CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005339903
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: June 23, 2015
• Document Release Date: July 15, 2009
• Case Number: F-2008-01829
• Publication Date: November 17, 1960

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 CURRENTS INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
17 November 1960
RG
it can continue as a separate.
political party. The Communists.,
with only one seat in the last
Diet, are concentrating their
efforts in campaigning for
five seats representing dis-
tricts where they have run well
in the past, but Japanese com-
mentators consider it unlikely
that the Communists will win
more than one or two additional
An important underlying is-
sue may be the public's reaction
to the JSP's reliance on mass
tactics of violence last spring,
although the influence of this
will be difficult to determine
unless there is a major in-
crease in the conservative.
vote. The ability of the moder-
ate Democratic Socialist party
to maintain its present Diet
strength may determine whether
political, social, and economic I about a flare-up in South Viet-
measures on popular resistance nam's already strained relations
South Vietnamese President
Diem continues-to face serious
political problems following
suppression of the 10-11 Novem-
ber coup attempt by paratroop
elements. He may feel an in-
creased need to reorganize and
liberalize hisgovernmen.t,pos-
sibily with some urging from
loyal military officers who
came to his rescue. These of
ficers undoubtedly share the.
concern of the coup leaders
over the spread of Communist.
guerrilla warfare and the ad-
verse effect of Diem's harsh
An official spokesman has
announced that government changes
will be made. There remains., .
however, considerable. uncertainty
over Diem's willingness to carry
out. sweeping.ref.orms or to relax
his authoritarian rule, which
now operates through a clique
of family and political favorites
in the pervasive Can Lao organi-
zation.
Diem is reported under,
pressure from the latter group
to punish the coup instigators
severely and to crush all known
and potential political opponents.
.The formation of a "People's .
Committee Against Rebels and
Communists" to ferret out
traitorous elements, together
with reports of civilian ar-
rests andthe temporary suspen-
sion of newspapers which printed
rebel communiquds, may foreshadow
a campaign of repression which
could lead to further unrest in
Saigon. No. retribution is.planned
against the paratroop ranks,
which are.considered by Diem
to have been "duped"; the re-
sponsible paratroops., lead-
ers have .sought asylem.. in
Most of the loyal units
sent to Saigon from the First,
Fourth, and Fifth Military . Re-
gions have returned to antigue.r-
villa operations. There has
been no significant Vietnamese
Communist exploitation.of the.
coup incident, either in Saigon
or in areas of guerrilla con-
centration from` which troops
were diverted. Although the
Communist regime in North Viet-
nam has been urging stepped-up
guerrilla terrorism in the South,
the attempted revolt apparently
took the Communists by surprise.
Therevolt,,however, will en-
courage Hanoi in its assessment
PART II
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NOTES AND COMMENTS
PATTERNS AND-PERSPECTIVES
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 17: Novestzber 19 O'
Comrisunist bloc
propaganda attritu;tes
ailure of the'6ou
to the znsur:gehts
inability to 'twin Sup
port of the peon le'
and'to exploit the
5 o-U T x "tremendous ?dissat-i s
?d. M. faction" with :Diem:
Iy
North Vietnam has
E T N A N4
that, unsettled conditions in,
South Vietnam are favorable to
its strategy of??eventually .top-
pling :Diem through a c:omb-inat.ioa
of guerrilla 'terrorEsm: and po=
litica support to anti-Diem
elements.. .
depscted the coup as
merely a conf I ct be-
tween pro-US groups;;
Moscow had charged.
that Diem was'saved.'.
by `'!active US rater-
vention," but' sug-
gests? that 'during
the initial ~stages,?
Amer.icancials
hoped, to use,' .the
insurgents -to force
Diem' to liberalize
his overnment.; n
portraying the Loup
as ;pro-US,the Communists
may hope to, play:' on '-Presi
dent Diem's suspicions and
reservations??'abou
tull'e`s,.
AFRICAN MOVE$ FOR ADDITIONAL SEATS -W UN SODS
The African UN members.,
supported by the rest of the
Afro-Asian?bloc; have apparently
decided on a major effort to
reallocate the ,elective. sets
on the UN Security Council and
the Economic-and Social Council
so as to permit election " ?of: one' .
Of 'their number.,.:
Resolutions to enlarge
these bodies now are before the
Speci=al' Political..Committee:; and.
the Africans; will., probably seek
amendments r:ealloeating.the
s.eatsunt.il.suchtime as the
membership of the two councils
can be