REVEALED: U.S. TALKS WITH VIET CONG IN ALGERIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000300260045-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 3, 2000
• Sequence Number: 45
• Publication Date: March 28, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

FOIAb3b
Approved For Release 2000/0~,~~~'IA~~~P75-00
AL ~ Ti:I;3iTNI?
MAR 2 8 136b
CPYRGHT
C~ ~5~~n~
CPYRGHT
Ly Andrew J. Glass
OJ 71t? Xaratd Tribune Sta~1
WASHTNGTt7N.
The United States has been..
? conducting secret diplomatic .
'talks with representatives of.
the Communist Viet Cong for
the last eight months. .
A major aim in these nego-
tiations has been to secure
the release of a high-level
' U. S. government official,
Gustav C..Hertz. who has been ,
Mr. Hertz.
These. discussions were
opened last August through '
,Algiers, the capital oP neutral-
ist Algeria, where the Na-
Lion Liberation Front, the Viet
Cong's political voice, has
~, maintained 8 mission since
1962.
The initial approach to the '
held as a Viet Cong captive Algerian government to act as
since Feb. 2, 1965.
But President Johnson has .
been prepared to extend the ,
range of these indirect deal-
ings to questions involving a
CPYRGHT
an intermediary was -made,,
with the, consent of the White `
House, .;J~y,. Seri :Robert Ken-
over Mr.- Hertz' release were. ;'; : lions; which
at a critical stage, Sen. Ken= the highest
Algiers in a U. S. military
plane Lo meet with a high Viet
Cong official who would turn
~. Mr. Hertz .over to the Senator.
In exchange for Mr. Hertz, .
the U. S. and Saigon govern-
ments would have swapped
?ere held ~in
seczecy, fell
ave receritl
been 1?evived in South Viet
Nam.
Aspects of the Hertz case
have `been known to several
Washii~;ton ? neivsmen for
.. .. _
some time. But until rester-
. day, the Administration suc-~
Nguyen Vari Thai-3`~iv~lio is ~" ceeded in keeping the: matter
being"lield"ifi~der "a sentence', ~ from"being published on Lhe
of~deatfi"as'~orie oP two ter- ?? .' basis that its disclosure could
' rorists `who" `bombed the cost Mr. Hertz his life. ,
Americarx Embassy in Saigon However; a brief account
last March . 30, killing 22 ' of-the-~iegotiations~ appeared
persons: The. other terrorist in'yesterday's ed~ons of, the
' nedy, D., N. Y. was shot dead .on the'apot:
`?Last fall;?tvhen discussions Although.- these negotia-
New York Daily `?News in a
dispatch filed .from? Saigon.
~ ..~...,
~_ ?
~'i0i1t1111ii':i
CPYRGHT
Approved For Release 2000/08/03 :CIA-RDP75-000018000300260045-8?
 Approved For Release 2000/08/03 :CIA-RDP75-000018000300260045-8
O
MAR 2 8 1966
CPYRGHT
he Washington Post then i~lent and ' Secretary. of
ublished a fuller version on S;~ae Dean Rusk have
s front page yesterday. acknowledged the administra-
Privately, officials here tion has made "contacts," .
eared that these accounts ~?ith the Viet Cong, as well
as kith the government of
ay have compromised their Noi?th Vict Nam, although the
elicate efforts to affect a nature of these "contacts".
ertz-Thai exchange-which had never been revealed.
as reached another critical ` But the official U. S.
' tage. They still hoped, how- policy has been that the Viet
ver, that the deal m~ht go Cong are merely puppets of
hrough, despite the publicity. the Hanoi regime and there- ~
fore do not constitute an
Both the White House and independent entity with whom
he State DeparEment defused a peace settlement could be '
discuss any aspect' of the negotiated.
ertz affair yesterday.. Sen.. Because of their humans-
' eunedy also declined to ; tarian scope, revelation of
omment. Ire cut short a ,the talks with the Viet Cong
kiing vacation in Ve~'~~iiont to ; in Algiers and elsewhere is
e:;pected to have a minimal
' retlu?n to Washington last! impact from the standpoint
night. of domestic politics.
But the effect of the publi-
Mr: Hertz, who is 48 and ;city on the political .stability
' the father of five children, of the Saii;on regime remains_
served until his .capture as an unknown. That government
chief of the U. S. AID mss- leas been kept fully informed .
sion's public adminisration ' of the talks, through its. Em-
division in Saigon. He was ~ massy here.
Sen. Kennedy s role in
seized while riding amotor- ;seeking to obtain, Mr. Hertz'
bike in the city's suburbs. ~ freedom began with a request
The ? captured official's , to former Algerian Premier
brother, A. Burke Hertz, is , a i Ahmed Ben Bella to act as
lawyer and a Northern :the intermediary. The re=
Virginia neighbor of ' ,the ;quest was forwarded through
Cherif Guellal, the 34-year-
Keimedys: It was she who ;old Algerian Ambassador to i
originally enlisted the Sen- the U. S.
ator's aid. The efforts continued, now ~
For,some months, the Pres-'under the direction of the
- -- - ? ~-- - White House, after Mr. Ben
' 'Bella .was deposed in a mili-
tary .coup by the present
.Premier, Houari Boumedienne.
At one time, U. S. officials
-proposed a'broader exchange
of 10 prisoners on each side,
but nothing name of this of-.
fort.
At still another point, Mr.
Hertz was brought by his
Viet Cong captors to the .i
uutskirts of Saigon where, it
~a~as hoped, he might be ran-
osmed through a large Cash
,payment by the Central. In-
telligence Agency. '
This plan, however, also
fell through at virtually the
last moment. Subsequently, ,
the U. S. ? has renewed the.
talks on the basis of a one-
for-one swap-Mr: Hertz for
e rist. '
Approved For Release 2000/08/03 :CIA-RDP75-000018000300260045-8