TIME REPORTER ON FREE VIETNAM MOVEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 003049 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/06 TAGS: PTER PREL CB VM SUBJECT: TIME REPORTER ON FREE VIETNAM MOVEMENT ¶1. CLASSIFIED BY ROBERT C. PORTER, JR., CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, A.I., REASON 1.5(D). ¶2. (C) A TIME MAGAZINE CORRESPONDENT INFORMED CHARGE ON NOVEMBER 19 THAT SHE RECENTLY INTERVIEWED BOTH VO VAN DUC AND NGUYEN HUU CHANH. DURING THE COURSE OF THE INTERVIEWS, BOTH MEN REPORTEDLY DISCUSSED THE OBJECTIVES AND METHODS OF THEIR ORGANIZATION, THE FREE VIETNAM MOVEMENT (FVM). THE CORRESPONDENT TOOK EXTENSIVE NOTES AND RECORDED MUCH OF THE INTERVIEW. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HANOI 03049 200944Z SHE INDICATED THAT IF U.S. LEGAL AUTHORITIES WERE INTERESTED IN LISTENING TO THE TAPE OF THE INTERVIEWS, THEY SHOULD CONTACT THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT OF TIME MAGAZINE. (SHE ADMITTED THAT SHE WASN'T CERTAIN THAT ACCESS TO THE MATERIALS WOULD BE GRANTED.) ¶2. (C) IN ADDITION, THE CORRESPONDENT SAID THAT DUC OR CHANH GAVE HER A COPY OF A FVM VIDEO TAPE THAT REPORTEDLY DESCRIBES AND DEPICTS THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ORGANIZATION. SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD BE WILLING TO PROVIDE THE TAPE TO USG INVESTIGATORS IF THEY WERE INTERESTED. ¶3. (C) FINALLY, THE CORRESPONDENT RECALLED THAT EITHER DUC OR CHANH OR BOTH WERE ACTIVE IN PHNOM PENH AND ELSEWHERE IN CAMBODIA IN THE EARLY TO MID-1990'S. IN 1994, THEY REPORTEDLY RAN A VOCATIONAL TRAINING SCHOOL IN PHNOM PENH (PACIFIC TECHNICAL SCHOOL) WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE CORRESPONDENT, THEY ADMITTED WAS A COVER FOR RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING OF FVM SUPPORTERS FOR POSSIBLE INFILTRATION INTO VIETNAM. ¶4. (C) PLEASE PROTECT THE SOURCE OF THIS INFORMATION. PORTER CONFIDENTIAL