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NARRATIVE MESSAGE ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE

ROUTINE

R 090702Z SEP 94 ZYB

FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2//

TO SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP:RSA//

INFO WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH DC
SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/OCS/CCS/EAP/VLC//
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//J5//
DIA WASHINGTON DC
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//J2/J3/J30-M//
USCINCPAC LO WASHINGTON DC
CIA WASHINGTON DC//DEA/SEA/IB/DDO/EA/ICOG//
USDAO BANGKOK TM//PW-MIA//
CDRUSACILHI HICKAM AFB HI//TAPC-PED-H//

BT
UNCLAS //N03460//

MSGID/GENADMIN/CDR JTF-FA/J251//

SUBJ/RE-EVALUATION OF ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW - MR. PHAM THANH
LE//

REF/A/GENADMIN/CJTF-FA/J2/051802ZAUG93//
REF/B/GENADMIN/CJTF-FA/J2/210552ZAUG93//
REF/C/GENADMIN/CJTF-FA/J2/100802ZJUN94//

NARR/REF A IS AN INTERVIEW OF A REQUESTED SOURCE, PHAM THANH LE, REF
B IS AN INITIAL EVALUATION OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY MR. LE. REF
C IS THE PRIORITY CASE INVESTIGATION TEAM (PCIT) REPORT FOR REFNO
1131.

RMKS/1. MR. PHAM THANH LE IS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE PHUOC LONG
(NOW SONG BE) PROVINCE MILITARY FORCES. MR. LE REPORTED THAT
SOMETIME AFTER RETURNING TO HIS UNIT IN APRIL 1968, HE AND TWO
OTHER CADRE WERE ASSIGNED TO GUARD TWO COMMO-LIAISON TROOPS WHO
WERE ESCORTING A RECENTLY CAPTURED AMERICAN PRISONER. THE GROUP
ESCORTED THE AMERICAN FROM A COMMO-LIAISON UNIT LOCATED NEAR BU
NHO (CURRENTLY DUC LIEU) VILLAGE TO GROUP 86-(PROBABLY PAVN REAR
SERVICES GROUP 86) LOCATED NEAR DUC BON VILLAGE (YT2597).
((NOTE: PAVN MAPS INDICATE DUC LIEU VILLAGE IS LOCATED IN THE
VICINITY OF GRID COORDINATES YT3298 VICE XU7913 AS REPORTED IN
REF (A) AND REF (B) MESSAGES.)) MR. LE DESCRIBED THE PRISONER AS
A TALL, CAUCASIAN AMERICAN, WITH A MEDIUM BUILD AND BROWN HAIR.
HE SAID THE AMERICAN WAS AN A-37 PILOT. HE HEARD THE AMERICAN

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HAD BEEN SHOT DOWN NEAR BU NHO. MR. LE LATER HEARD THAT THE AMERICAN
DIED OF MALARIA AT A PROVINCIAL MEDICAL FACILITY LOCATED NEAR DUC
BON.

2. BASED ON THE AIRCRAFT TYPE ALLEGEDLY FLOWN BY THE PILOT, GENERAL
TIME FRAME OF THE ALLEGED SIGHTING AND GENERAL LOCATION, JTF-FA
ANALYSTS CORRELATED THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY MR. LE TO REFNO
1131, AN UNRESOLVED LOSS INCIDENT INVOLVING AN A-37 PILOT WHICH
OCCURRED IN APRIL 1968. REF (B) IS GERMANE. SUBSEQUENT ANALYSIS
INDICATES THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY MR. LE MORE APPROPRIATELY
CORRELATES TO REFNO 1244, AN UNRESOLVED LOSS INCIDENT INVOLVING
THREE CREWMEMBERS OF A UH-1C HELICOPTER THAT WAS LOST IN AUGUST
1968.

3. AIR FORCE AFTER-ACTION REPORTING INDICATES THE REFNO 1131
AIRCRAFT CRASH SITE IS LOCATED AT GRID COORDINATES YU313213, IN DAK
NHAU VILLAGE, APPROXIMATELY 23 KILOMETERS NORTH OF DUC LIEU VILLAGE.
THIS LOCATION WAS CONFINED BY,-A JTF-FA TEAM WHO VISITED THE REFNO
1131 CRASH SITE. CONSISTENT AND CREDIBLE WITNESS ACCOUNTS OBTAINED
DURING FIVE JOINT FIELD INVESTIGATIONS OF THE REFNO 1131 LOSS
INCIDENT INDICATE THE INDIVIDUAL ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CASE DIED OR
WAS KILLED SHORTLY AFTER PARACHUTING FROM HIS AIRCRAFT. THREE
EYEWITNESSES REPORTED FINDING DECAYING REMAINS AND PILOT-RELATED
EQUIPMENT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE REFNO 1131 PARACHUTE LANDING
SITE. TWO OF THESE WITNESSES REPORTED THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN APRIL
1968. A FOURTH WITNESS HEARD THAT A PILOT DIED AFTER PARACHUTING
FROM AN AIRCRAFT WHICH CRASHED IN BU LAT DISTRICT (INCLUDES DAK NHAU
VILLAGE) DURING APRIL 1968. JTF-FA FILES INDICATE REFNO 1131 WAS THE
ONLY AIRCRAFT LOSS INCIDENT INVOLVING AN UNACCOUNTED FOR INDIVIDUAL
WHICH OCCURRED IN THE CURRENT PHUOC LONG DISTRICT (INCLUDES THE
FORMER BU LAT AND BU DANG DISTRICTS) IN EARLY 1968. JTF-FA FIELD
TEAMS HAVE OBTAINED NO INFORMATION INDICATING THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS
CAPTURED BY HOSTILE FORCES.

4. WARTIME RECORDS INDICATE U.S. SEARCH TEAMS LOCATED THE REFNO 1244
CRASH SITE AT GRID COORDINATES YT467986, APPROXIMATELY 10 KILOMETERS
FROM THE EASTERN BOUNDARY OF DUC LIEU VILLAGE. INFORMATION OBTAINED
DURING SEVEN JOINT FIELD INVESTIGATIONS OF THE REFNO 1244 LOSS
INCIDENT INDICATES ONE OF THE UNACCOUNTED FOR INDIVIDUALS ASSOCIATED
WITH THIS CASE WAS CAPTURED NORTH OF THE CRASH SITE AND TAKEN TO A
HOSPITAL NEAR DUC BON. THREE EYEWITNESSES REPORT THIS INDIVIDUAL
SUBSEQUENTLY DIED OF MALARIA AND WAS BURIED NEAR THE HOSPITAL.

5. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HIS IDENTIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN
ESCORTED TO DUC BON AS AN A-37 PILOT, THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY
MR. LE IS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO OTHER CREDIBLE EYEWITNESS
ACCOUNTS CONCERNING THE CAPTURE, TRANSPORT, DEATH AND BURIAL OF
ONE OF THE CREWMEMBERS INVOLVED IN THE REFNO 1244 INCIDENT. THE


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PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE AMERICAN MR. LE ESCORTED TO DUC BON IS
CONSISTENT WITH TWO OF THE THREE UNACCOUNTED FOR INDIVIDUALS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE REFNO 1244 LOSS INCIDENT. IN ADDITION, HIS
HEARSAY INFORMATION CONCERNING THE LOCATION WHERE THE AMERICAN'S
AIRCRAFT WAS SHOT DOWN IS CONSIDERABLY CLOSER TO THE REFNO 1244
CRASH SITE THAN TO THE REFNO 1131 CRASH SITE.

6. IN MAY 1994, THE PCIT ATTEMPTED TO REINTERVIEW MR. LE TO
CLARIFY THE INCONSISTENCIES IN HIS PREVIOUS ACCOUNT. THE
VIETNAMESE INFORMED THE PCIT THAT MR. LE HAD PASSED AWAY IN EARLY
1994. PARA 4B OF REF (C) IS GERMANE//

BT

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