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additional U.S. Customs advisers to help solve the problem at the air- port. Nevertheless, threats against U.S. advisers increased.
On April 15, 1971, additional U.S. Customs advisers arrived at Tan Son Nhut.
After a series of inter-governmental high level meetings during which U.S. officials urged their Vietnamese counterparts to set a high priority on the narcotics enforcement, President Thieu ordered the fol- lowing steps taken to tighten Vietnamese customs:
(1) The Director General of Customs was replaced and other high GVN Customs officials, including a brother of the Prime Minister, were transferred to less sensitive positions;
(2) Customs checks and security measures at Tan Son Nhut Airport were tightened;
(3) All police, customs, and military security service person- nel at the airport were replaced;
(4) The airport customs area was rearranged to facilitate better control and deny access to unauthorized persons.
U.S. officials claim that, as a result of these measures, narcotics smugglers in Laos, Thailand, and elsewhere have been forced to find other points of entry into Vietnam.
In May 1971 the GVN took steps to seal off airports and harbors, particularly Danang, Vung Tau, and Saigon harbors, through which most narcotics and other contraband appeared to be entering at that time. And, in July 1971, with the approval of the GVN's new Director General, U.S. Customs advisers were dispatched to Danang, Nha Trang, Cam Ranh Bay. Qui Nhon, and Chu Lai on the sea coast, and to Tan Chau, Chau Doc, Go Sau Ha, and Ma Tien on the Cambodian border.
When the Survey Team met in August 1972 with U.S. Customs agents assigned to Vietnam, the latter pointed out that, like U.S. AID public safety experts and the National Police, U.S. customs relation- ship with the local customs organization is one of institution building. U.S. agents do not work with their counterparts on an operational basis for the Vietnamese fear that the presence of Americans would draw fire.
In the view of the U.S. Customs agents interviewed by the Survey Team, the situation has improved considerably over the past 12 years. They regard the new Director General of Customs, Colonel Cao Van Khanh, who is the former head of the GVN's equivalent to the CIA, as a capable and aggressive official. His predecessor, on the other hand, was termed ineffective and possibly corrupt.
EXTENT OF OFFICIAL INVOLVEMENT IN DRUG TRAFFIC IN SOUTHI
VIETNAM
Since attention was initially focused on Southeast Asia as a poten- tial source of supply of heroin for the U.S. market, a wide range of charges and allegations involving high ranking officials of the area's governments have been made. In the case of South Vietnam, those charges have been leveled at high officials in the GVN including Presi- dent Thieu, former Vice President Ky, and Prime Minister Khiem as well as several high ranking military officers.
Executive branch officials representing the White House, State De- partment, Customs, BNDD, and CIA told the Survey Team that there is no "hard evidence" which would implicate either President Thieu,
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