[0868-71.cm 02/24/96] [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, HAI HUNG Province 8. REPORT NUMBER: 6 029 0868 71 2. SUBJECT: (U) Death of a US Pilot 9. DATE OF REPORT: 6 Sep 71 Shot Down Over HAI HUNG Province, NVN (handwritten-W31437) 10.NO. OF PAGES: 4 3. ISC NUMBER: 723.600 691.100 11.REFERENCES: DIRM: 6G3, 1A3, 1K11, 1K12 723.000 754.000 SICR: D-6C2-26423 MACV ICP: OIR-1 BRIGHT LIGHT 4. DATE OF INFORMATION: Oct 67 12. ORIGINATOR: US Element, CMIC, USMACV 5. PLACE AND DATE OF ACQ: CMIC, SAIGON, VS 18 Jul 71 13. PREPARED BY: CARL K. DAVIS SP5, USA 6. EVALUATION: SOURCE F INFORMATION 6 7. SOURCE: Returnee Interrogation 14. APPROVING AUTHORITY: (SIGNED) PAUL G. SPERO LTC, USA Dir, US Elm, CMIC 15. SUMMARY (C) This report contains hearsay information concerning the death of a US pilot shot down over HAI HUNG Province, NVN, to include circum- stances of death and recovery of the pilot's remains. Also included is hearsay information concerning regular Chicom units operating in HAI HUNG Province, NVN, to include strength level, areas of operation, a description of uniforms worn, Chicom policy on treatment of US PW, and the relationship between Chicom units and NVA units in HAI HUNG Province, NVN. THIS IS A BRIGHT LIGHT REPORT. MACV FOR JPRC. 1. (C) Background Information: a. Name: NGUYEN DUY BINH (NGUYEENX, ZUT BINHS), CMIC 0312-71 b. Rank: SGT c. Position and Unit of Assignment: Asst Cheif; Military Personnel Section, J-95 Regt, Rear Service Office, T-7 d. DPOB: Sep 45; THANH HONG Village, THNAH HA District, HAI HUNG Province, NVN 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, NGUYEN DUY BAT (NGUYEENX, ZUY BATV), deceased; Mother, PHUONG THI CHE (FUOWNGL, THIV CHER), living f. Circumstances of Return. Source requested permission to attend officers' training school, but was turned down. The cadre suspected him or wanting to desert the unit to rally. On 29 Dec 70, the cadre sent out security guards, when Source was discovered missing. One of the security guards caught up with Source and an argument occurred. Source killed the guard and rallied at the DAC CAI Post, PHUONG LAM Village, DINH QUAN District, LONG KHANH Province, RVN. g. Significant Activities: (1) DOB to 2 Jan 68 From 1953 to 1957, Source attended his village school and then attended the-THANH CUONG Village School, THANH HA District, HAI HUNG Province, NVN, from 1957 to 1961. From 1961 to 1964, he continued his studies at the TU KY District School, HAI HUNG Province. He then worked as a carpenter at his POB until he was drafted into the NVA in Sep 65. Source was assigned to the 15th Co, 9th Bn, 8th Regt, 320th Div, located in a jungle area of CHI LINH District, HAI HUNG Province. He worked as a clerk for the 15th Co, and during this period of time, he received basic infantry training three to four hours a day. Source then attended the administration training course for noncommissioned officers given by the cadre of the 320th Div in CHI LINH District for 25 days. After the completion of this course, he was assigned as a clerk in the headquarters of the 9th Bn, 8th Regt, 320th Div. His work consisted of maintaining a list of the personnel and weapons of the battalion and submitting weekly and monthly reports to the Military Personnel Section, 8th Regt, 320th Div. He did this work until 2 Jan 68. (2) 2 Jan 68 to Apr 69. On 2 Jan 68, the 9th Bn, 8th Regt, 320th Div, was designated the 297th Infil Gp and, with an approximate strength of 600 men, left the jungle area of CHI LINH District, HAI HUNG Province, on foot. The e group arrived in the KATUM area, in Jul 68. Source contracted malaria and was sent to the K-20 Hospital and then the K-30 Hospital, both located in the KATUM area. In Sep 68, he was released from the K-30 Hospital and assigned to the 3d Bn, A-57 Regt, R, located in the KATUM area. Source worked as a clerk in the 3d Bn Hq, where he maintained lists of the personnel and equipment of the battalion. In Oct 68, the A-57 Regt moved to PHUOC LONG Province, RVN, and conducted operations in this province until Dec 68, when the A-57 Regt moved to the BAO BINH area, PHUOC TUY Province. In Apr 69, Source was sent to the regimental dispensary, where he was treated for Jaundice until Jun 69. (3) Jun 69 to DOR. In Jun 69, Source was released from the A-57 Regt Dispensary and was sent to the 80A Convalescent Group, 84th Rear Service, located along the DONG NAI River, LONG KHANH Province, where he rested for 20 days. He then worked as a clerk in the headquarter of the 80A Convalescent Group until Jan 70. Source was then assigned as the third assistant of the Military Personnel Section, A-57 Regt, R, located on the ONG Mountain, BINH TUY Province. Source maintained Page 3 of 4 records of the personnel and equipment of the entire regiment, and held his position until Hay 70. In May 70, while Source was on a rice-procurement mission, his group hit a claymore mine. Source was taken to the A-57 Regt Dispensary, where he was treated for shock for 17 days. In Jun 70, Source was sent to the 400th Convalescent Station located along the DA QUAY River, DINH QUAN District, LONG KHANH Province, where he rested for 15 days. He was then assigned as assistant chief of the Personnel Section, J-95 Regt, Rear Service Office, T-7, located near the DA HOUAI Stream, DINH QUAN District, LONG KHANH Province. The mission of the J-95 Regt was to provide supplies to the units subordinate to T-7. Source worked in the Personnel Section until he rallied on 29 Dec 70. h. Additional References: CMIC PW/Rallier Exploitation Guide; 525 MI Gp PW Photo Album, dtd 10 Nov 68; Map: VIETNAM, AMS Series L7014, Sheets 6250 I and 6251 II, Edition 1, dtd 1965, Scale 1:50,000; MACV IDHS PW Biographical File, dtd 16 Jul 71 2. (C) Death of a US Pilot Shot Down Over HAI HUNG Province, NVN. The following information is based on SICR D-6C2-26423 (PW Information, NVN): a. Circumstances of Death. During Oct 67 (exact day unknown), while Source was assigned as a clerk in the headquarters section of the 9th Bn, 8th Regt, 320th Div, he observed a US jet aircraft (type unknown) attack the LAI OU Bridge (vic XJ447196) which spanned the RANG River in CHI LINH District, HAI HUNG Province, NVN. The headquarters section of the 9th Bn was also located in CHI LINH District (vic XJ434219) The aircraft wee hit by antiaircraft fire from four antiaircraft sites located at (vic XJ440197, XJ451200, XJ456189, and XJ443187) (exact type of weapons and unit designation unknown), near the LAI OU Bridge. The aircraft was moving from the south to the north when it was hit by the antiaircraft fire. The aircraft continued to move north as the pilot ejected; it crashed in an unknown location. The pilot was observed to have landed in the vicinity of (XJ3929). Source's unit, the 9th Bn, sent a squad of soldiers to bring the pilot back for delivery to HAI DUONG City. When they returned, they related the following information, which Source later put into a report for 8th Regt Hq: the pilot had ejected safely, but his parachute had become entangled in the branches of a tall tree,and he was left helplessly suspended from the tree. He was first discovered by an unknown number of regular Chinese Communist soldiers, who were members of a Chinese unit (size and designation unknown), operating in the general area where the pilot landed. The soldiers killed the pilot, where he was suspended, with automatic weapon fire (Source assumed the weapons used were AK-47s) and then continued to use the body for target practice until there was nothing left of the body except two legs which had fallen to the ground. Upon arrival of the NVA squad from the 9th Bn, the Chinese soldiers readily admitted what they had done. b. Recovery of Remains. The NVA squad took the two legs and the parachute and harness back to the 9th Bn Hq. Source did observe the legs; although they were badly mutilated, he did notice that the boots were all leather and black. Source did not know the final disposition of the remains. Page 4 of 4 c. Chinese Communist Units in HAI HUNG Province, NVN (DOI: 2 Jan 68): (1) Strength. Source had heard that there were three or four regular Chinese Communist divisions operating in HAI HUNG Province, NVN (sic). He did not know their mission or unit designations. (2) Areas of Operations. Source was unable to provide any exact locations of areas of operation, but knew that the majority of these Chinese units were located in the sparsely populated areas north of HAI DUONG City (NFI); (3) Description of Uniforms. Source had observed Chinese soldiers on several occasions. They wore blue uniforms similar to the NVA khaki uniform. They also wore green baseball caps which had a red cloth circle (three to four centimeters in diameter) on the front over the peak. Inside this circle was a yellow star. The soldiers normally carried A (4) Chinese Communist Policy on the Treatment of US PW. The Chicom units in HAI DUONG Province had a reputation of harboring extreme hatred for US pilots, and it was not suprising to Source that they had killed and mutilated the US pilot. Source assumed this hatred came from memories of the Korean Conflict. (5) Communist China/NVA Relations in HAI HUNG Province, NVN. Chinese and NVA soldiers did not usually associate with each other. Chinese units were usually located in sparsely populated areas to avoid conflicts. The only mayor problem encountered was the differing attitudes concerning the treatment of US PW. The Chinese units prefered to take out their hatred on the PW, whereas the NVA unit preferred humane treatment according to the Geneva Convention (sic). The incident involving the killing of the US pilot by the Chicom soldiers was reported through NVA channels; Source assumed that some sort of punishment would be considered; however, he never heard of any such punishment having been administered. d. Biographical Correlation. The date of capture and general location of capture as provided by Source was cross referenced with corresponding information in the MACV IDHS PW Biographical File. There are no US PW listed as having been captured or missing in action within 10 kilometers of the location provided by Source during the time frame provided by Source. e. Photo Identification. Since Source had never seen the face of the PW described in this report, no photo identification could be made. (U) COMMENTS: Source was very cooperative throughout the interrogation; his replies to control questions were consistent, and he seemed to be of above average intelligence. This report partially satisfies the requirements of SICR D-6C2-26423. [Distributed through the P.O.W. Network]