Excerpts from the Perspective Plan of the Ministry of State Security (MfS) for the Years 1971-1975

Enclosure 2

Minutes

About Excerpts from the perspective plan of the Ministry of State Security (MfS) for the years 1971-1975 (Field of policing)

The perspective development of the country as characterized according to the legacy of Ho Chi Minh was introduced. The possible expansion of the war in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was included and was addressed in the work of the Ministry of State Security to ensure order and safety in the development of socialism.

The targeted objectives for ensuring order and safety include:

- The strengthening of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as the hinterland of the front in the south.

- Gradually, beginning on the basis of a deep analysis, to stabilize order and security;

- to push back against the ideology regarding the apparent prosperity in the south and its effect on political attitude of the people;

- to ensure a high degree of order and security in the return of people from the south;

- to restoration of the state of order and security to the level of 1964;

- to improve cooperation with local institutions to improve other state bodies and public organizations.

The police shall concentrate on:

- The reconstruction of the destroyed cities, farms, and equipment to meet the requirements for a high degree of order and safety.

- The security of the transport system in the domain of the railways, long and short distance transportation networks, on roads as well as on air and waterways. For this purpose, the transport police, traffic police, and water police is to be prioritized in development.

- The prevention and reduction of crime, as well as the coverage of the population and the perpetrators, as well as the correct application of legal provisions. For this purpose, the work of the police and the service division for passport and report systems [should be] improved.

-Ensuring safety and security in every area.

Regarding the fight against the elimination of the central problem of theft and the prevention of crime.

For this purpose it is necessary,

- to improve investigatory work and to record all offenses. In collaboration with other fields, to record all criminal acts, prioritizing serious crimes, in order to identify all criminal elements and build a single registration system;

- in cooperation with the penal system, to interrogate all offenders skillfully, improve the management of records, and to correctly classify all offenders;

- gather a list of all negative elements, extending the number of GIs^[1] while simultaneously stabilizing the old forces. Development of a procedure for working with GIs;

- registration of all persons discharged from prison;

- serious and just punishment of professional criminals, especially travel perpetrators;

- drawing of conclusions for the penal system, in order to determine differentiated sanctions, above all the improvement of labor education;

- drawing of conclusions regarding the strengthening of the fight against crime.

To fight against social calamities (prostitution, narcotics, juvenile delinquency, etc.)

This includes:

- Reducing youth crime, hooliganism, battery, prostitution, and other similar phenomena, where the work of schools and social organizations is closely related to that of the local organs of state power.

- Fighting against appearances of decadence, especially those which come from South Vietnam. This includes the grouping of people from South Vietnam in collection camps, their education, and their isolation from other people.^[2]

- Fighting against infectious diseases (Lebra, leprosy, and others) and enforcing the necessary hygiene and isolation measures.

- Registration of all beggars, prostitutes, pimps, panderers, etc. and ensuring the education of such persons in the penal system and in other educational institutions.

- Liquidation of illegal demonstrations, where cooperation with other state organs is very close.

- Processing of suicides from state cadres, as well as accidents, where the motive is worked out and the causes are determined.

- Developing procedures for the use of the police in disasters as well as when [unexploded] bombs and ordnance are found.

Tasks for the maintenance of traffic safety:

- Prevention of traffic accidents and interferences on the technical condition of motor vehicles and other means of transportation.

- Protection of transport and connection lines to the front, especially against agents and counter-revolutionaries.

- Assessment of the traffic situation, analysis of the priorities, particularly the A, B, and C roads. Determination of the causes of accidents and the determination of solutions.

- Strengthening of public outreach, in particular with respect to the popularization of traffic laws, systematization of the highway code and road traffic regulations, education of road users, screening of films on road safety and publication through press.

- Increasing the effectiveness of the traffic police and the qualification of traffic accident processing.

- Evaluating the appropriate streetcar stops in the capital.

- Improvement of the control group analysis in subordinate offices. Focusing the mission of traffic control groups.

- Correct registration of motorists and increasing the quality of the driver’s license exam.

- Organization of GIs in the traffic police.

- Completion of the registration of vehicles and formulation of rules for the purchase of a motor vehicle in accordance with the technical state.

- Publishing a brochure about the conduct of small vehicles.

- Annual assessment of the results of road safety. Evaluation of conclusions.

Work Management

This includes:

- 100% registration of all existing people in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in lists through the security commissions and the village police in accordance with established and validated standards.

- Registration of people who reside temporarily in other places (secondary residences) as well as in certain areas (borders, etc.).

- Creation of files for all men over 16 years. By 1975, 60% of the population should be included in such files(Fighting standard).

- Issuing of identity cards by the village police. Target standard is 100% in the cities and 50% in the villages by 1975. The issuing of travel documents will be also be coordinated by the village police.

- Development of principles for police registration of citizens (registration procedures), in doing so the procedures for community billeting and temporary residences shall be defined. Wide popularization of these provisions.

- Registration of all weapons, even self-made ones, as well as the registration of persons who carry weapons. In doing so, it is important to ensure that no weapons come into the possession of negative elements. The organs of the People's Army shall cooperate in this task.

- Registration of all printers, typewriter owners, stamp manufacturers, pharmacists, and the registration of their tools. Surveillance and control of these categories of people and the establishment a network of GI within these occupation groups. Development of regulations on this issue.

- Control of the movement of people from South Vietnam to North Vietnam in cooperation with the armed police.

- Operational border plans and the border missions in accordance with local, time, and material priorities.

Reinforcement of the campaigns for order and security

- The main task is to strengthen the People's Protection Groups;

- Creation of target standard "strong and stable" after the example of section 30 in Hanoi;

- Development of the People's Protection Groups as the heart of order and security, to reach "strong and stable" in 50% of People's Protection Groups from Hanoi and Hai-phong and 30% in the interior;

- Development of the People's Protection Groups at the heart of the order and security, 50% of people protecting groups from Hanoi and Hai-phong, and 30% in the mid country have to achieve the title of "strong and stable";

- Leadership of the [design] competition and provision of marching standards;

- Annual assessment of the results and discussion thereof in areas;

- Development and introduction of a system for criticism and self-criticism of the People's Protection Groups for the population.

Strengthening of educational measures in locations

The target standard is the rigorous management of maladjusted people, the stance of good political contact with families, and the enforcement of all measures of control.

Tasks of personnel management as well as the development and the formation of the police

- Selection and preparation of reserve and junior cadres in compliance with cadre requirements;

- Development of the police--new development in Hanoi and Hai-phong.

- Establishment of control groups and creation of order.

- Reclassification of the community police, the forces of the criminal police, and the traffic police.

- Development of regulations and service procedures.

- Reformation of the available uniformed and riot police.

^[1] Geheimer Informator, Stasi term used until 1968, replaced by “IM”, unofficial employee, i.e. infomer.

^[2] Here the perspective plan obviously refers to “reeducation camps” (trai cai tao) that had been in use in the DRV since the beginning of the 1960s.