[090702Z.OH 07/28/96] 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 /02381/ /252 1 QHA 0022 252/02:20Z 090702Z SEP 94 CSN:THANHLE 252/02:20Z CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI V92000702.20 / 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 /02381/ /252 2 QHA 0022 252/02:20Z 090702Z SEP 94 CSN:THANHLE 252/02:20Z CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI- V92000702.20 / 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 /02381//2523 QHA 0022 252/02: 20Z 090702Z SEP 94 CSN:THANHLE 252/02:20Z CDRJTF-FA HONOLULU HI V92000702.20 /