SAIGON STAFFING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01720R000800010004-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 27, 2004
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: November 21, 1972
• Content Type: MF

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Approved For I ase 2004/12/02: IA-I DP80R01720 . 0800010004-5
21 November 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR: Special Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs
SUBJECT : Saigon Staffing
REFERENCE : Department of State Telegram - Saigon 16414
1. This proposal cuts across your recommendation for a pro-
vincial reporting system. From the names selected and their over-
whelmingly USAID and CORDS backgrounds, I fear you would not get
the kind of provincial reporting you are expecting, and in fact this
function would be apt to fall on the OSA officers called for in this pat-
tern (who would in my opinion be diverted from penetration work and
possibly not as broadly based in their appreciation of the total political/
economic/ security situation).
2. Perhaps the way out is for you to suggest co-opting some of
the junior officers Iin the provincial assignments from the refugee and
similar chores they are assigned herein1to serve as provincial re-
porters, with the central staff beinga projection of Jacobson's "Evalu-
ation Officer" (a vestige of the Pacification Studies Group which ran the
PAAS and had a number of country reporfs). This would call for a clear
charge on these provincial officers of reporting rather than the other
:functions listed here as their primary responsibility, through the chan-
nels of the Consul, etc.
3. This position could be strengthened by your outlining a few
matters on which Washington must have regular provincial-level report-
ing, e.g., monthly assessment of violations by either side, effectiveness
of GVN machinery, activity of NLF, etc. These would require the re-
porting officers to keep in touch with GVN reporting through military,
police, and administrative channels plus their independent observations
and the results of conversations (a la General Timmes) with province
chiefs et al.
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4. Your proposal called for at least one officer in each province.
The attached does not give this kind of coverage within the numbers
stated in view of the very real requirements for refugee and reconstruc-
tion advisory assistance. Perhaps a compromise would be possible by
which you reduced the number you required for this function but they
took out of their hide the people needed to implement it. Incidentally,
I would recommend a considerable push to get young FSO's with language
assigned to these chores. Some of the USAID and CORDS people are
quite good, but quite frankly some are not.
5. As a separate item, I commend to you some attention to trying
to retain the PAAS capability. This is a country-wide network of Viet-
namese reporters who have been trained.over several years in methodical
public opinion reporting. Perhaps it could be Vietnamized, put under
private cover or some other. arrangement, but it would seem a very sub-
stantial tool which we should not let disappear if we could help it.
E. Colby
Executive Director-Comptroller
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