0 - The Black Vault

THE BDMCORPORATION
planning and implementation, wide divergencies of view began to develop
concerning the program's scope, direction and tempo.. '.hile the GVN had
declared agricultural development to be
one of the program's long-term
goals, USOM believed it should have been given primary attentionM9/ As
the GVN placed increasing emphasis on the political and security objectives
in the program, other incompatibilities soon came into focus, The US
wanted te concentrate the effort in the Delta region and Diem insisted on
the Central Highlands, The US held that each family in the highlands would
require from three to five hectares of land to subsist; Diem claimed that
one hectare would suffice.
Tensions also arose over the management and use
of USOM-supplied agricultural equipment. By late 1957 the US had withdrawn
its financial support for land development, except for providing the equipment,
spare parts and tools, From that point on, the GVN had to pay for
the cost of the program on its own. 20/
The land development program began to falter by mid-1957 for the
following reasons:
- Focos had shifted from the Deita to the Central Highlands, where
it was not fully accepted by the natives of that region.
a
Diem was in a hurry to show results--little time was allowed for
orderly planning and preparation,
L Since the program was being pushed by the President and his
brotner Nhu, most GVN offic'als were reluctant to criticize
their decisions or point out apparent shortcomings.21/
Though the land development prigram achieved a modicum of success
in the Central Higtiands by 1,59, Diem appeared to lose interest in pursuing
the effort any further and he began to concentrate his interest on the
Delta,
modifying it
Rather than building on the land development concept and perhaps
in light of experience gained, Diem actually created a new
program -- "agrovilles" (Khu Tru Mats) formally announced in eirly 1959.22/
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