PERSONS/ENTITIES: Lodge, Henry Cabot Kennedy, John F. DATES: Sept. 19, 1963 CATEGORIES: DIEM OCCURRENCE: On September 19, 1963 in a state telegram from Saigon (544) Lodge stated to the President that "I agree that no good opportunity for action to remove the present government in the immediate future is apparent and that we should, therefore, do whatever we can as an interim measure pending such eventuality. Frankly, I see no opportunity at all for substantive changes." SOURCE: IG Report 1967 (CIA) p. 24-25 STAFF: Dawson FILE: DATE: 6/25/75 PERSONS/ENTITIES: Lansdale, Major General Rusk, Dean McCone, John Saigon Station Lodge, Henry Cabot Richardson, John DATES: Sept 19, 1963 CATEGORIES: DIEM OCCURRENCE: In a personal letter from McCone to Lodge it was stated that: "I was told by Dean Rusk that you proposed that Gen. Lansdale (replace Richardson as Chief of Station). I wish to emphasize the agency will reorient the Saigon station any practical way to meet your desires. Personnel, including the station chief can be replaced ... Lansdale would not be acceptable to the organization or to me personally... If the decision is to abandon all hope of working with the regime then Richardson probably should be replaced ... We have no current intelligence nor resulting estimate in hand which could lead us to conclude that the present regime can be disposed of, or that there exists a replacement regime which would be better. This is not however to say that a coup may occur even before you receive this letter....." SOURCE: IG Report 1967 (CIA) p. 25 STAFF: Dawson