[0951-71.CM 02/29/96]
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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: VS, RVN MR-2, KONTUM Province 8. REPORT NUMBER: 6 029 0951 71
2. SUBJECT:(U) Sighting of Three US PW 9. DATE OF REPORT: 22 Nov 71
in KONTUM Province (handwritten-W32922)
10.NO. OF PAGES: 6
3. ISC NUMBER: 723.600 11.REFERENCES: DIRM: 6G1, 6G3
SICR: D-7CS-49018
BRIGHT LIGHT
4. DATE OF INFORMATION: Mar 68 12. ORIGINATOR: US Element, CMIC, USMACV
5. PLACE AND DATE OF ACQ: CMIC, SAIGON, VS
13 Sep 71
13. PREPARED BY: PAUL A. MEINTS
SP4, USA
6. EVALUATION: SOURCE F INFORMATION 6
7. SOURCE: PW Interrogation 14. APPROVING AUTHORITY: (SIGNED
LaVern A. Gustafson, Maj for)
PAUL G. SPERO
LTC, USA
Dir, US Elm, CMIC
15. SUMMARY
(C) This report contains information concerning a sighting of three US
PW in KONTUM Province, RVN to include circumstances of the sighting,
physical descriptions of the three US PW and their physical condition. THIS
IS A BRIGHT LIGHT REPORT. MACV FOR JPRC.
1. (C) Background Information:
a. Name: NGUYEN VAN U (NGUYEENX, VENA U) , CMIC 0329-71
b. Rank: SGT
c. Position and Unit of Assignment: Asst Sqd Ldr: 2d Sqd, 2d Plat,
4th Co, 1st Bn, 4th Reft, MR-7
d. DPOB: 1945; PHUONG TRI Hamlet, TRUNG NGUYEN Village, YEN LAC
District, VINH PHUC 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 6
e. Parents' Names: Father NGUYEN VAN LO (NGUYEENX, VEAN LOO), living;
Mother, NGUYEN THI NHAT (NGUYEENX, THIV NHEATV), living
f. Circumstances of Capture. On 15 Jan 71, Source and 19 other
members of the 1st Bn, 4th Regt, MR-7, were assigned to purchase rice, food
stuff, and supplies from GIUA Hamlet, HUNG NGHIA Village, XUAN LOC District,
LONG KHANH Province. While en route to GIUA Hamlet, the 20 men walked into
the bivouac area of an unidentified US unit in an unknown location in the
jungle area of XUAN LOC District, LONG KHANH Province. Source was wounded in
both feet, and captured. He has no knowledge of what happened to the other 19
men.
g. Significant Activities. Source attended the TRUNG NGUYEN Village
School located in YEN LAC District, VINH PHY Province, NVN, from 1954 to 1960.
He quit school in 1060 to help his parents on their farm at his POB. Source
worked on the farm until 1962, at which time he joined the village militia.
Source remained a member of the militia until 1965, when he began farming
again until 1967. Source was drafted into the NVA in Mar 67 and was assigned
to the 8th Sqd, 3d Plat, 2d Co, 7B Bn, 3d Regt, VIET BAC MR, for basic
training. The training lasted six months, until Sep 67, when the 3d Regt
began to infiltrate to the RVN, designated as the 245th Infil Gp. They
travelled through NVN, crossed the TRUONG SON Mountains into LAOS, then
traveled through CAMBODIA, and ended infiltration in KONTUM Province, RVN, in
Feb 68, when Source was taken ill with malaria. He was then taken to the
11C05 dispensary located in the jungle area of KONTUM Province. Source stayed
at the dispensary for one month, when he and 11 other members of the
dispensary began to travel to LONG KHANH Province, RVN, where they were to be
assigned to the 4th Regt, MR-7. The 12 man group travelled to LONG KHANH
Province with the designation of Convalescence Group. The group arrived in
XUAN LOC District, LONG KHANH Province in May 68, where Source was assigned to
the 4th Co, 1st Bn, 4th Regt, MR-7. Source remained with this unit until 15
Jan 71 (date of capture).
h. Additional References: CMIC PW/Rallier Exploitation Guide; US PW
Photo Album, MACV JPRC, dtd 12 Sep 71; PW/MIA/CPT Biographic File, MACV IDHS,
16 Jul 71
2. Sighting of Three US PW in KONTUM Province, RVN. This report is
based on SICR D-7CX-4901 (Prisoner of War Intelligence):
a. Circumstances of Sighting. In late Feb or Mar 68 (exact date
unknown; but Source maintained that the sighting took place just after Tet
68), Source was a member of the 3d Regt, 245th Infil Gp traveling south
through KONTUM Province. While his Infiltration Group was stopped near a
commo-liaison station (NFI), three US PW, escorted by one guard armed with an
AK-47, approached Source's group. Source assumed the guard to be a VC soldier
because of the clothing he wore, which consisted of black pajama pants and a
grey shirt. Source did not know the unit designation of the guard. The three
US PW and the guard were walking north on the same path that the Infiltration
Group was using to travel south. The US PW group stopped for five or 10
minutes near the Source's
Page 3 of 6
group. At this time, Source and other members of Source's Infiltration Group
went over to talk with the three US PW. None of Source's Infiltration Group
spoke any English and, apparently, the three US PW spoke no Vietnamese.
Source shook the hand of the large Negro and was within one to two metes of
the two remaining US PW. Source was particularly fascinated by the large
Negro as it was the first black man that he had seen. The Negro carried on
the majority of the conversation between the three US PW and, from this,
Source concluded that he served as the leader of the group.
b. Description of PW:
(1) Identification of the first PW:
(a) Name: Unknown
(b) Rank and Branch of Service: Unknown
(c) Nationality: Unknown
(d) Physical Description:
1 Height: 1.87m
2 Weight: 75-80kg
3 Color of Hair and Eyes: Dark black; brown
4 Race: Negro
5 Complexion: Very black
6 Hair Length: 3-6cm; Afro-style
7 Nose: Wide with wide nostrils
8 Scars: None visible
9 Tattoos: None visible
10 Birthmarks: None visible
11 Build: Medium with wide shoulders
12 Age: 30
13 Glasses Worn: None
14 Rings/Watches: No rings, but PW wore a watch with a
black dial and steel chain band
(2) Identification of Second PW:
(a) Name: Unknown
Page 4 of 6
(b) Rank and Branch of Service:
(c) Nationality:
(d) Physical Description:
1 Height: 1.77m
2 Weight: 70kg
3 Color of Hair and Eyes: Reddish-blond; unknown
4 Race: Caucasian
5 Complexion: Light to ruddy
6 Hair Length: 4-6cm; thick and straight
7 Nose: Long, straight
8 Scars: None visible
9 Tattoos: None visible
10 Birthmarks: None visible
11 Build: Thin
12 Age: 27-28
13 Glasses Worn: None
14 Rings/Watches: Unknown
(3) Identification of Third PW:
(a) Name: Unknown
(b) Rank and Branch of Service: Unknown
(c) Nationality: Unknown
(d) Physical Description:
1 Height: 1.67m
2 Weight: 70-75kg
3 Color of Hair and Eyes: Brown; unknown
4 Race: Caucasian
5 Complexion: Light
6 Hair Length: 4-7cm; very thick
Page 5 of 6
7 Nose: Long and straight
8 Scars: None visible
9 Tattoos: None visible
10 Birthmarks: None visible
11 Build: Medium
12 Age: 26-27
13 Glasses Worn: None
14 Rings/Watches: Unknown
(4) Clothing Worn by the Three PW. All three of the US PW were
wearing green United States Army jungle fatigues. The uniforms were new and
still maintained the crease. Each of the US PW was wearing canvas jungle
boots. No headgear was worn by any of the three US PW.
(5) Physical Condition. The three US PW were in high spirits,
laughing and smiling among themselves as they shook the hands of some of the
members of Source's Infiltration Group. Source reported seeing no indications
of wounds, illnesses, or mistreatment.
(6) Personal Information. Source knew no personal information
about any of the three US PW.
(7) Capture Data. Source knew nothing about the chain of events
prior to the sighting.
c. Evacuation Procedures. Source knew nothing about evacuation
procedures.
d. Photo identification. Source was unable to make a positive
identification of any of the three prisoners, but did point out four pictures
from the US PW Photo Album that the US PW he saw resembled. Source considered
the following as possibly being the Negro PW he saw:
0084 Fitzgerald, Paul Lawrence
0283 Sykes, Derri
1212 Wright, Thomas Thawson
Source was unable to make a positive identification for the third US PW, but
chose the following person as a possibility:
1827 Price, Bunyan D. Jr.
e. Biographical Correlation. Due to the lack of information with
regard to the time and place of capture, no biographical correlation could be
made.
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f. VC/NVA Policy Concerning the Treatment of US PW. Source was
unaware of any set policy concerning the treatment of US PW. However, while
in the presence of his Infiltration Group, the three US PW were not physically
restrained, were given no comfort items, and were not mistreated in any
manner. Although Source's unit had never captured any US PW, he stated that
the NVA soldiers never mistreated US PW.
(U) COMMENTS: Source was administered the Cross-Cultural IQ Test and scored
Average (26). Source was cooperative throughout the interrogation and his
answers to control questions were consistent. This report partially satisfies
the requirements of SICR D-7CX-49018.
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