VIETNAM AD HOC WORKING GROUP MEETING, JANUARY 26, 1971

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-489-1-5-3
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: April 3, 2012
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: February 1, 1971
• Content Type: MEMO

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No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/04/03: LOC-HAK-489-1-5-3
W
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
INFORMATION
February 1, 1971
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had been worked out with the U. S. in advance.
Vietnam Ad Hoc Working Group Meeting,
January 26, 1971
USAID, JCS, OSD reviews completed
Because of other commitments Ambassador Sullivan did not attend,
and Mr. Engle presided over the brief meeting.
Engle first announced that CBS News planned to do a TV story on the
fact that two previously released U. S. POW's were now conducting
flight training, and that this was a violation of the Geneva Conven-
tion. General- Karhohs remarked that CBS seemed to be getting
desperate for some critical news on Vietnam. Engle then noted
GVN Foreign Minister Lam 's annoupcement on a new POW release.
The text of Lam's statement was not' yet available, but the proposal
The return of the 37 NVA POW's to North Vietnam on January 24
was then discussed briefly. There was some confusion in the initial
field reportiung on the release; one report stated that the press did
.not accompany the group to the DMZ., but it was clear from pictures
and reports in both U. S. newspapers and on television that press
coverage was fairly extensive.
Engle then raised the Ad Hoc group's draft report on measures to
improve the GVN's administrative performance. He said that the
paper had now been coordinated except for one point on which State
and CIA disagreed. State recommended that the four regional
Phoenix advisors be CIA officers; CIA preferred that these advisors
should continue to be colonels. Other members of the group took a
neutral position on this point, and Engle said that the paper would be
forwarded toDr.i Kissinger with a split position on this issue.
Mr. Kirk remarked that Ambassador Bunker would be arriving in
Washington on February 1, primarily to discuss the South Vietnamese
.political situation. Kirk announced that Bunker is scheduled to see
Secretary Laird and DCI Helms on February 4. He noted that there
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/04/03: LOC-HAK-489-1-5-3
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/04/03: LOC-HAK-489-1-5-3
TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE !
were as yet no appointments for Ambassador Bunker with either the
President or Dr. Kissinger.
Mr. Doolin announced that secretary Laird has begun to push hard
for a broad appraisal of our position on the presence of third country
troops in Vietnam. In particular, Doolin said, Laird would like to
see the South Koreans withdrawn as soon as possible. He feels that
the U. S. negotiated a very poor financial bargain in arranging for
Korean troops to come to Vietnam originally. Engle asked if the
Korean troops did not provide needed military strength in central
Vietnam, and Karhohs replied that this would be one of the questions
taken up in the appraisal.
Mr. Engle then alluded to a message which reported
that three while women and a boy were running loose in the Cambodian
jungle. A discussion of their identity then ensued, and the most likely
conclusion was that they were French plantation people. Engle, how-
ever, asked Carver to check into it further.
Arthur announced that AID had decided to authorize CIP funding for
the GVN's new power plant. There 'was somewhat of a problem on
the funding of this project with CIP .funds, Arthur explained. But
AID had decided to go ahead because of the piaster absorbing effect
which the CIP funds would have in this case. Arthur noted, however,
that AID's decision to supply CIP funds for an essentially government
project was experimental, and that the decision would not be considered
as having set a precedent.
Karhohs said that Sir Robert Thompson would see Mr. Nutter on
January 29 before leaving for Vietnam. He said that DOD intended to
stress the fact publicly that the GVN rather than the U. S. had requested
Sir Robert's police survey. Arthur remarked that AID hoped to ask
Sir Robert informally to discuss his report with U. S. officials in
Saigon before presenting it to the GVN. By so doing, Arthur said, AID
could assess the potential financial costs involved in any of Sir Robert's
recommendations before they were passed on to the GVN, and perhaps
modify particularly costly items.
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TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/04/03: LOC-HAK-489-1-5-3