[0967-71.CM 02/29/96] [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, THAI BINH Province 8. REPORT NUMBER: 6 029 0967 71 2. SUBJECT: (U) US PW Camp in THAI BINH 9. DATE OF REPORT: 22 Nov 71 Province, NVN (handwritten-W32922) 10. NO. OF PAGES: 10 3. ISC NUMBER: 723.610 11.REFERENCES: DIRM: 6G3, 1Q16 723.600 SICR: D-7CX-49018 BRIGHT LIGHT 4. DATE OF INFORMATION:30 Dec 66 to 10 Jul 67 12. ORIGINATOR: US Element, CMIC, USMACV 5. PLACE AND DATE OF ACQ: CMIC, SAIGON, VS 23 Sep 71 13. PREPARED BY: NELS M. SATHER SP5, 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 US PW camp at (vic HX576635) in THUY ANH District, THAI BINH Province, NVN, to include location, history, camp facilities, camp accessibility, staff, security, weapons and equipment. Also included is information on PW identification, organization, daily schedule, diet, clothing, health, morale, mail, and visitors. THIS IS A BRIGHT LIGHT REPORT. MACV FOR JPRC. 1. (C) Background Information: a. Name: DO VAN KIEM (DOOP, VEAN KIEEMR), CMIC 0293-71 b. Rank: Sr SGT c. Position and Unit of Assignment: Messenger; H-4A Commo-Liaison Station, 4th Plat, 4th Co, 26th Sig Bn, 44th Front d. DPOB: 24 Dec 41; DONG HOE Hamlet, DONG TIEN Village, PHU DUC District, THAI BINH 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 10 e. Parents' Names: Father, DO VAN KIEM (DOOR, VEAN KIEEMR), living; Mother, PHAM THI THIN (FAMV, THIV THINL), living f. Circumstances of Capture. On 29 Apr 71, Source was at the base camp of the 4th Co, 26th Sig Bn, 44th Front, located in SONG TRUNG Village (vic BT045403), QUE SON District, QUANG NAM Province, when it was attacked and overrun by unidentified ROK forces. Source was cooking rice at the time and was captured alone, with no weapons or documents in his possession. g. Significant Activities. Source attended school at his POB from 1955 to 1958, and from 1961 to 1964 at the PHU DUC District School. From 1965 to 1967, Source attended the Teachers' Training School in THAI BINH City, THAI BINH Province, NVN. In Jul 67, Source was drafted into the NVA and was assigned to the 4th Sqd, 4th Plat, 4th Co, 358th Bn, 4th Regt, MR-III, where he received basic infantry and messenger training from Jul to Oct 67. From Oct to Dec 67, the unit reviewed the training it had received and also received political indoctrination. Source returned to the unit form a 10-day leave to his POB at the end of Dec 67, and received further political training until Feb 68. On 10 Feb 68, the 358th Bn was designated the 1003 Infil Gp, and began infiltration to the RVN with an approximate strength of 480 men. The group traveled through NVA and LAOS, and ended its infiltration in the BUOMG River area, THUONG DUC District, QUANG NAM Province, on 28 Apr 68. Source and about 120 men from the group were assigned to the 26th Sig Bn; Source was further assigned to the H-4A Commo-liaison Station, 4th Sqd, 4th Plat, 4th Co. From this time until his DOC, Source had the mission of carrying messages from the H-4A Commo-liaison Station, located at (vic BT0440), to the H-4B Commo-liaison Station, located in DUY XUYEN District QUANG NAM Province, (exact location unknown). Source also worked in the crop production area of this unit, growing rice, corn, and potatoes for his unit. h. Additional References. CMIC PW/Pallier Exploitation Guide; US PW Photo Album, 525th MI Gp H1, dtd 10 Nov 68; PW/MIA/CPT Biographic File, MACV/IDHS, dtd 16 Jun 71; Maps: VIETNAM, AMS Series L607, Sheet 6640, Edition 2, dtd 1068, Scale 1:100,000; VIETNAM, AMS Series L7014, Sheet 6349 IV, Edition 1, dtd 1965, Scale 1:50,000 2. US PW Camp in THAI BINH Province, NVN. The following information is based on SICR D-7CX-49018 (Prisoner of War Intelligence): a. Circumstances of Sighting: Source attended a teachers training school in THUY ANH District, THAI BINH Province, NVN, from 1964 until 1966, when it was converted into a US PW camp. The school was moved to a neighboring village, and Source continued to attend it. LT LUU, camp commander, was a close friend of source since childhood, and they often discussed camp life together. Through LUU, Source met THUAN, the camp's medical technician. From Jan until Jul 67, when he was drafted, Source passed the PW camp twice a day on a bicycle and often gave a ride to LUU, who lived in Source's village. Source, along with a few other students at the teacher's training school, were frequently invited to the camp on Sundays to play volleyball and ping-pong with the US PW. Page 3 of 10 b. Location. The PW camp was located in a small wooded area (vic HX576635) surrounded by open fields, in the vicinity of THUY HONG, THUY DUONG, and THUY HAI Villages, THUY ANH District, THAI BINH Province, NVN (see drawing on page 8). c. History. The PW camp was established on 30 Dec 66. Prior to this time, the camp served as the site of a second level teachers school, which Source attended from 1964 to 1966. d. Facilities. The area of the camp was approximately (600m x 250m). All buildings in the camp were constructed of brick, roofs were made of tile, and doors and windows were constructed of wood. The camp had the following buildings and structures: (1) The living quarters building (160m x 2m x 4m), which consisted of 80 rooms, each measuring four meters square (Each room had one bed, one table, one chair, one ceiling fan, and one covered fox hole located in the corner (see drawing on page 10). The three rooms of the living quarters located closest to the water tower served as a medical examination room a sleeping room for cadre, and the camp CO's office.) (2) The kitchen (14m x 2m x 4m) which had seven rooms, each measuring (4m x 4m) (3) One mess hall (14m x 2m x 4m) (4) One shower building (20m x 2m x 4m) (5) The latrine building (20m x 2m x 4m), which had 20 rooms, each measuring (1m x 2m) (6) A water tower, eight meters high, which held 14,000 liters of potable water. the water entered the camp through a pipe 20cm in diameter and buried one meter underground. Similar underground pipes, 5cm in diameter, let from the water tower to the kitchen, latrine, mess hall, and the shower building. Source did not know how that water was purified. (7) A bamboo fence (6m tall) surrounded the camp. A wooden gate (4m x 2m) which faced southeast, was the only entrance to the compound. Inside the bamboo fence existed a trench (2m wide x 1m deep) which prevented animals from entering the camp. The trench was filled with water. An underground power line entered the compound alongside the water pipe. The main power switch was located in the end room of the living quarters building closest to the water tower. (8) One volleyball court (12m x 8m) e. Camp Accessibility. The US PW camp was located approximately 400 meters west of Highway 90, and approximately 500 meters east of the DIEM HO River. Two kilometers south of the camp flowed the TRA LY River. Source thought that the compound would not be easily distinguishable from the air because of the many tall trees both within and around the camp. Page 4 of 10 f. Staff (heresay information): (1) Personnel. The camp cadre consisted of 10 men, including the commanding officer, one medical technician, and eight guards, all of whom held the rank of senior sergeant. Many of the cadre had homes in the local area and were allowed to spend the night away form the camp. Most of the camp cadre spoke English to varying degrees. (2) Personalities. Source knew the following personalities: CO: LT LUU (LUWU): age 35, 1.65m, light complexion (Interrogator's Note: Source and LUU went through school together and were close friends.) Medical Technician: ASP LE VAN THUAN (LEE, VEAN THUAANV); age 23, 1056m, 55kg, dark complexion g. Security: (1) Camp Security (heresay information). Security for the camp was provided by the eight senior sergeants. Guard duty hours were from 2400 hours to 0430 hours. the guards were armed with AK-47s and were rotated every hour. The camp gate was not guarded during the day or early evening. Source was unaware of any internal security measures. The PW rooms were not locked at night. In the event of an air attack, the PW were directed to return to their respective rooms and enter their fox holes. In the case of ground attacks, all PW were to be evacuated to an unknown location. Source was unaware of any warning procedures or any warning devices in the camp. (2) Local Defense. Source was able to locate several gun emplacements on the map, as follows: (a) One AA company was located on the western bank of the DIEM HO River (vic HX56724 to vic HX574645) with numerous 12.7 and 12.8mm guns (Interrogator's Note: Source thought the unit was company size after observing only one blue flag which symbolized a company size unit.) (b) Numerous 100mm mortars and 120mm field guns spaced 200 t 300 metes apart, were located along the coast (vic HX627637 to vic HX669615) Six unidentified missiles (12m high x 1.5m in diameter) placed on trucks. Foreign advisors (Caucasian; NFI) were observed with the missiles. The missiles were located at (vic HX632628) for seven to 15 days, after which they were moved to an unknown location for a few days and then returned to the first location. (Interrogator's Note: Source was within 400 to 500 meters of the missile site.) Page 5 of 10 h. Weapons and Equipment (heresay information). The PW camp had nine AK-47s, and one K-59 which belonged to the camp CO. Besides one telephone located in the CO's office, the camp had no communications equipment. The PW camp used a truck to bring food supplies to the camp daily, but it was not kept overnight. I. US PW. Source was told that the PW camp had 60 PW. Source did not know if the new additions or deletions to this number from 30 Dec 66 until the time he was drafted in Jul 67. (1) Photo Identification. The following PW was identified from the US PW Photo album: Name JPRC No Status DAVES, GARY LAURENCE 318 Captured (Interrogator's Note: DAVES was captured in Feb 68.) (2) PW Organization and Duties (heresay information). the 60 PW were divided into six groups, each with 10 men. Each cell leader wore a red arm band. Each morning, the cell leader had to check his group's rooms for cleanliness and orderliness and they also had to make periodic checks of the perimeter to insure that no villagers or animals had entered the camp. At meal times, each cell leader checked his group's manes against a roster. Discipline was administered by the six group leaders, although Source had never heard of any discipline problems. Everyday, each group was assigned various camp duties, such as learning latrines and burning trash. Six PW were permanent cooks. (3) Schedule (heresay information). The PW adhered to the following schedule Monday through Sunday: 0430 Wake-up 0430 to 0500 Personal Hygiene 0500 to 0530 Physical Training 0530 to 0600 Breakfast 0600 to 0630 Camp Cleaning 0630 to 1100 Individual Activities 1100 to 1400 Lunch and Rest 1400 to 1700 Individual Activities 1700 to 1730 Supper 1730 to 2300 Individual Activities 2300 Lights Out Page 6 of 10 During the cold season, the PW woke up one half-hour later. On Sunday mornings, the PW were allowed to visit neighboring villages in groups of 10 to 20 men accompanied by two armed guards. They were permitted to visit **** HUONG, THUY HAI, and THUY DUONG Villages, and THAI BINH City. Before they departed from camp, each PW was given 5$NVN to spend on food. (Interrogator's Note: Source saw PW buying fruit.) Source maintains that he regularly visited the PW camp on Sundays to play games with the PW. (4) Diet. On various occasions, Source observed bread, canned pork, canned fruit, milk, sugar, cigarettes, coffee, beer, and other beverages being brought into the PW camp. Each PW was allowed a daily ration of 2$NVN per day for food. Food was bought daily at the THAI BINH City cooperative. (5) Clothing and Equipment Issue. Source observed that the PW wore green pajamas. Officers wore pajamas with four pockets, whole EM wore pajamas with two pockets. Each PW was issued the following items: Two pair of pajamas Two sets of underwear One warm jacket One toothbrush every six months One tube of toothpaste every month One piece of soap every month One blanket One pillow One mosquito net One straw mat One face towel One pair of shoes (poor quality) One pair of sandals One hat Socks Most of these items could be changed when worn out. PW could was their clothing as often as they liked. Page 7 of 10 (6) Health (heresay information). The overall physical condition of the PW was good. The medical technician was only able to treat minor ailments in the examination room, but should a PW become seriously ill, he was immediately evacuated to THAI BINH City Hospital (exact location unknown). Medicine was brought from the Public Security Agency in HANOI approximately once a month. Source knew of no deaths among the PW. (7) Morale (heresay information). Source did not know the state of PW morale. Source believed no one escaped or tried to escape, because they would not get far among the Vietnamese. Source had no knowledge of discipline problems and stated that relations between the PW and cadre were good. j. Mail. Runners on bicycles delivered mail to the PW camp every day at 1700 hours. Source did not know if PW could receive or send mail. k. visitors (heresay information). The PW camp was visited by Chinese journalists and the Red Cross representatives of an unknown country. (U) COMMENTS: Source was tested and scored Low (12) on the Cross Cultural IQ Test. Source initially attempted to falsify the dates of information, but later admitted this attempt and gave the correct dates of information. His reason was that specific instructions had been given by his cadre which allowed him to provide correct information as long as the dates were false. The information and dates as provided are correct according to Source. Wit the exception of the above, Source was cooperative throughout the interrogation. This report partially satisfies the requirements of SICR D-7CX-49018. Page 8 of 10 [NETWORK NOTE: a copy of the 7.75" x 6.25" SKETCH OF THE THIS MAP is available - call or write using the file number 0967 71 page 8.] Overlay of the location of a US PW Camp, as provided by Captive, DO VAN KIEM, CMIC 0293-71. (DOI: Jul 67) Map: VIETNAM, AMS Series L7014, Sheet 6349 IV, Edition 1 dtd 1965, Scale 1:50,000 1. US PW Camp 2. Highway 90 3. TRA LY River 4. DIEM HO River Page 9 of 10 [NETWORK NOTE: a copy of the 6" x 6" SKETCH OF A FOX HOLE is available - call or write using the file number 0967 71. page 9] Sketch of a fox hole at the US PW Camp, as provided by Captive, DO VAN KIEM, CMIC 0293-71 (DOI: Jul 67. (Not to Scale) 1. Hole (0.8m dia.), straw cover (20cm thick 2. Tin 3. Dirt (40cm thick 4. Rubber (20cm thick 5. Dirt Page 10 of 10 [NETWORK NOTE: a copy of the 9.25" x 6.75" SKETCH OF US PW CAMP is available - call or write using the file number 0967 71 page 10.] Sketch of the US PW camp as provided by Captive, DO VAN KIEM, CMIC 293-71 (DOI: Jul 67) (Not to Scale) 1. Living Quarters 6. Water Tower 2. Mess Hall 7. Bamboo Fence 3. Kitchen 8. Trench 4. Shower Building 9. Gate 5. Latrine 10. Volleyball Court [Distributed through the P.O.W. Network]