Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3,3 NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
TOP SECRET 44. , Success of the Dong
(
QUaIl
'(
.
project (a plan for regrouping many"
sl'aa11 villages into lariSe fortified Yillag~s ' si.rrJ.lar to the 'remplar
.
Plan in Malaya in concept) is ' questionable in the opinion of the STEM \
Officials who are supporting this project.
Dong Quan has been the
'target of r ',e peated Viet Minh attacks) which siGnifie s enemy concern over this plan~and consequently villagers are ' currently quite unwilling
to move into Dong Quan.
Because of the tremendous scope of the village,
relocation project" if carried throueh to completion (even if restricted ~o
the Tonkin Delta)" and the existent static corrmdtment of a great
number of t'roops in Indochina, it is imperative that local - -.----militia -----,
~!ll-Y- be ultin;ately emplOyed
in defense
of this type village.
The
-J
impression received was thut the DO[([3 Quan project was losinc; popularitYJ
J
hcYiever the effort is a new one for Indochina a.n:i furthor deve10pments
will be vlatched.
45.
The mission of the 5h Gcnur:ando Battalions to be added to the
Vietnamese Army by 1954 is priruarily for pacification. 1953 9 battalions had
~Elen
activated, 'with 3 operational.
will have been organized and tl"aimd by 1 October 1953.
1
As of 30 June
31 battalions The 3 b.?t..t.s.lions
operational are being employed near Bui Chu, in the southWestern part
}
of the Tonkin Delta.
I
j
Comrr.ando battalions are being trained for political,
propagancia, ane' counter-guerrilla 'warfare.
'1;
92