THE POSSIBILITY THAT HE DRV WILL TRY TO ASSASSINATE THIEU

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-26-6-18-7
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: November 8, 2012
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: September 11, 1972
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2013/01/30: LOC-HAK-26-6-18-7
W
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
T /SENSITIVE
ACTION
September 11, 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR: GENERAL HAIG
FROM: RICHARD T. KENNEDY
The. Possibility that the DRV will try
to Assassinate Thieu
The article attached again raises the possibility that Hanoi will try to
pull off a "surprise" before the election to upset the present military
and political balance between the two sides. Although a military
"surprise" of the Tet dimension is most unlikely, a desperate assassina-
tion attempt against Thieu may well be within the capability of the DRV.
If successful, it would certainly present the U. S. Government with a
"surprise, " the consequences of which (for us) cannot be good and could
prove disastrous.
The DRV may well have this capability and certainly at least to the
western mind -- such an attempt would be a logical one for the DRV to
try.
We should make certain that the Thieu Government -- and our mission in
Saigon -- is adequately prepared:
to protect against Thieu's assassination; and
-- in the event of his assassination, to keep the present Saigon
Government from disintegrating.
If you agree, I will discreetly query George Carver to make certain that
concerned elements of our Saigon mission have kept this possibility under
review, that all reasonable planning has been done to meet such a con-
tingency, and that they are satisfied that Thieu has kept this in mind in
his own internal planning. x..For the obvious reason, we must do any
checking with the utmost discreti , and I would emphasize this -- we
are not calling for planning, jus/pecking to see if it has been done.
Agree I/ Disagree
John Holdridge concurs.
SENSITIVE
oczz~
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2013/01/30: LOC-HAK-26-6-18-7
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2013/01/30: LOC-HAK-26-6-18-7
w
fficialsH."knt
n d Bellore Election
.qka
Reuter
;. PEKING, Sept. 5-Senior
'North Vietnamese officials
have hinted that the Indo-
china war could possibly end
before or shortly after the
American presidential election
.in November, travellers just
back from Hanoi said here
.today.
But if no agreement is
? reached by November, the
'North Vietnamese affirmed
-that they had "surprises
ahead" on the battlefield, the
travellers said. Hanoi officials
admitted to the visitors, how-
'.
ever, that the U;S. bombing
and harbor-mining was having
an effect.
The visitors, who had talks
with officials just below the
level of North Vietnam's rul-
ing triumvirate, said this was
the first time they had heard
even a cautious note of opti-
mism from Hanoi channels
about.the possibility of a Viet.
nam cease-fire within a defi-
nite time frame.
(A contradictory report filed
by UPI from London quoted
Communist diplomats who-
re-cently visited Hanoi and said
these sources indicate that
North Vietnam will wait until
after the U.S. presidential'
election before considering a
possible settlement of the?,
war.]
The reports came 24 hours
after the exiled Cambodian
head of state, Prince Norodom
Sihanouk, had told reportersi
here that a few days ago Pre-
mier Chou En-lai had said
there was a possibility of Pres-
ident Nixon stopping the war
just before the election or
within a month or two after-
wards.
Like Chou, the returned vis-
itors from Hanoi indicated
that North Vietnamese offs-.
dais had also said there was
an equal possibility that the
war could continue indefi-
nitely.
Observers here note that
President Nixon and other
senior U.S. officials have re-
cently referred to the possibil-
ity of a quick end to the war.
Diplomats speculate that Mr.
Nixon, Chou and the North Vi-
etnamese leaders may know
more &:,jut secret negotiation
than has yet become public.
Diplomatic sources here
said today it was possible that
North Vietnam might be pre?
pared to make some conces-
sions-possibly fewer than the
Americans-to reach a peace-
ful solution.
Some ? observers believe
.Chou's theory that a quick end
to the war is possible could
stem from information which
the President's foreign policy
adviser Henry Kissinger con-
veyed when he was here In
June.
Observers believe the North
Vietnamese leaders have re
scrvations about Mr. Nixon's
intentions--hence their refer.
ences to continued warfare.
Their allusion to "surprises
ahead" if there is no4~settir,-
nient '."-'66 tn;w-refer to at-
hacks` hh S4ieon, .fit .is. ht l~, cd
`'""1''he pro-Communist forces
have btvn edging closer to the.
South Vietnamese capital and
one battle lhct week took
place only 33 miles north of it;
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2013/01/30: LOC-HAK-26-6-18-7