167. Memorandum From the Naval Aide to the Presidentʼs Military Representative (Bagley) to the Presidentʼs Military Representative (Taylor)1
Washington, April 20,
1962.
SUBJECT
- Debriefing by Mr. John Anspacher
John Anspacher, just resumed from Head of USIS in Saigon, gave a debriefing on 19 April.
He covered a wide range of subjects, but in his own field of information he made the following points of interest:
- a.
- There are only 2 or 3 Vietnamese who are professionally qualified to administer the information service, but they are not utilized. Diem continues to provide guidance personally and it is ineffective.
- b.
- US advice is given, but not followed except in technical areas. At the same time, the US is providing most of the physical and technical means for the SVN information program.
- c.
- There are 25 SVN newspapers m Saigon; none elsewhere. Deliveries to the provinces are infrequent and in small quantity.
- d.
- Sometime in the next 6-18 months the US will be faced with the decision as to whether to use our resources unilaterally to project the required GVN public image or to insist on Diem (and Nhu) accepting our counsel.
- e.
- If the impact of the psychological assets are not altered to appeal to the people, the growing GVN military superiority will be of no avail.
Anspacher has indicated to me he has some concrete ideas on how to gain improvement in this area. I will see him Thursday after his return from a trip to New York.2
W.H.B.3
- Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-132-69. Secret.↩
- See Document 171.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears these typed initials.↩