MEMORANDUM FOR: MR. ROBERT W. KOMER FROM W. F. RABORN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R000100060009-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 18, 2003
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: June 9, 1966
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2003/09/02 : CIA-RDP80B01676R000100060009-8/Y,,
U- I
~SC REVIEW
COMPLETED,
/26/2003
FMC RANDUM FOR: Mr. Robert Vt , Komer
Special Assistant to the President
The White House
1. 1 have read Ambassador Leonhart's report dated 31 May
1966 and find it a useful and clear exposition of the najor problems
facing us in Vietnam in the non-military field. The report also points
out in a useful way those courses of action or programs which require
priority emphasis. Members of my staff have reviewed this report
at my request, and we are in agreement on the views I have expressed
above, and on the brief com=ments which follow.
2. Because of CIA's deep involvement in the creation, launching
and expansion of the PAT program, naturally our comments touch
primarily on that subject. From the outset, our officers in Saigon were
acutely aware of the fact that these teams of cadre would be only as good
as their training. and that the high promise of the original progran-s
dictated t:liat much attention be paid to maintaining the essential quality
of instruction and motivation. I am well aware that Ambassador Porter
is giving great attention to this matter as the rate of production of teams
goes up. I am glad to see that we all share an insistence that the quality
of training keep pace with the expansion of the program.
3. With regard to Ambassador Leonhart's observation concerning
team competitions, retraining, etc.. contained at the end of paragraph 3b,
many of these features have long been incorporated in the program. A
word of caution here: while the program is being expanded many-fold,
as it should be, care must be taken to avoid bureaucratising the effort.
Special efforts must be made to maintain the local and intimate character
of the teams, seeing to it that they are constantly being identified with
the local population from which they come and where they work.
ELL:
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4. 1 am glad to see that priority attention will be given to the
redefinition of the roles and missions of the various eche1ona of the
GVN's armed establishment. In particular, my advisors feel the
police, the Police Field Forces, and the RD cadre probably deserve
more attention and resources than they have received in the past. We
all agree that a strengthening in the numbers and quality of the police
and the Pr r is essential, but do not agree that police training and
management should become a function of the military establishment,
a view which paragraph 10 of the report apparently ascribes to our
military colleagues in Vietnam.
W? F. RABORN
Director
O/DCI/SAVA: PDSilva:mee:9Jun66
Retyped per DDCI:PDSilva:mee
Distributipn
Origina ,& 1 - Addressee
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