Intelligence and Security Operations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Ministry of National Defense

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family lived in Minh's Saigon residence, tried on severaloccasions to‘ persuadeMinh “to have the RVN enter into a coalition with the Communists."
The middle and lower levels of ARVN's officer corps were alsorecruitment targets. A captured document indicated that military proselytorswere making efforts in Kien Hoa Province in 1966 to approach a colonel, amajor, and four second lieutenants, and had “established secret liaison" with acaptain, a lieutenant, six second lieutenants, and an aspirant. Militaryproselytizing plans for Binh Dinh Province in early 1968 provided forapproaches to the Binh Dinh province chief and Binh Dinh district chiefs. InJanuary 1970, the Region 2 MPS approached 19 majors, 23 captains, and 67lieutenants with no indication on how the recruitments progressed.
Most approaches were aimed at the ARVN rank and file. A COSVN MPSreport asserted that 41,341 approaches were made in a single area in theMekong Delta area during the first quarter of 1969. Another report from HoaiNhon District in Binh Dinh Province stated that 378 cadres penetrated enemyposts and bivouacing areas to motivate ARVN troops in May 1969. A district inMy Tho Province reported that it proselytized 1,260 ARVN personnel inMarch 1969. Another report dated December 1969 claimed that proselytors ina district of Kien Hoa Province had approached 500 ARVN solders belongingto the ARVN 10th Infantry Regiment and 650 RF, PSDF and pacificationpersonnel. ARVN personnel rarely reported military proselytizing approaches,which were made during personal contact or by mail. Over 722 militaryproselytizing letter approaches were made during one month in 1969 in BinhDinh Province alone.
During the year 1968, the ARVNlMilitary Security Service (MSS) reportedthat it had neutralized 812 military proselytizing operations, arresting 284military proselytizing cadres and 1,823 ARVN personnel. For the year 1969,the MSS claimed that it had neutralized 695 military proselytizing operations,arresting 1,479 military proselytizing cadres and 634 ARVN personnel. For theyear 1970, the MSS claimed it had neutralized 650 military proselytizingoperations, arresting over‘ 1,500 military proselytizing cadres and over 1,000ARVN personnel. Of" the arrested ARVN personnel, about 15 percent wereofficers from the rank of aspirant to captain. In subsequent years, the ARVNMSS rarely provided figures with breakdowns such as these claimin th t, g 3information on this subject was an internal Vietnamese affairs not of interestto Allied forces.
Between 1968 and 1970, the ARVN MSS conducted antimilitaryproselytizing indoctrination sessions for 1,811,829 ARVN and RF /PFpersonnel. However, only 907 ARVN personnel voluntarily admitted to havingoperated for the Communist cause. The MSS antimilitary proselytizing effortwas made more difficult and more complicated by a too rapid increase inARVN military induction_ programs. ARVN accepted increasingly largernumbers of draft age males with questionable security backgrounds. Between1968 and 1970, the MSS investigated and established security dossiers on31,216 draftees who had past records of or relatives working with theCommunists. No figures are available on RF/PF, PSDF, PRU,_and RDDersonnel, where the security factor was completely forgotten until mid-1970.
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