[0587-71.CM 03/03/96]
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REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
DECLASSIFIED PER EXECUTIVE ORDER 12356, SECTION 3.3, NND PROJECT
NUMBER NIVD96F002, BY RB/VSW, DATE 2/16/96
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: VS, RVN MR-1, QUANG NAM 8. REPORT NUMBER: 6 029 0587 71
Province
2. SUBJECT: (U) Identification of a US 9. DATE OF REPORT: 2 Jun 71
Defector (handwritten-W30531)
10.NO. OF PAGES: 5
3. ISC NUMBER: 723.600 11.REFERENCES: DIRM: 6G3
SICR: D-7CX-49018
BRIGHT LIGHT
4. DATE OF INFORMATION: Feb 70 12. ORIGINATOR: US Element, CMIC, USMACV
5. PLACE AND DATE OF ACQ: CMIC, SAIGON, VS
20 May 71
13. PREPARED BY: GREGORY T. HSU
SP5, USA
6. EVALUATION: SOURCE F INFORMATION 6
7. SOURCE: PW Interrogation 14. APPROVING AUTHORITY: (SIGNED)
RODNEY DICKSON
LTC, USA
Dir, US Elm, CMIC
15. SUMMARY:
(C) This report contains hearsay information concerning a US PW who
ultimately defected to the VC, to include his personal information, the
circumstances of his capture, and the unit to which he may have belonged.
THIS IS A BRIGHT LIGHT REPORT. MACV FOR JPRC.
1. (C) Background Information:
a. Name: TRINH DINH NGHIA (TRINHV, DINHL NGHIAX), aka NGUYEN VIET
THANH (NGUYEENX, VIEETS THANH), CMIC 0176-71
b. Rank: None (VC)
c. Unit and Position of Assignment: Member; Propaganda Subsection,
Troops and Enemy Proselyting Section, QUANG DA (VC) Province Committee,
Central Zone 5
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 4
e Parents' Names: Father, TRINH SOAN (TRINHV, SOANV), living; Mother, DANG
THI-DUONG (DINGY, THIV ZUOWNG), living
f. Circumstances of Capture. In unidentified Korean unit captured Source
on 24 Nov 70, in DIEN AN Village, DIEN BAN District, QUANG NAM Province.
Source wee alone and had neither weapons nor documents in his possession.
Source was found in the house of a VC guerrilla, PHUNG (FUNGR), recuperating
from a wound. Source was wounded again at the time of capture, when US
helicopters supporting the Korean operation fired on the house in which he was
staying.
g. Significant Activities:
(1) 1956 to Feb 70. Fro. 1956 to 1965, Source attended school in DUY XUYEN
District, QUANG NAM Province. From 1965 to 1967, he attended the HOI AN City
School in QUANG NAM Province. In Nov 67, Source Joined the VC and was assigned
to the Propaganda Subsection, Troops and Enemy Proselyting Section, QUANG DA
(VC) Province Committee, Central Zone 5, located in LOC SON Village, DAI LOC
District, QUANG NAM Province. He received no military training and only a
little political training. The mission of the QUANG DA (VC) Province Committee
was to engage in propaganda activities and to provide support for VC units in
QUANG DA (VC) Province in such matters as training and finance. Source's job
in the Propaganda Subsection was to print propaganda leaflets for distribution
among Allied units by VC units operating in QUANG DA (VC) Province. In Apr 69,
Source was sent to a Korean language school located near a mountain in QUANG
NGAI Province (exact location unknown). The school had one instructor, six
students, and five staff members to provide such services as cooking and
security. When Source's class graduated in Feb 70, after 10 months of language
training, the school disbanded. In late 1970, the QUANG DA (VC) Province
Committee had moved to SON THUONG Mountain (BT074426), QUE SON District, QUANG
NAM Province. (Interrogator's Note: Source explained that SON THUONG Mountain
was the VC name for DUONG KIEU Mountain.) Source returned to his unit's new
location after graduation.
(2) Feb 70 to DOC. In Feb 70, after Source's return to his section, his
propaganda activities were directed against the Korean units operating in
QUANG DA (VC-) Province. On 5 Aug 70, en route to DIEN THANG Village, DIEN BAN
District, QUANG NAM Province, on a rice procurement mission, Source and two
members of his unit were ambushed by an unidentified Korean unit. Only Source
was insured. His companions helped him to escape to the house of a VC
guerrilla in DIE AN Village, DIEN BAN District, to receive treatment and to
recuperate. On 24 Nov 70, Korean forces swept through this village and found
Source. At this time, Source was wounded again when US helicopters supporting
the Korean operation fired upon the house in which he was recuperating.
h. Additional References: CMIC PW/Rallier Exploitation Guide; Map: VIETNAM
AMS Series L7014, Sheet 6640 I, Edition 2, dtd 1965, Scale 1:50,000
Page 3 of 5
2. (C) Tentative Identification of a US defector, ROBERT GARWOOD, SGT,
USMC. The following is in response to SICR D-7CX-49018 (Prisoner of War
Intelligence):
a. Source of Knowledge. Source had only, hearsay information on the
defector. He derived part of 0a information from a conversation with DANG
NGOC TOA (DEANGV, NGOCV TOAL), CHIC 2891-70, who visited Source's unit once.
(Interrogator's Note: See CHIC IR 6 029 1220 70 for a description of a
sighting of ROBERT GARWOOD by DANG NGOC TOA.) Source derived most of his
information on the detector from listening to frequent conversations about the
defector among members of the Troops and Enemy Proselyting Section and members
of other units located on SON THUONG Mountain. Most of those who talked about
the defector had seen him personally. The defector belonged to the Troops and
Enemy Proselyting Section, PLEIKU Province Committee, MR-5, and had occasion
to make frequent visits to the various units of the QUANG DA (VC) Province
Committee.
b. Description of the Defector:
(1) Identification:
(a) Name: Unknown
(b) Rank and Branch of Services: SGT, USMC
(c) Nationality: US
(d) Physical Description. Source had never seen the defector.
From hearsay, Source assummed he was medium in stature, had dark brown hair,
was Caucasian, did not wear glasses, and was about 25 years old.
(2) Clothing Worn. The defector wore the
standard VC green or black pajamas, and black rubber
sandals (NFI).
(3) Physical Condition. The defector was not injured whom captured
and had not been injured thereafter. In Dec 69, the defector developed stomach
pains, and by Feb 70, had to be evacuated,to HANOI, NVN, for treatment .The
defector was taken up the HO CHI MINE Trail by truck. He remained in NVN and
did not return to the RVN. The cause of the defector's illness was the
scarcity of meat in his diet (sic). He could not get along on the standard
fare of a VC soldier; it was very difficult to buy meat.
(4) Personal Information:
(a) Nickname. The defector's nickname was Bobby. In Aug 67, the
defector gave himself a Vietnamese name to facilitate being called. This name
was NGUYEN CHIEN DAU (NGUYEENX, CHIEENS DAAUS).
(b) Wife's Name. The defector was single.
Page 4 of 5
(c) Number and Names of Children. The defector had no children.
(d) Number and Names of Brothers and Sisters. The defector had
no brothers or sisters.
(e) Other Relatives. Both the defector's parents were living.
The numbers of the defector's family each operated one family-owned taxicab.
(f) Birthplace: Unknown
(g) Distinctive Habits. The defector was bought a pack of RUBY
QUEEN cigarettes every two days by his unit. This was considered great luxury.
(h) Foreign Language Capability. The defector spoke and wrote
fluent Vietnamese. In addition, ho spoke the language of the THUONG, an ethnic
minority living in the mountains of PLEIKU Province. The defector was reputed
to speak this second language better than a Vietnamese individual (sic). The
THUONG people were fond of the defector and often gave him chicken and pork.
(5) Capture Data:
(a) Circumstances of Capture. The defector belonged to an
intelligence unit located in a US Marine Corps base camp known as the CON KHE
Garrison, in DIEN BAN District, QUANG NAM Province. During the morning of an
off-duty day, the defector drove a Jeep to explore the seashore. By late
morning, he was lost; he drove along the beach until he arrived at CAM HAI
Village (BT105632), DIEN BAN District, QUANG NAM Province, where he stopped to
ask for directions. He parked the Jeep by the edge of the village, loaded his
Colt-12 with one magazine (sic) and walked into the village. About 100 meters
from the Jeep, the defector was attacked by a VC guerrilla. A struggle ensued
in which the defector tried unsuccessfully to get the attacker off his back.
Be fired all his rounds at the attacker but failed to hit him. Then, with the
attacker still on his back, the defector ran towards the parked Jeep. It this
time, three more VC guerrillas attacked, overpowered, and bound him. Then they
set the Jeep on fire (NFI). They kept him at the village for two days (reason
unknown) before escorting him to LOC SON Mountain, DAI LOC District, QUANG NAM
Province. This mountain was supposed to be located 30 kilometers west of CAM
HAI Village, DIEN BAN District, QUANG NAM Province.
(b) Detention. LOC SON Mountain was the site of a PW camp for ARVN
officers and enlisted men. The camp held no more than 100 prisoners. The
defector was held there with two other US PWs (NFI). During this period, they
received political indoctrination from Professor HO IN (HOOL, AN), a former
high school English teacher in DA NANG City. (Interrogator's Note: HO AN
was about 50 years old and the VC political chief of the DA NANG City Unit as
of the date of Source's capture, Aug 70 (NFI). In Jun 67, the defector made
his first anti-US propaganda tape recording.
Page 5 of 5
The tape asked the US fighting men to stop fighting and go home. At the end of
1967, the three US PWs and HO AN were escorted by a 10-man squad to a US PW
camp in PLEIKU Province. This PW camp held all US PWs captured in all the
provinces betwasn and including KHANH HOA and DARLAC Provinces, and QUANG NAM
Province. It was located in a mountainous region near a village inhabitated by
the THUONG (NFI). Upon arrival at the PLEIKU camp, the defector was freed and
assigned to work in the Troops and Enemy Proselyting Section, PLEIKU Province
Committee, MR-5. He received a SONY radio which received Radio HANOI and Voice
of America broadcasts (NFI).
(6) Photo Identification. Source was not shown the US PW Photo Album
because he never saw the defector.
(U) COMMENTS: Source was administered the Cross-Cultural IQ Test and scored
High (35). He was lucid and cooperative during the interrogation. Source did
not appear to have fabricated information. Nevertheless, the fact remains that
his information is entirely hearsay. This report partially satisfies the
collection requirements of SICR D-7CX-49018. Collection action continues.
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