PERSONS/ENTITIES: HARKINS DATES: 31 Aug, 1963 CATEGORIES: DIEM
TOP SECRET
OCCURRENCE:
August 31, 1963, in the Saigon Station's chronology of August 1963 coup activities, the following report appears:
"GENERAL HARKINS was authorized to meet with KHIEU to give KHIEU assurances of USG backing. KHIEU showed a reluctance to talk and suggested that HARKINS meet with GENERAL MINH. KHIEU commented that MINH had called off the planning and was working on other methods which KHIEU did not describe. KHIEU further stated that the generals were not ready as they did not have enough forces under their control. HARKINS decided not to give KHIEU assurances which he had been authorized to impart. LODGE approved HARKINS' decision on 31 August after HARKINS reported." (13)

SOURCE: I.G. REPORT 1967, Part C., p. 13 STAFF: Dawson
FILE: DATE: 28.6.75

PERSONS/ENTITIES: State Department McCone Defense Department DATES: Fall 1963 CATEGORIES: Diem
OCCURRENCE:
Colby stated that the "...in this situation we were having almost daily meetings with senior officials in the CIA, State Department, Defense Department and so forth, in the basement of the White House and there was no question that this was national policy and hammered out. ...at these meetings, these were the meetings at which Mr. McCone and I argued very strongly that we should not move against the Diem government -- we should continue to work with it." Page 36