Letter from DRV Minister of Public Security Tran Quoc Hoan to GDR Minister of State Security Erich Mielke

Hanoi, on 1 November 1965
To
Comrade ERICH MIELKE
Minister of State Security
of the German Democratic Republic

Most honorable Comrade Minister!

Firstly, please allow me to express my sincere thanks to you for giving Comrade Nguyen Minh-Tien, director of the Technical Main Department, and Comrade Chau Deu Ai [Châu Diệu Ái], research associate of our ministry, the opportunity to visit the fraternal German Democratic Republic and to study your valuable experiences, so that they may be applied in our battle.

In the battle against the insidious American agents, who possess many modern technical devices, we have made many efforts; nevertheless we have many further difficulties, especially in respect to technology. Some time ago the comrades of your technical department shared their significant experience with us. We have applied this expertise in our practices and have achieved good results; we are very thankful for this. However, we must investigate much further and address many more difficulties in our battle strategy and in the establishment of our technical foundations. We have learned that you have collected much advanced expertise through the defense of the German Democratic Republic — the westernmost outpost of the socialist camp. Thus we ask you to allow our two comrades to study your advanced experience in battle strategy and establishment [of security services]. If it is possible, we ask of you to allow both our comrades to visit and study at the technical institutions of your ministry, especially the institutes for research and manufacture of those special materials important for security work. Simultaneously we ask of you to instruct the leading comrades of the technical departments of our ministry to give us advice for the establishment of our technical foundation.

Most honorable Comrade Minister!

A short time ago, the party and government of the GDR granted assistance in the form of technical equipment to the DRV, included in this was a portion for our ministry. We have put together a draft list of machines and devices necessary for the establishment of our technical foundation. However we still have little practical experience, furthermore we are not familiar with the machines available in the GDR and therefore this draft list is not yet fully appropriate. Thus we ask of you to instruct the comrades of the technical main department of your ministry to help us put together a list of necessary machines and devices corresponding to the needs of our work and after that, to negotiate with the Ministry of Foreign Trade regarding the shipment of these machines.

We hope that you will grant us this valuable assistance. We firmly believe that your fraternal help will make a very important contribution to the establishment of our technical foundation and to the reinforcement of our fighting ability against the blows of intrigue by imperialist espionage, especially American espionage.

I ask once more of you, most honorable Comrade Minister, to accept my sincere thanks. I would like to further develop and solidify the friendship and the battle solidarity between our peoples and between the Ministries of State Security of the DRV and the GDR. I wish you, most honorable Comrade Minister, the Comrade deputy minister, and all colleagues of your minister the best of health and great success in the battle to defend the brotherly GDR.

I ask of you, most honorable Comrade Minister, to accept my warmest brotherly greetings.

Minister of State Security
of the DRV

signed. TRAN QUOC HOAN