[0110-72.CM 03/02/96] [NETWORK NOTE: This document was scanned and retyped to make it an ASCII file. The Block format of a USG document was altered to just "text") REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES DECLASSIFIED PER EXECUTIVE ORDER 12356, SECTION 3.3, NND PROJECT NUMBER NN8937 597, BY RB1VSW, DATE 1/23/96 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE REPORT Note: This Document contains information affecting the national defense of the United States within the meaning of the espionage laws. Title 18, U.S.C., Sec 793 and 794. The transmission or revelation of its contents in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law. CONFIDENTIAL This report contains unprocessed information. Plans and/or policies should not be evolved or modified solely on the basis of this report. 1. COUNTRY: VN, HA TAY Province 8. REPORT NUMBER: 6 029 0110 72 2. SUBJECT: (U) US PW Intelligence 9. DATE OF REPORT: 10 Mar 72 (handwritten- ) 10.NO. OF PAGES: 14 3. ISC NUMBER: 723.610 271.000 723.600 730.000 11.REFERENCES: DIRM: 1Q1, 6G1, 6G3, 4Alb(2), 7A4 SICR: D-7CX-49018, D-6C2-26423 4. DATE OF INFORMATION: Nov 70 12. ORIGINATOR: US Element, CMIC, USMACV 5. PLACE AND DATE OF ACQ: HQ FANK, PHNOM PENH 2 dec 71 13. PREPARED BY: GREGORY T. HSU SP5, USA 6. EVALUATION: SOURCE F INFORMATION 6 7. SOURCE: Returnee Interrogation 14. APPROVING AUTHORITY: (SIGNED) DAVID L. PEMBERTON LTC, USA Dir, US Elm, CMIC 15. SUMMARY (U The information in this report supplements that contained in IR 6 029 1121 71, dated 30 Dec 71, subject as above. THIS IS A BRIGHT LIGHT REPORT. MACV FOR JPRC. 1. (C) Background Information: a. Name: KAM KUN, aka NGUYEN VAN CO (NGUYEENX, VEAN COWL), CMIC-3802 H/C b. Rank: CPT c. Position and Unit of Assignment: Chief; Guerrilla Unit, KOH ANDETH and TREANG Districts, TAKEO Province, CAMBODIA d. DPOB: 1933; PONG TUK Village, KOKOK Subdistrict, RO MINH District, TAKEO Province, CAMBODIA 16. DISTRIBUTION BY ORIGINATOR: DIA 1 cy DIRNSA 1 cy SAC 1 cy CINPAC 1 cy CINPAC AF 2 cys CINCUSARPAC 2 cys COMUSMACTHAI 1 cy MACJ212-2 2 cys MACJ213-1 1 cy MACJ23 1 cy MACJ231 10 cys 17. DOWNGRADING DATA: GROUP 3 DOWNGRADED AT 12 YEAR INTERVALS NOT AUTOMATICALLY DECLASSIFIED THIS DOCUMENT IS RELEASEABLE TO REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM AND FREE WORLD MILITARY ASSISTANCE FORCES 18: ATTACHMENT DATA: None Page 2 of 14 e. Parents' Names: Father, CHEOCEUNG KOEUM, deseased; Mother, SOME KHAEUM, living f. Circumstances of Rally. Source rallied with five others from his guerrilla unot on 3 Nov 71 to a FANK defense post subordinate to the 2d FNAK Infantry Brigade in HOH ANDETH District, TAKEO Province, CAMBODIA. He gave three principal reasons for rallying. (First, upon his return to CAMBODIA, he found that the NVA was in fact perpetrating aggression on Cambodian soil, with the apparent intention of subjugating Cambodians to the North Vietnamese, Second, a Cambodian could not hope to rise high in the military because the higher echelons were completely dominated by Vietnanese, particularly the North Vietnamese; Source was refferring to the combined units composed of the VC/NVA and KHMER ROUGE. Third, he observed bias against the Cambodians, explified by the distribution of weapons from Communist China (sic), in which the Vietnamese would receive new weapons while the CAMBODIANS would receive the old ones). The immediate cause of Source's rally was a confrontation between Source and his men and some cadre of the AN GIANG Province Unit, with whom Source's guerrilla unit was in regular contact. While Source was attending a regular meeting between his unit and the cadre of the AN GIANG Province Unit, in late Oct or early Nov 71, a quarrel became violent and five of the VC cadre, including the chief of the AN GIANG Province Unit, were killed. Source and five of his men rallied. g. Significant Activities. Source worked on his family's farm at his POB suring most of his youthand received two years of education at the village pagoda, where he learned to read and write. Source appeared to have participated in VIET MINH activities. In 1954, he was chosen to be regrouped to NVN and was assigned to the 900B School in THANH HOA City, where he studied politics and the Cambodian and Vietnamese languages until 1957. From 1957 to 1961, Source was assigned to the DA PHUC Officers Training School in DA PHUC District, HUNG YEN Province, NVN, where he received four years of general infantry training. Hhe received the rank of 1ST upon graduation because of his exceptional performance in class (sic). From 1961 to 1964, Source attended the Naval Officers Training School in Haiphong City, where he received extensive practice in the firing of individual weapons and machine guns at moving objects. From 1964 to Nov 70, source attended the Army Officers Training School in BACH DAT (sic) District, SON TAY Province, NVN, located near VA VI Mountain, where he received training in strategy and infantry tactics and practiced the use of heavy weapons. On 21 Nov 70, source began infiltration info CAMBODIA with a group of about 70 Cambodians, arriving in early Jan 71 at KMPONG THMAR Village, near KOMPONG THOM City (sic), where the group received briefings on the political situation in CAMBODIA for four days from high level KHMER ROUGE cadre. Source was then sent to KOH ANDETH District, TAKEO Province, with the mission to organize an effective local guerrilla force whose area of operations would be primarily KOH ANDETH and TREANG Districts. Source remained in this area fulfilling his mission until he rallied. h. Additional References: CMIC PW/Rallier Exploitation Guide; Map: VIETNA, AMS Series L7014, Edition 1, Sheet 150, dtd 1965, Scale 1:50,000; MACV/JPRC PW/MIA/CPT Photo Album and CDEC Document translation CN 811. (Interrogator's Note: Discrepancies between the information contained in this report and that contained in FANK interrogation report based on the same Source have been noted). 2. (C) US PW Prison in HA DONG City, HA TAY Province, NVN: a. Place of Confinement: Page 3 of 14 (1) Location. The prison was located in the northern section of HA DONG City (vic WJ812189), HA TAY Province. The main highway leading from HANOI City enters the northern limits of HA DONG City via the western-most of the two bridges spanning the NHUE GIANG River. This highway is one of the main thoroughfares crossing the city from north to south. The prison was located approximately 500 meters south of this bridge and 50 meters west of this thoroughfare. (2) Description. The prison consisted of the following six buildings made of yellow stucco: the prisoners' living quarters, a mess hall/recreation room, a latrine, a kitchen, a guards' quarters, and an administration building. (See sketch on page 14.) (3) Power Stations and Telephone Transmission Lines. The prison used the local electric power source of HA DONG City. There was one telephone in the prison administration building which was connected to the local telephone system. It was frequentlyused to call the Foreign Ministry in HANOI City. There were no radio receiver/transmitters at the camp (NFI). (4) Use of Camouflage. None of the buildings were camouflaged and there was no apparent attempt to disguise the purpose of the buildings. (5) Description of Surrounding Terrain. The prison was located on the northern edge of HA DONG City. The area was open and sparsely populated to the west and northwest. The populated area of the city was to the east and south of the prison. The main thoroughfare of HA DONG City divided the prison from the administration building and the guards' quarters. The rest of the buildings wre to the west of the prison. There were many small trees (approximately two to three meters high) around the buildings. The terrain was generally flat. The prison was built over the rubble of destroyed buildings which could still be seen. (6) Friendly Aircraft Overflights. Pilotless planes flew by the prison every two to three days (heresay). These planes usually flew by at an altitude of four to five kilometers, either from east to west or from north to south. Piloted planes flew by the area but on their way to other missions. (Interrogator's Note: source observed these pilotless planes several times. the frequencyof such overflights is heresay information. Source stated that the pilotless aircraft were easy to identify because they flew in straight lines and never changed flight patterns, even when under fire. Source was unable to further describe such aircraft.) (7) Identification from Air, Problems. There would be no problems in identifying the prison from the air. Source identified the location of the prison by examining the map of HA DONG City. (8) Air Attack Warning System. The prison could be warned of an air attack three to four minutes before it occurred. The prison had no special warning system, just the general system that served the local inhabitants (NFI). (Interrogator's Note: source was uncertain of the manner in which an air raid alert would be sounded. Upon receipt of an air attack warning, the guards would leave their posts and take cover in foxholes surrounding their quarters. The prisoners were not evacuated or afforded any protection in the event of an air strike (sic). There were no bunkers or foxholes for the prisoners. (9) routes of Approach into the Detention Area. The principal route of approach was Route 6, which led from HANOI City to HA DONG City. Page 4 of 14 (10) Availability of Reinforcing Military Units. The 308th Infantry Battalion, with a strangth of approximately 1,000 men, was located near the BA VI Mountain, SON TAY Province, about 12 kilometers from the prison. The primary mission of this unit was to protect HANOI City (NFI). At this same location there were 60 trucks which were ordinarily used to transport ammunition, soldiers, and helicopter parts south to HOA BINH Province. source estimated that, using these trucks, it would take approximately 15 minutes to transport the entire battalion to the prison. The unit would use a dirt road leading off route 6 at a point north of HA DONG Cityto arrive at the prison. (11) Weapons Available Against Friendly Rescue Units. The 30 man guard force was armed with CKCs and AK-47s, probablyequal in number to the number of guards. (NFI). (12) Instructions to Guards in the Event of an Attack on the Prison. There were no standing orders to kill the PW in the event of an attack. There would be attempts to prevent a successful rescue and to evacuate the PW if there were sufficient time (NFI). (13) Prison Security Measures. Four guards were on duty at all hours of the day. They were stationed in the four guard towers located on top of each of the four corners of the prisoner billeting facility. One of these guards would escort any of the PW who wanted to go to the latrine. There was no limit on the number of PW who could go to the latrine at any given time, although there was never more than one guard serving as an escort. Head counts were conducted twice a day: at 0530 hours, just before the PW awoke, and at 2100 hours, just after they went to bed. There were no guards posted around the mess hall/recreation room or the kitchen. source explained that there was an open space (approximately 60 meters wide) to the back of these buildings, which permitted one of the guards at the watchtower to keep the area under surveillance and make escapes from the back of these two buildings difficult. At night, the prison was lighted by incandescent lamps. (14) Guard Schedule and Locations. The guards manned the posts in two to three hour shifts, so that four guards were on duty at all times. There were no other guards on duty. During off-duty hours, the guards could go anywhere they pleased. some of the guards owned farms near the prison and spent off-duty hours there. They were all required to spend the night in the guards' quarters, but there was no specified time at whichthey had to be in at night. (15) Pyrotechnics and Chemical/Biological Warefare Items Available. None of these items were available to prison security personnel. (16) Chains and Shackles. To Source's knowledge, no PW were restrained at any time with such devices. (17) Communication Facilities. There was one telephone in the administration building, which was connected to the civilian telephone system. This phone was used to contact the Foreign Ministry in HANOI City. Loudspeakers were also hung facing the interior of the courtyard of the PW quarters and carried foreign language broadcasts from Radio HANOI to which the PW could listen every evening between the hours of 1900 to 2100. The radio itself was located in the administration building across the street and was connected to the speakers by a wire strung across the street. All other communication among the camp personnel was conducted by messenger or more frequently, by shouting across the street. Page 5 of 14 (18) Size and Organization of Prison Staff. The prison staff numbered 35 men. There was a director, a deputy director, a political officer, a platoon leader, and an assistant platoon leader. Thge rest of the men were organized into three squads, eachled by a squad leader. In addition there was a civilian female cook who prepared the guards' meals. (19) birgraphical data on Prison Personnel: (a) Director: Sr CPT LE VAN THUONG (LEE, VEAN THUOWNGR); age 58, 1.55m, 70kg, light complexion, NVA. The director was a white-haired man who was kindly disposed towards the PW. He received all instructions concerning care and treatment of the PW and management of the prison from the Foreign Ministry in HANOI City (NFI). He visited his family in THANH HOA City at least once a month, usually for two days. He would drive there in the jeep assigned to him. Source had known him since Jun 70. (b) Deputy Director: CPT NGUYEN VAN THANH (NGUYEENX, VEAN THANH); age 56, 1.60m, 65kg, NVA. THANH was an even-tempered man and well liked. His wife and four children (two boys and two girls) lived in HANOI City at 81 BO HO TAY, and he visited them once a month on a Sunday. Source had known TRANH since 1955 at the DA PHUC Officer Training School, and had visited him and his family regularly since then. Source had visited THANH at HA DONG City almost weekly since Jun 70, when THANH was first assigned there. However, during such visits he usually remained in the administration building, where THANH lived. THANH was scheduled for promotion to Major in late 1970, but by then Source had already begun infiltration to CAMBODIA. THANH's wife was NGUYEN THI NHAN (NGUYEENX, THIV NHANL); age 56 in (1970), 56kg, 1.50m. (20) Diciplinary Measures. Source was not knowledgeable concerning disciplinary measures employed at the prison. recalcitrant PW were kept within the prison and were not allowed to move about to the mess hall/recreation room (NFI). (21) Daily Staff Routine. The prison guards ate three times a day, at 0630, 1100, and 1730 hours. they had meals in groups of six to 10. those eating early would relieve those on duty in the towers. Source never say more than 20 guards in the quarters at any given time. the guards bathed at a fountain approximately 100 meters east of their quarters and always during noontime. b. Identification of PW: (1) PAUL DARWIN RAYMOND, 1LT, USAF Height: 1.70m Weight: 80kg Color of Hair and Eyes: Blonde; blue Race: Caucasian Complexion: Fair Beard: Light, dark brown Nose: Medium length, average Page 6 of 14 Scars: None seen Tattoos: None seen Birthmarks: None seen Age: 24 Glasses: None seen Rings/Watches: None seen (Interrogator's Note: Source believed all such items were taken from PW upon their capture or shortly thereafter.) Clothing. Loose, pajama like attire, white with green stripes. This was the standard uniform for all PW. (Interrogator's Note: One the back of these pajamas, each PW wore his own four digit identification number preceded by two identifying letters, different for each PW; both the letters and the numbers were about an inch high and black in color. 1ST Raymond had the letters XP and a four digit number on the back of his shirt (NFI). Footgear: All PW wore white or green rubber sandals. Physical Condition: Healthy, not wounded Foreign Language Capability: Limited Vietnamese General Information: Source felt that this PW must have been a PW for some time because he was allowed to go to the market in HANOI City each morning. This PW was assigned to drive a truch (SOVIET manufacture) (NFI) to the DONG XUAN Market in central HANOI City to buy food for the other PW. On these trips, he was accompanied by two other PW and escorted by three armed guards at all times. The guards held the money and paid for the merchandise. Each PW was allotted 1.2$ NVN per day for food. The group departed for the market at 0700 hours and returned to HA DONG City between one and one-half and two hours later. It took about 15 minutes to drive to the market, which was located about 500 meters south of HOAN KIEM Lake in HANOI City. This schedule was followed seven days a week. (2) MARVIN LEE FOSTER, LTC, US ARMY Height: 1.60m Weight: 90kg Color of Hair and Eyes: Brown; Blue Race: Caucasian Complexion: Fair Hair: Long, thich, straight Beard: Bearded (NFI) Nose: Sharp, medium length Scars: None seen Page 7 of 14 Tatoos: None seen Birthmarks: None seen Build: Solid, muscular Age: 26 Glasses: None seen Rings/Watches: None seen Clothing: Standard PW clothing (NFI) Footgear: Rubber sandals Physical Condition: Healthy JOHN SCOTT ALBRIGHT III, 1LT, USAF Height: 1.70m Weight: 80kg Color of Hair and Eyes: Dark brown; Brown Race: Caucasian Complexion: Ruddy Hair: Short, straight Beard: Thick, dark, and bushy. PW's mustache was verylong and upturned, with the points touching the cheeks. Nose: Medium length, upturned Tatoos, Scars: None seen Brithmarks: None seen Build: big, thich arms; very thick set Glasses: None seen Rings/Watches: None seen Clothing: Standard PW clothing (NFI) Footgear: Rubber sandals Physical Condition: Healthy General Information: This PW was generally cheerful and playful. He was a very good ping-pong player and was known to have defested several HANOI University students who came to HA DONG City to play with him. Page 8 of 14 c. HA DONG Prison: (1) capacity. Source believed that he saw the prison at maximum capacity during his two visits inside the PW quarters. During those two visits in Jun and Jul 70, he observed that conditions were crowded and doubted that anymore persons could be housed in the PW quarters. During his visits he was told that the prison contained 3,000 (sic) inmates. capacity could not be judged from the mess hall facilities because many PW took their food back to their sleeping quarters to eat, so the mess hall did not have to hold the whole inmate population at one time. (2) Length of Use. This prison was recently constructed and began operation in May 70. It appeared to be a permanent facility, because Source heard that all captured US personnel were evacuated to this prison from other detention camps. PHA DEN Prison was one of the facilities evacuated as a result of the wstablishment of the HA DONG Prison. PHA DEN Prison was located on the edge of the RED River, approximately four kilometers south of the DONG BIEN Bridge on the HANOI City side of the river. The prison contained an estimated 250 US PW. (Interrogator's Note: Source based this figure on the number of PW he observed bathing in the river (NFI)). Upon the evacuation of the inmates to the HA DONG Prison was made by order of the Foreign Ministry, which wanted all PW in one central location for more effective control and easier access (heresay). (3) PW Composition. The 3,000 (sic) PW at this prison were entirely US personnel. Source remembered seeing about 10 black PW. All the PW in this prison were pilots (sic). (4) PW Possessions. PW were issued at least one suit of pajama-like uniforms colored white with green stripes, a pair of rubber sandals, a white straw hat, and a blanket. Some PW were issued razor blades (NFI). PW were allowed to keep propaganda literature and Vietnamese language self-teaching aids issued to them. Some of the inmates had writing instruments. (5) Nature of Confinement. The PW lived communally within the prison; no one was in isolation. Source could not tell if the inmates were segregated or not. (6) Quality of Living Quarters. The PW living quarters building was made of yellow stucco. Facing the outside were large windows, more than 10 along the width of each floor of the rectangle. Each of these windows had verticle metallic bars on them and had a double set of shutters, one set opened toward the outside, and the other opened toward the inside. Both sets of shutters could be controlled from the inside; anyPW could open or close them at will. The PW bunked on a continuous wooden shelf which was built on two levels along the length of each room. Along the interior court of the prison there was c continuous window, one meter wide, set about a meter off the ground of each room. source did not observe any shutters for these openings. Vertical ladders provided access to the second floor. (7) Sanitation Facilities. There was an enclosed shower house with four shower heads in one corner of the living quarters (NFI). Source knew of no restrictions governing the use of the shower facilities. Adjacent to this shower house was a fountain which provided both drinking water and shower water (NFI). Toilet facilities were located in a separate building equipped with 30 toilets set in individual stalls arranged in a single line. Page 9 of 14 (8) Daily Routine. The guards woke up the prisoners at 0530 hours. They wee given one half-hour to wash up and exercise, after which they were free to do as they pleased. The PW were usually engaged in sleeping, reading propaganda literture, or studying Vietnamese. At 1100 hours, they had their first meal of the day and were allowed outside their living quarters. Lunch was over by 1200 hours and the PW were free to wander between the living quarters and the mess hall/recreation room. There was no supervised activity during these afternoon hours (sic). At 1700 hours, supper was served. It was over by 1730 hours and all PW were required to return to their living quarters for the remainder of the night. From 1900 hours to 2100 hours, HANOI Radio foreign language broadcasts were heard on loudspeakers. At 2100 hours, the lights were turned out. Source did not know whether this schedule varied at any time. (9) Work Details. Source did not know of any work details except the 20 PW who did the cooking for the inmates and thr three who went to the market each day. Cooking was a highly sought-after detail by the PW (NFI). There were occasional changes inthe personnel of this detail, but never a complete turnover. (10) Fraternization. Source did not notice any fraternization between PW and guards. (11) Attitude of Local Populace Towards PW. One reason for the relaxed security precautions was that the local populace would quickly apprehend and turn in any escapee (NFI). (12) Diet. The PW had a sufficient amount of bread, a large variety and quantity of vegetables, and a variety of meat, fish and fowl in small quantities. They drank hot tea and water. The PW had no sugar. Eachg PW was allotted 1.2$ NVN per day for rations; this amount was double the sum alloted for captives from other countries (NFI). Source did not know how this compared to the amount of money spent on food for NVA personnel. The choice of food and dishes was determined by the PW if a sufficient number agreed with the choice and the cooks were able toprepare the PW's choice. (13) Escapes. Source never heard of any escapes or attempted escapes by UW PW form this or anyother prison in NVN (NFI). d. Interrogation. All PW were interrogated at the Foreign Ministry in HANOI City. They were transported there by car and were escorted only by representatives from the Ministry (NFI). e. Mail. Source believed that PW at HA DONG Prison neither sent or received mail (NFI). f. Indoctrination. Source said that PW were not subjected to any formal attempts at political indoctrination. However, the PW only had access to propaganda literature and could only listen to selected Radio HANOI broadcasts. Listening to the evening radio broadcasts was not compulsory, but it was physically unavoidable. g. Medical Treatment. Sick PW were taken to the PHY DOAN Hospital in HANOI City for treatment. Either the prisoner director or deputy director would call the Foreign Ministry, which would instruct the hospital to send an ambulance to the prison. There were no guards accompanying the sick PW during such trips (NFI). Page 10 0f 14 (C) COMMENTS: Source was cooperative during the interrogation and appeared to be intelligent. However, his estimates tended to be inflated and his recollection of the dates of various events were inexact. He was also unable to provide precise answers. Source stated that he made positive identifications of PHA DEN and HA DONG Prisons from aerial photographs shown him by US personnel during a previous interrogation (NFI). Page 11 of 14 [NETWORK NOTE: a copy of the 9.5" x 6.5" SKETCH OF THE PW LIVING QUARTERS AT HA DONG PRISON is available - call or write using the file number 0110-72 page 11 ] Cross Section of the PW Living Quarters at HA DONG Prison, HA DONG City. (DOI: Nov 70) Page 12 of 14 [NETWORK NOTE: a copy of the 9.5" x 6.5" SKETCH OF THE PW LIVING QUARTERS AT HA DONG PRISON is available - call or write using the file number 0110-72 page 12 ] Sketchof the PW Living Quarters at HA DONG Prison, HA DONG City, HA TAY Province, NVN, as provided by returnee KAM KUN, CMIC C-3802-71 (DOI: Nov 70) Page 13 of 14 [NETWORK NOTE: This page is the Legend for the sketch of the PW Living Quarters (CMIC 0110-72 Page 12] Legend: (1) Vertical ladders (for access to guard towers and second floor) (2) Guard towers (with pitched roofs) (3) Windows (approx. 2m x 4m) (4) Solid wooden fence (along the interior of both levels, 1m high) (5) Electric wires hung form poles (for both lights and loudspeakers) (6) Woooden poles (4m high) (loudspeakers, lamps and electric wires hung from these) (7) Wire connecting the radio inthe Administration Building with the loudspeakers within the PW living quarters (8) Basketball Court (9) Water fountain (10) Shower house (11) Entry (composed of a triple set of doors (NFI) (Interrogator's Note: The number of windows in approximate). Page 14 of 14 [NETWORK NOTE: a copy of the 8.75" x 6.5" SKETCH OF THE HA DONG PRISON is available - call or write using the file number 0110-72 page 14 ] Sketch of the HA DONG Prison, HA DONG City, HA TAY Province, NVN, as provided by returnee KAM KUN, CMIC C-3802-71 (DOI: Not to Scale) Legend: (1) Administration Bldg (6m x 6m x 3m) (2) Guards' Quarters (40m x 6m x 3m) (3) PW LIving Quarters (100m x 50m x 7m) (4) and (5) Dining Room/Recreation Room (140m x 50m x 7m) (6) Kitchen (6m x 12m x 3m) (7) Latrine (30m x 2m x 3m) (8) Entries (9) Footpaths (approximate) [Distributed through the P.O.W Network]