The Brothel Concession in Vietnam
Kaufmann, Bob
September 8, 1966 Mr. Laurence G. Pickering Desk Officer for Thailand U.S. Department of State Washington 25, D.C. Dear Mr. Pickering: I have noted that the government of...
...Dept...
...I trust that the information furnished herein will be of assistance to you in responding to Mr...
...While we anticipate no difficulties in recruiting personnel, we do not wish to leave ourselves exposed to the charge that we are exploiting the workers...
...We cannot concur in your proposal...
...Kaufmann: Senator Kuchel is in almost continuous attendance at Committee meetings and Senate sessions and I am, therefore, responding to your letter of March 13...
...Further, allowing 14% (average) cyclical lay-off time, and another 10% vacation and sickness allowance, the production of the individual girl will be reduced to an average of about 15 men per shift...
...We woud be interested in learning whether you have any particular local that would be interested in this effort, or whether you think it more advisable to set up a new local...
...Sincerely yours, Robert H. Miller, Director Viet-Nam Working Group Department of State Washington February 14, 1967 Dear Mr...
...On a thirty-hour work week (no Sunday work is contemplated), each girl should earn a gross of $450...
...September 8, 1966 Mr...
...The reply is self-explanatory, and it is hoped that the information will assist you in an understanding of the matter...
...Copies of prior correspondence from and to Mr...
...Kaufmann are enclosed for your information...
...You will be interested to know that six of the ministers and nine student ministers approved of brothels to serve American servicemen in remote areas of the world under medically supervised conditions...
...Sincerely yours, Robert M. Klein, Acting Dir...
...On the other hand, you may wish me to contact the Thailand government directly, without intercession by your department or this government...
...Be assured that I was pleased to look into the situation as you requested...
...Sylvester, of the Thai Desk in the Department of State, has informed me that prostitution is illegal in Thailand...
...Responsible military commanders are aware that our servicemen overseas are far removed from the restraining influence of home and family and, consequently, make intensive efforts to compensate for this loss of moral restraints by providing off-duty educational opportunities, wholesome recreational outlets, intensive religious and character programs, and where warranted, curfews, curtailment of liberty privileges, and disciplinary action against offenders...
...Robert M. Klein of that office has assured me in his letter of February 14 that the Defense Department, and your office in particular, would have jurisdiction over the brothels...
...If yours is not the proper office to process this request, I would very much appreciate your forwarding this letter to the correct office and informing me of the address...
...Robert H. Miller Desk Officer for Viet-Nam U.S...
...Dir., Personnel Management...
...We find his proposals appalling and have informed him accordingly...
...Your interest in matters pertaining to the Armed Forces is appreciated...
...I understand that his office can furnish you with information on what is involved in going into business in Viet-Nam...
...Dependent, of course, upon the day-to-day movements of our troops in Viet-Nam, we can expect to service an average of 40,000 men per week...
...Kaufmann: I refer to your letter of September 8. Prostitution is illegal in Thailand, and the venture you contemplate would not be permitted by the Thai Government...
...Sincerely, R. W. Frieden, Captain, USNR Asst...
...Kaufmann...
...During each of the past three years less than one-half of one percent of the military personnel in Vietnam lost time from duty while receiving treatment for venereal disease...
...Kaufmann's statement regarding venereal disease, we offer the following comments...
...Sincerely yours, Robert F. Kaufmann March 6, 1967 Mr...
...Realizing that we would never have our establishments open on a Sunday, we can determine that we must be prepared to handle 6,666 men per day...
...I am delighted, after this extensive period of delay, to have been guided to the proper governmental agency to expedite this essential project...
...Continuous efforts are made to control and eliminate venereal disease and to treat those individuals who, nevertheless, do contract some type of such disease...
...Sincerely yours, John Sylvester, Jr., Thai Desk Officer Department of State Washington...
...Secretary of Defense (Military Personnel Policy) Washington, D.C...
...Not to be ignored is the fact that a substantial tax benefit would accrue to this nation by having this venture run by loyal Americans...
...It now appears that we are expanding our personnel in Thailand...
...Department of State Washington 25, D.C...
...We have never seen any official standards published on this, and hope that this will be satisfactory to your department...
...Jack Posner, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense...
...I am therefore forwarding your letter to Lt...
...However, I believe that our government should be interested in assuring our men overseas of proper conditions, and further has a definite responsibility in helping our balance of payment structure, as this venture most certainly would...
...While we would provide our own medical staff for our organization, would it be possible for your medical department to provide ex aminations for the servicemen...
...20230 March 4, 1967 Lt...
...However, we have computed a cyclical non-productive time of 14%, which would reduce the girls' average weekly earnings (over a four week period during which they would work only 21 days) to $387...
...A total of fifteen of these men approved American girls serving in such brothels, while only seven were opposed...
...It is immediately apparent that the recruitment of a large number of American girls that would join our effort might very well cause some security problems...
...With best regards, Sincerely, George Murphy United States Senate Committee on Public Works Honorable George Murphy United States Senate Washington, D.C...
...Sincerely, William W. Berg, Brigadier General, USAF Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Asst...
...For the past six months, I have been communicating with the Departments of State, Commerce, and Defense in regard to the establishment of brothels to serve and protect our fighting men in Viet Nam...
...At the same time, reports also indicate that the American service man is being gouged, in that he is charged more than three and one half times that which a Vietnamese pays...
...We further anticipate that a certain percentage would be leaving to return to the states and/or to get married, and we would need a reserve corps of about 150 upon whom we could call for rapid replacements...
...In the event you would be interested in some other form of business activity there I would be pleased to send you information on private enterprise investment opportunities in Thailand...
...Please be assured that this correspondence will be brought to the Senator's attention as soon as possible...
...George Meany President, A.F.L.—C.I.O...
...Miller was not aware of the precise nature of the enterprise which you have in mind, and he thus assumed that your proposal had to do with a business operation servicing the Vietnamese economy...
...I understand that Mr...
...20301 Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense Manpower (Military Personnel Policy) Washington, D.C...
...Kaufmann has previously presented his proposals to this Department...
...Therefore, we are opposed to any company union for our employees, and would prefer that they are represented in a manner that will allow us to develop an arm's length relationship with them...
...Eugene Kaplan, Director, Far East Division, Office of International Regional Economic Affairs, Department of Commerce and outline the nature of your proposal...
...Pickering: I have noted that the government of Vietnam has approved the installation of brothels in that country, and am given to understand that these businesses have been established to serve our American military and civilian personnel stationed there...
...Of further distress to me is the additional report that 40% of the Vietnamese prostitutes have venereal disease...
...NOTEBOOK State referred me to the Department of Commerce...
...As he indicated to you Mr...
...Sincerely yours, Robert F. Kaufmann cc: Lt...
...Jack Posner Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy Department of Defense Washington 25, D.C...
...This would be a splendid method of not only limiting the spread of venereal disease occurring through the dreadful facilities presently available to our fighting men, but would have a positive effect of discovering and eliminating much of the existing disease...
...I have further questions to discuss with you, regarding separation of officer and enlisted man facilities, integrated vs...
...March 22, 1967 Dear Mr...
...I am certain that you will agree that properly supervised brothels, run to truly American standards, would be beneficial to our fighting men who are now forced to utilize obviously sub-standard, medically dangerous facilities...
...Far Eastern Division Office of International Re gional Economics U.S...
...Kaufmann: Enclosed is a copy of the reply I received from the Department of Defense in response to my inquiry in your behalf concerning your desire to establish brothels in Vietnam for patronage by our military personnel...
...We want to be particularly careful not to have any subversives involved, in that we would not want our endeavor to get a bad name...
...Same letter sent to: President, Western Conference of Teamsters, Burlingame, California...
...A total of eight did not approve...
...20301 Dear Mr...
...We have already made some extrapolations from the figures available to us...
...Laurence G. Pickering Desk Officer for Thailand U.S...
...However, because your contemplated business venture would involve exclusively members of the United States Armed Forces, the project would be within the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense...
...I have personally appeared as a speaker before NOTEBOOK the Bay Area Ministers Association and determined, by questionnaire, the individual opinions of the members of this organization regarding the subject of prostitution in such areas...
...We are always concerned by the presence of any venereal disease among our troops and share the desire of all those persons who would like to see a total absence of such diseases among our servicemen...
...nonintegrated personnel and customer policies, staff visits to wounded men in hospitals (without charge, naturally), fee scales, etc., but will wait to hear from you about the first, more important questions I have raised in this letter...
...October 10, 1966 Mr...
...This would mean that we require a total "on-site" production work force of 445 girls...
...of Commerce Washington, D.C...
...I should like to know what qualifications would be required for me to set up one or more brothels in South Viet-Nam to serve our men in that area...
...Sincerely yours, Robert F. Kaufmann October 1, 1966 Dear Mr...
...Dear Colonel Posner: It has been almost six months since I first communicated with the United States Department of State regarding the necessity for a decent brothel system for our boys serving in Southeast Asia...
...Since the position of the Department of Defense in this matter is clearly set forth in the enclosed letter to Mr...
...I am particularly delighted to be working with the Defense Department, in that the men in the military probably would have a greater understanding of the logistics and other problems involved than would, perhaps, the individuals in the Departments of State and Commerce...
...This represents an intolerable situation...
...With kindest regards, Sincerely, David C. Niklaus, Special As sistant to Senator Thomas H. Kuchel United States Senate Committee on Appropriations March 30, 1967 Dear Mr...
...Allowing a maximum of 12 minutes per operation (some of course, will be far shorter, resulting in a somewhat shorter actual average time consumed) and some additional time for necessary ablutions and repairs, in a five hour work day, each girl would be able to service 20 men per day...
...Any prostitution which may exist in Vietnam does not have the sanction of nor is it condoned by the Commander, U.S...
...Kaufmann: . .. Since you have expressed interest in establishing a commercial enterprise in VietNam I suggest that you write directly to Mr...
...From the figures available to us, we have determined that our operation will require 455 girls...
...It is on these that we are basing some of our estimated needs...
...Not only do we oppose prostitution, but we take active measures to combat it...
...Meany: As a loyal American, I am certain that you have been as concerned as I by the gouging of, and spreading of disease among our men in Southeast Asia caused by the present recreational facilities available to them...
...Kaufmann I shall only reaffirm that position here...
...The Senator will appreciate the deep concern you express for the welfare of our troops in Southeast Asia...
...For your information concerning Mr...
...Department of State Washington 25, D.C...
...Finally, your prompt answer will enable us to recruit attractive personnel, if the use of American girls is permitted...
...Miller: Mr...
...Kaufmann: Robert M. Klein, Acting Director, Far Eastern Division, Office of International Regional Economics, Department of Commerce, has asked this office to reply to your recent letter regarding your interest in establishing one or more brothels in South Vietnam to serve American servicemen in that area...
...Robert H. Miller, Director of the Viet-Nam Working Group of the Department of State...
...However, reports from Viet-Nam indicate that not only is prostitution permitted, but that it is flourishing...
...Sincerely yours, Robert F. Kaufmann January 18, 1967 Dear Mr...
...The Department of Defense is unalterably opposed to prostitution in any form, whether in the United States or in the sovereign territory of a foreign country where our servicemen are assigned...
...I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest possible convenience, in order that we may organize properly for the most efficient, healthful, enjoyable service for our fighting men...
...We could save time in the development of this mission if you could also inform me at the same time whether the American government would require or allow these brothels to be integrated, both from personnel and customer standpoints...
...Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, the American Embassy, or any agency of the United States Government...
...It is a pleasure to be working with your office, and I look forward anxiously to an early reply...
...Jack Posner, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, and you should be receiving a reply from him shortly...
...Robert F. Kaufmann, who solicits governmental cooperation and approval in his scheme to establish brothels in Vietnam for patronage by our military personnel...
...Does your department have the facilities to check into the background of these girls, or should this task, in your opinion, be assigned to the Central Intelligence Agency or the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
...If I do not hear from you in the near future, I will presume this to be correct...
...Thank you for giving us the opportunity to clarify the Department of Defense position in this matter...
...Kaufmann: • • . You indicate that you were referred to this office by Mr...
...These NOTEBOOK efforts are meeting with an encouraging degree of succeess...
...I should like to know what qualifications would be required for me to set up one or more brothels in or near Bangkok (or any major Thailand city) to serve our men who are now or will be in that area...
...20510 Dear Senator Murphy: This is in response to your recent referral of a letter from one of your constituents, Mr...
...While the nature of the operation is such that we feel all parties will benefit most if the NOTEBOOK girls are paid on a piece-work basis, we are confident that the average earnings of the staff, not including fringe benefits, such as housing and medical care, will be at least fifteen dollars per hour...
Vol. 15 • May 1968 • No. 3
