PERSONS/ENTITIES: Milting, Amb. Affairs, Saigon Embassy; Hilsman, Roger, Assistant Secretary of State; Trueheart, William; Mechlin, Director, USA.
DATES: 3/14/63
CATEGORIES: Drew, Card 1/2
OCCURRENCE: Higgins points out that on August 14, 1963, Hilsman, in a voice of America broadcast, declared that the Buddhist crisis was "beginning to affect the war effort." Higgins decided to check this story with the Saigon Embassy and approached Milting, who was at that time in conference with Trueheart and Mechlin. Milting told Higgins that "Our report shows that the Buddhist crisis is not having any impact at all—though, of course, it could if riots become severe enough to necessitate diverting front-line troops."
"We have made a special check," the Ambassador continued, "of the rumor that Buddhists and Catholics are eating apart at Army messes. Nothing to it. I don't know what Hilsman based this statement on. But he isn't basing it on anything that went out of his Embassy, the military mission, or the CIA." Mechlin suggested to Milting that perhaps he should not publicly deny Hilsman's comments. Hilsman was, after all, Milting's boss." Higgins, returning to New York thereafter, called Hilsman (Continued on Card 2)
SOURCE: Our Vietnam Nightmare by Marguerite Higgins, Harper and Row
STAFF: Dawson
FILE:
DATE: July 3, 1975
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PERSONS/ENTITIES:
DATES:
CATEGORIES: Card 2 of 2
OCCURRENCE: Card 2 to find out what was the basis for his broadcast. Hilsman conceded that in fact he had based his account upon the reports in the New York Times and other press dispatches out of Saigon. (page *** 124-125).
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