 27
OCTOBER TELEPHONE CONTACT. )
A. JUST A MINUTE. REGARDING THE SMOKE SIGNALS,
INSTEAD OF BLUE, IT WILL BE GREEN.
V. YES, THAT IS, RED, YELLOW AND GREEN,
A. THAT'S RIGHT.
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V. WE ARE GOING TO MEET APPROXIMATELY IN THE MID_
DLE OF THE {OUR) TWO SMOKE SIGNALS.
A. OKAY,
V. AND, FOR THE DAYS, WE ARE GOING TO DRAW FROM
OUR LAST EXPERIENCE. WE LEAVE YOU TO CHOOSE
FROM THE 10TH TO THE 20TH OF DECEMBER. BETWEEN
THE 10TH AND THE 20TH, BUT TWO GROUPS OF THREE
DAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, 10, 11, 12 AND THEN 18, 19, 20.
TWO GROUPS OF THREE DAYS,
A. KINDLY REPEAT THAT PLEASE.
V. BETWEEN THE 10TH AND 20TH OF DECEMBER. YOU CAN
MAKE T-HE CHOICE AS YOU LIKE, BUT TWO GROUPS OF
THREE DAYS. THAT IS, IT'S UP TO YOU. TO CHOOSE
AND WE WILL CONFIRM THIS A SECOND TIME BY TELEPHONE.
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A, I'M SORRY, BUT WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TWO TRIPLED
DAYS? -
V. THA'I' IS TO SAY, TWO TIMES THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS.
(IN ENGLISH -TWO TRIPLE OF DAYS). (RETURN TO
FRENCH). FOR EXAMPLE, 10, ~11, 12 OR 14, 15, 16 FOR
FOR YOU T O CALL AGAIN IN THREE DAYS T O CONFIRM
IT. BUT IF WE BRING THESE TWO MEN, WHO ARE YOU
EXAMPLE.
A, OKAY, IF WE BRING THESE TWO MEN, I, LISTEN, NOW
I CAN'T CONFIRM THIS, RIGHT? IT WILL BE NECESSARY
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GOING TO GIVE US AT THAT TIME
BE THERE AND
V, (INTERRUPTING). SURELY AMONG -'T'HAT I5, THERE
WILL BE A SMALL NUMBER AND SURELY AMONG THI'~M .
COMMENT= MENTION OF ADDI-
i5 NEW FACTOR.) 25X1
TIONAL PRISONERS
A, HOW MANY MEN WILL BE THERE?
A FEW. (HIS VOICE SEEMED SLIGHTLY HUMORED HERE. )
V.
A, A FEW?
V, YES, A FEW
A, GOOD, THAT IS TO SAY, WREN WE LAND
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V. (INTERRUPTING). YOU WILL HAVE
THAT'S FOR SURE. YOU WILL HAVE
IT'S SURE, YOU HAVE MY WORD.
A. AND SOME OTHERS?
V. YES, SOME OTHERS.
A. BUT CAN'T YOU GIVE ME THEIR NAMES?
V. NO, AH . FOR THE MOMENT, IT'S NOT_POSSIBLE.
A. OKAY, BUT I EXCUSE MYSELF NOW BY BEGINNING TO
SAY THINGS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO UNDERSTAND A5
BARGAINING, RIGHT ?
V. NO, BUT FOR THE MOMENT GIVE ME RIGHT AWAY THE
TWO THREE DAYS. AH. BECAUSE WE WILL CONFIRM
WITH YOU A 5EGOND TIME BY PHONE. 50, WHAT IS
YOUR CHOICE BETWEEN THE 10TH AND THE 20TH FOR
i
THE TWO THREE-DAY PERIODS?
A. BETWEEN THE 10TH AND THE 20TH, WE CAN SAY THE
LOTH, 11TH AND 12TH.
V. YES, 10, 11, 12 AS THE FIRST TRIPLE DAYS. AND THE
SECOND?
A. AND THEN, THAT IS, WE'LL ARRIVE CERTAINLY, SAY,
ON THE 12TH.
V. YES, SAY THE 12TH.
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A. THE 10TH, EXCUSE ME, THE LOTH.
V. THE 10TH, YES.
A. AND THE OTHER TRIPLE DAYS, SAY TAE 13TH, 14TH
AND 15TH.
V. GOOD, TWO CONSECUTIVE TRIPLES.
A. THAT'S IT.
V. THE '10TH T O THE 15TH. AND, WE WILL CONFIRM THIS
BY TELEPHONE WHAT DAY, WHAT TRIPLES OF DAYS
WE ARE GOING TO CHOOSE. AND, IF POSSIBLE, THE
EXACT DAY WE CAN RECEIVE YOU.
A. OKAY. BUT IN ANY CASE, SIR., WE BEGAN WITH THE
QUESTION THAT WE WILL CERTAINLY RELEASE
V. YES.
25X1 A. AND WE ASK YOU IF WE CAN
HAVE A LIST OF THE OTHER PRISONERS.
V. YES.
A. OF U. S. PRISONERS AND THEN FOREIGN PRISONERS AND
SOUTH VIETNAMESE OFFICERS.
V. YES.
A. GOOD, WHAT DO YOU .
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V. (INTERRUPTING). YOU KNOW WE'LL TAKE INTO AC-
COUNT AND VERY SERIOUSLY EXAMINE YOUR CGNDITIONS.
BUT I REPEAT ONE MORE TIME AND OUR, OUR ADVICE
STICKS TO THE AH, AH, TO INSIST ON THE FACT
THAT THE PRISONERS ARE NOT BARGAINABLE. BUT WE
WILL STILL EXAMINE VERY SERIOUSLY AND WITH A LOT
OF GOOD FAITH YOUR PROPOSITION. GOOD. THEN I5
EVERYTHING SETTLED?
A. YES, IT'S CLEAR; ONE MOMENT.
V. (INTERRUPTING). GOOD, IF WE TELEPHONE YOU A
SECOND TIME, IT WILL BE PERHAPS AGAIN ONE SATUR-
DAY MORNING.
A. A SATURDAY MORNING.
V. PERHAPS NEXT WEEK.
A. GOOD, OKAY.
V. AND UNTIL THEN, MY WISHES. GOOD BYE.
A. GOOD BYE, SIR.
V. GOOD BYE.
2. TO PROVIDE CONTEXT FOR YOUR REVIEW OF THE ABOVE
TRANSCRIPT
A. THERE WERE NO APPARENT NUANCES IN THE INTER-
MEDIARY'S CONVERSATION.
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B. THE INTERMEDIARY SPOKE IN AN AUTHORITATIVE
C. AS YOU ARE AWARE, IT WAS 5EXTON~5 .RELEASE ON
VC INITIATIVE THAT TRIGGERED THE SUBSEQUENT EX-
CHANGE. THERE WAS NO DEAL IN ADVANCE ON'5EXTON
THAT WE KNOW OF.
D. SEVERAL REFERENCES BY THE INTERMEDIARY TO
THE PREVIOUS AGREEMENT SEEM TO INDICATE A RELA-
TIVELY HARD-LINE POSITION SINCE NO PREVIOUS AGREE-
ME NT WAS MADE
E. THE INTERMEDIARY'S FRENCH, AS HIS ENGLISH,
WAS CLEAR AND DELIBERATE. ALTHOUGH THE INTER-
MEDIARY HA5 HAD NO DIFFICULTY WITH EITHER LANGUAGE,
HE IS OBVIOUSLY MORE COMFORTABLE IN FRENCH.
3. AMBASSADOR BUNKER HAS BEEN BRIEFED AND IS STUDY-
ING THE TRANSCRIPT IN PREPARATION FOR DETAILED DISCUSSIONS
WITH MR. SHACKLEY ON 28 NOVEMBER. T~{E RESULTS OF THE
DISCUSSIONS WITH THE AMBASSADOR WILL BE CABLED.
4. GENERAL ABRAM5 IS NOT PRESENTLY IN THE COUNTRY.
MR. SHACKLEY ALERTED GENERAL POTTS
OF A FOLLOW-UP TELEPHONE CALL CONCERNING THE
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PRISONER EXCHANGE. MR. 5HACKLEY PLANS TO BRIEF GENERAL
WEYAND ON THE DETAILS ON 28 NOVEMBER~HEADQUARTERS 25X1
SHOULD ENSURE THAT THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE IS BRIEFED
PROMPTLY ON THE CONTENTS OF THE ABOVE TR.AN5CRIPT. MR.
SHACKLEY WILL SO ADVISE GENERAL WEYAND IN AN EFFORT TO
OBVIATE THE USE BY HIM OF MILITARY CHANNELS.
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