Source: The Pentagon Papers, Gravel Edition, Volume 2, pp. 740-741
Reprinted from New York Times
Cable by U.S. General in Saigon to Taylor on End of August Plot
Cablegram from Gen. Paul D. Harkins, United States commander in Saigon,
to Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Aug. 31, 1963.
(saw Khiem: he stated Big Minh had stopped planning at this time, and was working on other methods; others had called off planning also, himself and Khanh, following Minh. He knew Thao was making plans-but that few of military trusted him because of his VC background-and that he might still be working for the VC. The Generals were not ready as they did not have enough forces under their control compared to those under President and now in Saigon. He indicated they, the Generals, did not want to start anything they could not successfully finish.
.....At a meeting yesterday, Mr. Nhu said he now went along with everything the U.S. wants to do, and even had the backing of Pres. Kennedy. I said this was news to me. Khiem said he wondered if Nhu was again trying to flush out the generals. He intimated the generals do not have too much trust in Nhu and that he's such a friend of Mr. Richardson the generals wonder if Mr. Nhu and Mme. Nhu were on the CIA payroll.....
.......I asked if someone couldn't confront the Nhus with the fact that their
absence from the scene was the key to the overall solution. He replied that
for anyone to do that would be self-immolation--he also went on to say he doubted
if the Nhus and Diem could be split.
.... So we see we have an "organisation de confusion" with everyone
suspicious of everyone else and none desiring to take any positive action as
of right now. You can't hurry the East.....