In its 29/03/1973 Daily MR3 Situation Report cablegram to the State Department, the US Embassy in Saigon mentioned about corruption in the Military Region 3
R 290345 Z MAR 73
FM AMEMBASSY SAIGON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9307INFO USDEL FRANCE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 1 OF 2 SAIGON 5141
E. O. 11652 GDS
TAGS PINT PINS MILI VSSUBJECT: DAILY MR 3 SITREP - 28 MARCH 1973
FOLLOWING MSG REC FROM AMCONSUL BIEN HOA ACTION AMEMBASSY SAIGON ON MAR 28 REPEATED FOR YOUR INFO:
C O N F I D E N T I A L BIEN HOA 0040
SUBJ: DAILY MR III SITREP -28 MARCH 1973
1. WE HAVE A REPORT OF A POSSIBLE SHAKEUP IN THE HIERARCHY OF MR III WHICH WE FIND HARD TO BELIEVE. OUR SOURCE, COLONEL NGUYEN VAN CHUYEN, FORMER PROVINCE CHIEF OF LONG KHANH PROVINCE, CLAIMS THAT HE WILL BE RETURNED TO LONG KHANH AS PROVINCE CHIEF BEFORE THE MONTH IS OVER. HE TOLD US THAT PRESIDENT THIEU HAD GIVEN HIM A CHOICE OF PHUOC TUY, BINH TUY OR LONG KHANH AND THAT HE HAD CHOSEN LONG KHANH TO SHOW THE PEOPLE OF THIS PROVINCE THAT HE DID NO WRONG AND THAT HIS REMOVAL WAS ENGINEERED BY GENERAL MINH.
2. COLONEL CHUYEN FEELS THAT JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED NOW THAT HE IS ABOUT TO BE REINSTATED. HE IS SOMEWHAT WARY ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GENERAL MINH, HOWEVER. HE MADE THE POINT THAT MINH DOES NOT LIKE HIM, AND, FOR THAT MATTER, NEVER HAS. HE FEELS THAT MINH IS ONLY A TEMPORARY PROBLEM INASMUCH AS PRESIDENT THIEU TOLD CHUYEN THAT HE WOULD BE TRANSFERRING MINH IN THREE OR FOUR MONTHS.
3. COLONEL MACH VAN TRUONG, THE CURRENT PROVINCE CHIEF OF LONG KHANH, IS REPORTEDLY TELLING CONFIDANTS THAT HE WILL REPLACE GENERAL HAU AS COMMANDER OF THE 18 TH ARVN DIVISION AND THAT GENERAL HAU WILL GO TO THE JGS. TRUONG' S CLAIM THAT HE IS ABOUT TO BECOME THE COMMANDER OF THE 18 TH ARVN DIVISION IS HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE. HE IS A RELATIVELY YOUNG COLONEL AND IS CURRENTLY UNDER FIRE FOR CORRUPTION.
4. CHUYEN' S REPORT THAT HE WAS OFFERED PHUOC TUY SUPPORTS OUR EARLIER REPORTS THAT THE INCUMBENT, LTC TRAN DINH BICH, WAS IN TROUBLE AND THAT HIS REMOVAL WAS IMMINENT. THE SUGGESTION THAT THE BINH TUY PROVINCE CHIEF MAY BE ON HIS WAY OUT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO US. COLONEL ANH IS RELATIVELY NEW AND APPEARS TO BE ON TOP OF HIS ASSIGNEMENT. WE DO NOT QUESTION THE POSSIBILITY OF MINH' S TRANSFER; WE HAVE HEARD THAT MINH MAY BE LEAVING SOONER THAT THE TIMING REPORTED BY CHUYEN. SOURCES IN SAIGON TOLD US THAT THE PRESIDENT IS PLANNING TO TAP MINH FOR ONE OF THE KEY POSITIONS ON THE TPJMC.
CONFIDENTIAL
This document was declassified/released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 30 JUN 2005
Nguyen Van Tin
08 November 2008