Page:Pentagon-Papers-Part IV. A. 4.djvu/36

Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3 NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011 34 123154 NATIONAL SECURITY ACTION DIRECTIVE (PACIFICATION) WAS ISSUED BY PRES. DIEM. THIS HAD BEEN DEVELOPED BY A JOINT FRENCH–U.S. WORKING GROUP. /SMM REPT.

123154 THE U.S. ANNOUNCED THAT, EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 1955, IT WOULD BEGIN TO SUPPLY FINANCIAL AID DIRECTLY TO THE GOVERNMENTS OF VIETNAM, CAMBODIA AND LAOS FOR THE PURPOSE OF STRENGTHENING THEIR DEFENSES AGAINST THE THREAT OF COMMUNIST SUBVERSION AID AGGRESSION.

0155 THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED ITS PLANS TO REDUCE THE STRENGTH OF THE ARMY FROM 217,000 TO 100,000. THE CAO DAI HAD 25,000 MEN, THE HOA HAO HAD 20,000.

0155 RE-EVALUATION OF U.S. POLICY IN VIETNAM WAS UNDERTAKEN. /JCS HIST.

0155 LANDSDALE WAS TRANSFERRED TO TRIM TO HEAD NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION. EFFORT WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. FIRST WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR PARAMILITARY AND SUPPORT OPERATIONS, SECOND FOR POLITICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE. /SMM REFT.

0155 6,000 HOA HAO AND CAO DAI TROOPS INTEGRATED INTO THE VNA. /JCS HIST.

010155 U.S. PROMISED TO RENDER DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO VIETNAM, ON THE BASIS OF THE EXISTING PENTALATERAL AGREEMENT OF DECEMBER 1950, FOR SUPPORT OF VIETNAMESE ARMED FORCES.

010555 DIEM'S CONTROL OVER ASSISTANCE FUNDS BEGAN. IT ALLOWED HIM TO BUILD UP HIS OWN STRENGTH AND SECURE LOYALTY OF ARMY.

010555 CARDINAL SPELLMAN VISITED SAIGON.

010555 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILSON ASKED JCS TO REVIEW U.S. POSITION IN VIETNAM AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATIVE TO EIGHT QUESTIONS. /JCS HIST.

010855 EVER SINCE THE MILITARY COLLAPSE OF TONGKIN THE FRENCH WERE READY TO WRITE OFF THE SAIGON GOVERNMENT AND PARTICULARLY SINCE IT HAD BEEN LED BY A STRONG ANTI-FRENCH PRIME MINISTER. /LONDON ECONOMIST.

010855 THE FRENCH REVISED THE COLLINS–ELY TRAINING AGREEMENT AND SUBMITTED IT TO THE U.S. /JCS HIST.

011055 GENERAL ELY REPORTED THAT FRANCE WOULD WITHDRAW ITS FORCES AS SOON AS THERE WAS A SECURE GOVERNMENT IN SOUTH VIETNAM.

011255 THE VIENAMESEVIETNAMESE [sic] GOVERNMENT FORMALLY TOOK OVER THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PORT OF SAIGON FROM THE FRENCH. /J.B. DRAGON.

011355 SOUTH VIETNAM ANNOUNCED PLANS TO CUT ITS 217,000 MAN ARMY BACK TO 100,000.

011155 DIEM LURED A HOA HAO OFFICER COLONEL NGUYEN VAN HUE, THE CHIEF OF STAFF GENERALISSIMO SOAI, INTO HIS CAMP. HE BROUGHT 3,500 MEN WITH HIM. THE MOVE BOLSTERED DIEM IN THE DISPUTE OVER THE CAMAU REGION. A FEW WEEKS LATER, MAJOR NGUYEN DAY JOINED DIEM WITH 1,500 MORE MEN WHICH HAD BEEN HOLDING THE CAN THO AREA. AT THE END OF JANUARY, THE CAO DAI LEADER TRINH MINH TAY RALLIED AGAIN AS A SHOW OF SUPPORT AFTER HIS INITIAL RALLYING IN NOVEMBER 1954. /J.B. DRAGON. X