[120022Z.OH 06/16/96] ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE ROUTINE R 120022Z OCT 93 ZYB PSN 784170P27 FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2// TO SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP: RSA// INFO WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH DC RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/EAP/VLC/CCS/OCS// JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//J5/J USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//J2/J3/J30-M// USCINCPAC LO WASHINGTON DC CIA WASHINGTON DC//DEA/SEA/IB/DDO/EA/ICOG// DIA WASHINGTON DC CDRUSACILHI HICKAM AFB HI//TAPC-PED-H// RUEHBT/USDAO BANGKOK TH//PW-MIA// RUEHBT/CJTFFA DET ONE BANGKOK TH UNCLAS //N03460// MSGID/GENADNIN/CDR JTF-FA/J223// SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, LUU VAN LOI// REF/A/FAX/CJTFFA DET ONE/08OCT93// THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPTION OF AN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT FIELD REPORT// RMKS/1. BACKGROUND. ON 5 OCTOBER 1993, A JOINT U.S./VIETNAM ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM INTERVIEW TEAM INTERVIEWED LUU VAN LOI, AN 80 YOA HANOI RESIDENT. MR. LOI IS CURRENTLY AN ADVISOR TO THE CONTINENTAL SHELF COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF VIETNAM. HE WAS FORMERLY A LAWYER AND FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PARIS PEACE ACCORDS. THE JOINT TEAM MET AT THE GOVERNMENT GUEST HOUSE. NUMBER 2 LE THACH STREET, HANOI, TO INTERVIEW MR. LOI, LISTED IN REF AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN ACTION (MIA) IN VIETNAM. THE U.S CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF MR. [XXXX][XXXX][XXXX], DET 2 CASUALTY RESOLUTION SPECIALIST; AND TSGT [XXXX][XXXX][XXXX], ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM COORDINATOR THE VIETNAMESE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CONTINENT CONSISTED OF COLONEL LE KY, MINISTRY OF DEFENSE; AND MR. NGUYEN VAN THANG LOI, MINISTRY OF INTERIOR. 2. SUMMARY. THE SOURCE, LUU VAN LOI, PROVIDED AN OUTLINE AN Page 1 OUTLINE OF HIS CAREER FROM THE MID 1940'S THROUGH THE SIGNING OF THE PARIS PEACE ACCORDS IN JANUARY 1973. HE CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE DISPOSITION OF ANY U.S. PERSONNEL MIA IN SOUTHEAST ASIA OR DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE PW/MIA PROBLEM. HE ALSO KNEW NOTHING CONCERNING U.S. PERSONNEL LIVING FREELY OR AGAINST THEIR WILL IN VIETNAM SINCE 1973. 3. DETAILS. AFTER INTRODUCTORY STATEMENTS BY THE JOINT TEAM, THE SOURCE, LUU VAN LOI (LWU VAWN LOWIJ), PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: A. MR. LOI BEGAN HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER IN 1945 WORKING WITH TWO FRENCH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS, LE REPUBLIC AND LE POST. IN HANOI. AFTER THE START OF THE FRENCH WAR, HE JOINED THE MILITARY IN EARLY 1947 AS THE HEAD OF VIETNAM'S FIRST ENEMY PROSELYTING OFFICE. RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPAGANDA AGAINST FRENCH TROOPS AND PRISONERS OF WAR (PW), HE CLAIMED THAT HE, BETTER THAN ANYONE. UNDERSTOOD THE SPIRIT AND INTENT OF VIETNAM'S OFFICIAL PW POLICY. AT THE END OF THE FRENCH WAR, HE WAS AMONG THE FIRST VIETNAMESE OFFICERS TO NEGOTIATE WITH FRENCH COUNTERPARTS AT AN INTERMEDIARY CONFERENCE PRIOR TO THE GENEVA CONVENTION. HE HELPED CARRY OUT PW REPATRIATION AFTER THE GENEVA ACCORDS, AT WHICH TIME HE CLAIMED VIETNAM RETURNED ALL FRENCH PRISONERS. HE SAID, HOWEVER, THAT THE FRENCH DID NOT RESPOND IN KIND, MAINTAINING A NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE CIVILIAN PRISONERS. B. IN 1960, MR. LOI WENT OVERSEAS AS A FOREIGN SERVICES OFFICER. BEGINNING IN 1968, HE PARTICIPATED IN U.S./DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM (DRV) PEACE NEGOTIATIONS AND WAS INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, CONSTANTLY REASSESSING THE SITUATION AND HELPING FORMULATE A SETTLEMENT. HE WAS IN PARIS IN OCTOBER 1972 FOR DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN LE DUC THO AND DR. HENRY KISSINGER CONCERNING, AMONG OTHER SUBJECTS, PW REPATRIATION. ALSO INVOLVED IN THESE NEGOTIATIONS, MR. LOI RECALLED, WERE MR. WINSTON LORD, MR. SULLIVAN, MR. WOODWARD, AND MR. NEGROPORTE. THE PW ISSUE WAS A CAREFULLY DELIBERATED ONE, BUT FINALLY BOTH SIDES APPROVED AND. AT 1130 HRS ON 27 JANUARY 1973, THE ACCORDS WERE SIGNED. C. THE DRV ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO CARRYING OUT PARIS PEACE ACCORDS MANDATES AND SO, IN ORDER TO MANAGE THE PROCEEDINGS PROPERLY, SENT A MILITARY DELEGATION TO SAIGON. ON THE SOME DAY AND HOUR THE PARIS PEACE ACCORDS WERE SIGNED, LUU VAN LOI LEFT PARIS TO SERVE WITH THE FOUR PARTY JOINT MILITARY COMMISSION (FPJMC) AS DEPUTY HEAD OF THE DRV'S MILITARY DELEGATION TO THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM (RVN) IN SAIGON D. THE DELEGATION'S TWO MAIN TASKS WERE TO ARRANGE FOR U.S. TROOP WITHDRAWAL AND FOR U.S. REPATRIATION. THE FPJMC ACCOMPLISHED BOTH UNDERTAKINGS, MR. LOI SAID, TO INCLUDE REPATRIATING U.S. PRISONERS CAPTURED BY THE PROVISIONAL REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT IN THE SOUTH. E. ALTHOUGH HE WAS AWARE OF A U.S. PW "DIED IN CAPTIVITY LIST" PRESENTED IN PARIS, MR. LOI WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE Page 2 SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN DRAFTING THAT DOCUMENT. HE SUGGESTED THAT MR. NGOC DUNG (NGOCJ ZUNG), A FORMER LIEUTENANT COLONEL (LTC) WHO WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE U.S. PW REPATRIATION PROCESS FOR THE PROVISIONAL REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT (PRO) MIGHT PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION ON THIS SUBJECT. (SEE PARA. 5.A., BELOW). F. MR. LOI CLAIMED THAT CONCERNING SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON U.S. PW TREATMENT, INCARCERATION, TRANSFER, AND RECORDS, HE COULD PROVIDE NO INFORMATION. HE SPENT APPROXIMATELY 25 YEARS WITH THE VIETNAM'S FOREIGN MISSION BEGINNING IN 1960, AND HAD NO DIRECT DEALING WITH U.S. PW'S OR OTHER AMERICANS EXCEPT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PARIS PEACE ACCORDS. HE COULD PROVIDE NO INFORMATION TO HELP SOLVE ANY PW/MIA CASE. HE CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF JOINT SOVIET/VIETNAM PW EXPLOITATION, PAVN EFFORTS TO RECOVER U.S. REMAINS, OR GENERAL POLITICAL DIRECTORATE RECORDS RELATED TO U.S. PW'S. HE CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF U.S. PERSONNEL, LIVING FREELY OR AGAINST THEIR WILL, IN VIETNAM SINCE 1973. 4. CORRELATIONS TO EXISTING PW/MIA CASES NONE. 5. POTENTIAL LEADS. THE SOURCE, LUU VAN LOI, IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS AS POSSIBLY HAVING USEFUL INFORMATION: A. MR. NGOC DUNG. FORMER LTC - DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN U.S. PW REPATRIATION FOR THE PRG. CURRENTLY DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE VIETNAM FATHERLAND FRONT IN HO CHI MINH (HCMC). LIVES ON HAI BA TRUNG STREET IN HCMC AND CAN BE CONTACTED THROUGH THE VIETNAM FATHERLAND FRONT OFFICE, 212 DIEN BIEN PHU STREET, DISTRICT 3, HCMC. B. LIEUTENANT GENERAL LE QUANG HOA (LEE QUANG HOAF) - FORMER HEAD OF THE DRV MILITARY DELEGATION TO SOUTH VIETNAM AFTER THE PARIS ACCORDS. CURRENT WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN. C. QUANG HOA (QUANG HOA) - SECOND DEPUTY OF THE DRV MILITARY DELEGATION TO SOUTH VIETNAM AFTER THE PARIS ACCORDS. MR. LOI SAID THAT. THOUGH HOA MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME USEFUL INFORMATION. HE IS EXTREMELY WEAK AND SICK. CURRENTLY RESIDES IN HCMC. D. SENIOR LIEUTENANT GENERAL TRAN VAN TRA (TRAANF VAWN TRAF) // MSGID/GENADMIN/CDR JTF-FA/J223// SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, LUU VAN LOI// RMKS/ - FORMER HEAD OF THE PROVISIONAL REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT IN SAIGON AFTER THE PARIS ACCORDS. CURRENT WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN E. DANG VAN THU (DAWNGF VAWN THU) - DEPUTY HEAD OF THE PRG IN SAIGON AFTER THE PARIS ACCORDS. CURRENT WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN F. VO DANG GIANG (VOX DAWNGF GIANG) - SECOND DEPUTY OF THE Page 3 PRG IN SAIGON AFTER THE PARIS ACCORDS, RETIRED, CURRENT WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN. 6. MATERIAL EVIDENCE. NONE. 7. COMMENTS. A. DESPITE HIS ADVANCE AGE (80 YOA), THE SOURCE, LUU VAN LOI, WAS EXTREMELY LUCID AND ANIMATED DURING THE INTERVIEW. HE EXPRESSED HIS PLEASURE AT PARTICIPATING IN ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM AFTER HAVING BEEN SOMEWHAT INVOLVED IN THE U.S. PW ISSUE DURING THE PARIS PEACE ACCORDS. HE WAS SURPRISED, HE SAID, THAT THE PW/MIA PROBLEM REMAINS AN ISSUE, SINCE VIETNAM CERTAINLY RETURNED ALL U.S. PRISONERS IN 1973. HE VOICED HOPE, HOWEVER, THAT JOINT U-S./VIETNAM PARTICIPATION IN PW/MIA SEARCH EFFORTS WOULD RESULT IN GREATER UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES, ENGENDERING CLOSER BILATERAL RELATIONS. B. REQUEST THE VNOSMP MAKE MR. LUU VAN LOI AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW IF NECESSARY.// BT DLVR:CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI(1)ORIG J2(1)INFO FOR USCINCPAC HONOLULU H(13) J30-M(1) J3(1) 00-01-04(1) WWMCS(0) MDT(0) LRN061PCMT(0) J52(1) J51(1) Jl(l) J032(3) J03(1) CDO(2) *** MDU office codes that have received this message: *** MDUOPR Page 4