SOURCE: Hearings, SSCI, June 20, 1975, Conein FILE: STAFF: R. DAWSON DATE: 31 June 1975 PERSONS/ENTITIES: COMMODITY IMPORT PROGRAM DIEM COLBY, WILLIAM NGO DINH NHU, CONEIN DATES: August 1963 CATEGORIES: DIEM OCCURRENCE: CONEIN states that: "Just before August 21, 1963, there were periods the bonzes burned themselves and that there had been local press releases made by MADAME NHU that were sometimes not too well received by the Americans, and also antagonized the population." p. 21 TOP SECRET OCCURRENCE: COLBY stated that the United States sought to put pressure on President DIEM and the government, particularly to remove NGO DINH NHU from the country, to bring about certain changes of policy in August of 1963 that was thought necessary to improve the performance of the government of South Vietnam. Among these were the suspension of Public Law 480 aid the suspension of the commodity import program. And also through various contacts with dissident generals, the United States was requested whether it would stand aside if the generals ran their own coup, and they were given the response in general terms that, "Yes, we would stand aside, and yes, we would continue the aid program if a successor government took over and looked reasonably able to carry on the war." This can only be read as a green light to the generals. This message was passed through a CIA officer, but his credentials were checked by the generals receiving this kind of a message, with the Ambassador and with the Chief of the Military Aid group in Saigon so that there was no question SOURCE: about what U.S. policy was, nor that the CIA officer STAFF: was speaking for the Ambassador with his knowledge and consent." R. DAWSON FILE: Hearings, SSCI, June 20, 1975, Colby, pp. 10-11 DATE: 29 June 1975