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INFO WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH DC
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***THIS IS A 2 PART MSG COLLATED BY MDU***
UNCLAS //N03460//
MSGID/SYS.RRM/CDR JTF-FA/J252//
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPTION OF AN ORAL HISTORY
PROJECT FIELD REPORT//
SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, BUI DUC TUNG//
REF/ENTRY NUMBER 67, LIST OF 83 INTERVIEW REQUESTS, PRESENTED TO
ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER TRAN QUANG CO, MAY 93//
RMKS/1. BACKGROUND. ON 15 DECEMBER 1793, A JOINT U.S./VIETNAM
ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM INTERVIEW TEAM INTERVIEWED RETIRED BRIGADIER
GENERAL (BUI) BUI DUC TUNG, A 65 YEAR OLD VINH CITY RESIDENT.
MR. TUNG IS A FORMER CADRE OF THE 31ST REGIMENT. 2ND PEOPLE'S
ARMY OF VIETNAM (PAVN) DIVISION. THE TEAM MET AT THE HUU NGHI
HOTEL MEETING ROOM, VINH CITY. TO INTERVIEW MR. TUNG, LISTED IN
REFERENCE AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING U.S.
PERSONNEL MISSING IN ACTION IN VIETNAM. THE U.S. CONTINGENT
CONSISTED OF TSGT [XXXX][XXXX][XXXX], JTF-FA ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM
COORDINATOR; AND P02 [XXXX][XXXX][XXXX], JTF-FA ANALYST/LINGUIST.
THE VIETNAMESE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF COL LE
KY, MINISTER OF DEFENSE; MR. NGUYEN VAN THANG LOI, MINISTRY OF
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INTERIOR; AND MR. NGO SI HO, NGHE AN PROVINCE
REPRESENTATIVE. MR. TUNG HAD NOT BEEN INTERVIEWED BY A
JOINT TEAM BEFORE.
2. SUMMARY. THE SOURCE, MR. BUI DUC TUNG, FORMER 31ST
REGIMENT COMMANDER, SECOND PAVN DIVISION' PROVIDED GENERAL
INFORMATION CONCERNING U.S. LOSS INCIDENTS IN THE SECOND
PAVN'S OPERATIONS AREA- HE PROVIDED LOCATIONAL AND
CIRCUMSTANTIAL INFORMATION POSSIBLY RELATING TO CASES 0678,
AND 0728.
3. DETAILS. AFTER FORMAL INTRODUCTIONS BY COL LE KY AND TSGT
[XXXX] MR. BUI DUC TUNG (BUIF DWCS TUNGF) PROVIDED THE
FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
A. MR. TUNG BECAME COMMANDER OF THE 31ST REGIMENT, 2ND
PAVN DIVISION IN 1965. THE OPERATIONS AREA FOR THE 31ST
REGIMENT INCLUDED SOUTHERN QUANG NAM - DANANG, QUANG NGAI.
AND NORTHERN BINH DINH PROVINCES, AS WELL AS A PORTION OF
THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS.
B. MR. TUNG RECALLED THAT AT THE END OF APRIL OF 1967 HE WAS
ATTACHED TO THE 1ST (BA GIA) REGIMENT, 2ND PAVN DIVISION AS A
TACTICAL OBSERVER. AT THIS TIME A LARGE U.S. MARINE FORCE
CONSISTING OF APPROXIMATELY FIVE REGIMENTS WAS CONDUCTING SEARCH
AND DESTROY OPERATIONS AGAINST LOCAL GUERILLA FORCES IN BA TO AND
MO DUC DISTRICTS OF QUANG NGAI PROVINCE. DURING THESE OPERATIONS
A BATTLE INVOLVING THE PAVN REGIMENT AND THE U.S. MARINES
OCCURRED ON DAU MOUNTAIN (NUIF ZAAUF) (BS6349) (SEE PARA 7A).
MR. TUNG WAS AT THE REGIMENT'S MOBILE SURGICAL UNIT ON DAU TUONG
MOUNTAIN (NUIS DAAUF TWONGJ) (BS5858), AKA HIGH POINT 592, WHEN
HE SAW A WOUNDED AMERICAN PW BEING BANDAGED. HE HEARD THAT THE
SOLDIER WAS TAKEN PRISONER NEAR TAN PHU (BS6252), TO THE EAST OF
THE VE RIVER, AND HAD BEEN TRANSPORTED BY TWO SOLDIERS ACROSS THE
RIVER AT THE HOA BRIDGE (SEE PARA 7B) NEAR HANH THIEN (BS6154).
THE PW WAS TALL, RATHER LARGE, HAD BLACK SKIN, AND WAS BANDAGED
PRIOR TO HIS ARRIVAL AT THE MOBILE SURGICAL UNIT. BECAUSE OF A
HEAVY BLEEDING WOUND IN THE RIGHT HIP REGION HE HAD TO BE
REBANDAGED BEFORE BEING SENT TO THE MAIN ARMY MEDICAL FACILITY IN
THE REAR. THE FOLLOWING MORNING MR. TUNG RECEIVED NEWS FROM THE
REGIMENT PERSONNEL TRANSPORTING THE PW THAT THE PW HAD DIED
BEFORE HE COULD BE MOVED TO THE MAIN ARMY MEDICAL FACILITY.
MR. TUNG HEARD THAT THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY THE MEDICAL UNIT'S
PERSONNEL. MR. TUNG ALSO HEARD FROM THE TRANSPORTING PERSONNEL
THAT THE PW WAS BURIED IN A BOMB CRATER ON DAU TUONG MOUNTAIN,
WITHIN 700 METERS OF THE END OF KA STREAM (SEE PARA 7C)
C. MR. TUNG NEVER SAW THE AMERICAN SOLDIER'S GRAVE OR MET
ANY OF THE PERSONNEL WHO HAD TREATED THE WOUNDED AMERICAN AFTER
THE INCIDENT. BUT HE DID PROVIDE THE NAME VAN CONG BICH AS
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POSSIBLY HAVING FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS WOUNDED
AMERICAN. HE WAS ALSO UNAWARE OF ANY REPORTS THAT MAY HAVE
BEEN SENT TO HIGHER HEADQUARTERS REGARDING THIS INCIDENT. IF
A REPORT HAD BEEN FILED, IT WOULD HAVE SAID "THIS UNIT
CAPTURED A BLACK AMERICAN SOLDIER, BUT HE WAS HEAVILY
WOUNDED AND TAKEN TO THE MEDICAL UNIT WHERE HE DIED AND WAS
BURIED," ACCORDING TO MR. TUNG.
D. DURING SEPTEMBER OF 1967, WHILE AT THE 31ST REGIMENT
HEADQUARTERS ON CHOM MOUNTAIN (NUIS CHOMF AT9030), MR. TUNG
RECEIVED A REPORT THAT TWO AMERICANS HAD BEEN CAPTURED IN THE
VICINITY OF HIGH POINT 330 (BT111276) (SEE PARA 7D). ONE OF
THE TWO WAS BADLY WOUNDED IN THE STOMACH AND BEING TAKEN TO
THE REGIMENT'S MOBILE SURGICAL UNIT TO THE WEST. HE HAD NO
REPORT ON THE STATUS OF THE OTHER PW. THE WOUNDED PW, HAVING
TRAVELED TO THE AN TAY VILLAGE AREA (AT9126) WEST FROM THE
BATTLE AREA, WAS WOUNDED A SECOND TIME BY AN EXPLODING
ARTILLERY ROUND. HE WAS THEN TAKEN TO THE HOME OF MRS. THUONG
IN AN TAY VILLAGE, WHERE HE DIED OF HIS WOUNDS AND WAS BURIED
IN MRS. THUONG'S GARDEN. MR. TUNG DISCOVERED THE INITIAL
REPORT OF TWO PW'S WAS FALSE AND. IN FACT, ONLY ONE HAD BEEN
CAPTURED.
E. ON 10 FEBRUARY 1965 TWO AMERICAN ADVISORS WERE KILLED
IN A BATTLE BETWEEN ELEMENTS OF THE 31ST PAVN REGIMENT AND A
RIFLE COMPANY OF THE 5TH BATTALION, ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF
VIETNAM (ARVN), IN THE VICINITY OF VIET AN (UNLOCATED),
EASTERN QUANG NAM PROVINCE. THE ADVISOR'S BODIES WERE
RECOVERED BY ARVN FORCES SHORTLY AFTER THE BATTLE.
F. AT THE END OF 1966 MR. TUNG RECALLED HEARING OF A
U.S. BOMBER SHOT DOWN IN THE EASTERN PART OF QUANG NAM
PROVINCE, TIEN PHUOC (BT1214), PHUOC HA (UNLOCATED). THE
AIRCRAFT WAS REPORTEDLY HIT BY 12.7 MM ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE
AND EXPLODED IN MID-AIR. MR. TUNG WAS UNAWARE OF ANY
RECOVERY EFFORTS OR SHOOT DOWN REPORTS.
G. WHEN A U.S. SOLDIER WAS CONSIDERED TO HAVE LOST HIS
ABILITY TO FIGHT, HAVING BEEN CAPTURED OR SURRENDERING TO
PAVN FORCES, THE U.S SOLDIER WAS NO LONGER CONSIDERED AN
ENEMY, TREATED HUMANELY, AND KEPT AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE FROM
DANGEROUS B52 STRIKES.
H. ACCORDING TO MR. TUNG, IT WAS COMMON FOR U.S. FORCES
TO GET HIT BY THEIR OWN BOMBING. BECAUSE OF THE DESTRUCTIVE
FORCE OF THE BOMBING HE BELIEVES IT WOULD BE HIGHLY
UNLIKELY THAT ANYONE CAUGHT IN A BOMBING AREA COULD EVER BE
FOUND.
I. WITH NO FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. TUNG, THE JOINT
TEAM AGREED TO CONCLUDE THE INTERVIEW.
//
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MSGID/SYS.RRM/CDR JTF-FA/J252//
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPTION OF AN ORAL
HISTORY PROJECT FIELD REPORT//
SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, BUI DUC TUNG//
RMKS/
4. CORRELATIONS TO EXISTING POW/MIA CASES.
A. THE INCIDENT DESCRIBED IN PARA 3B POSSIBLY CORRELATES
TO CASE 0728 BASED ON THE GENERAL INCIDENT LOCATION, AND
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL ASSOCIATED WITH CASE 0728.
B. THE INCIDENT DESCRIBED IN PARA 3D POSSIBLY CORRELATES
TO CASE 0678. BASED ON THE GENERAL INCIDENT LOCATION.
5. POTENTIAL LEADS.
A. VAN CONG BICH (VAWN COONG BICHS). A FORMER SECOND
PAVN DIVISION POLITICAL OFFICER. WAS REFERENCED BY MR. TUNG
AS POSSIBLY HAVING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INCIDENT
DESCRIBED IN PARA 3B. MR. BICH WAS INTERVIEWED ON 11
NOVEMBER 1993 BY THE JOINT ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW TEAM.
B. MRS. THUONG (BAF THWONGJ) OF AN TAY VILLAGE. QUANG
NAM DANANG PROVINCE. IT WAS REPORTEDLY AT THE HOME OF MRS.
THUONG, WHERE THE PW DESCRIBED IN PARA 3D DIED OF HIS WOUNDS
AND WAS BURIED.
6. MATERIAL EVIDENCE: NONE. THIS SOURCE BROUGHT NO
RECORDS. NOTEBOOKS. DIARIES. OR ANY MATERIAL EVIDENCE
ASSOCIATED WITH UNACCOUNTED FOR U.S. PERSONNEL.
7. COMMENTS.
A. MR. TUNG WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT THAT DAU MOUNTAIN (NUIS
DAAUF) IS ACTUALLY MORE THAN JUST ONE MOUNTAIN. HE SAID THAT DAU
MOUNTAIN CONSISTS OF THE MOUNTAIN RANGE BETWEEN COI MOUNTAIN
(NUIS COOIS) (BS6349) AND LON MOUNTAIN (NUIS LOWNJ) (BS6947). HE
SAID, AS DID MR. BICH AND MR. VO XUAN DURING THE INTERVIEW OF MR.
BICH, THAT COI MOUNTAIN WAS KNOWN TO THE LOCAL PEOPLE AS DAU
(ZAAUF) MOUNTAIN BECAUSE THERE IS A SAP. "DAU" (ZAAUF) IN
VIETNAMESE. TAKEN FROM TREES ON THAT MOUNTAIN WHICH HAS A WIDE
VARIETY OF USES. HE ALSO SAID THAT HANH MOUNTAIN (NUIF HANHF) AND
SU BUNG (SWR BUNGJ) ARE IN THIS AREA. HOWEVER BOTH PLACES REMAIN
UNLOCATED.
B. THE HOA BRIDGE REFERENCED BY MR. TUNG IS REPORTEDLY
MADE OF STEEL AND STILL STANDING.
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C. MR. TUNG POINTED OUT THE BURIAL SITE, ON A 1:250,000
SCALE MAP, JUST EAST OF HIGH POINT 592 NEAR THE END OF AN
UNIDENTIFIED STREAM. HE REFERRED TO THIS AREA AS PHUOC LUC
(PHWOCS LWCJ). KA STREAM (SUOOIS KAR). AND KHOAI STREAM (SUOIS
KHOAIS). THE STREAM ON HIGH POINT 592 IS PROBABLY THE CA (OR
KHOAI) STREAM BASED ON HIS DESCRIPTION. HOWEVER. NONE OF THE
NAMES HE PROVIDED CAN BE LOCATED IN THAT AREA. HE SAID THE NAME
KHOAI STREAM WAS USED BY MILITARY UNITS HOPEFULLY TO KEEP THEIR
OPERATION AREAS SECRET AND THIS NAME WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE KNOWN
TO ANYONE OUTSIDE OF THE PAVN. HE EXPLAINED THAT SOME
PLACES COULD HAVE MANY DIFFERENT NAMES USED BY BOTH THE
LOCAL POPULATION. AS WITH DAU MOUNTAIN (PARA 7A). AND THE
MILITARY. (MAP USED: SERIES 1501. EDITION 3. SHEET ND
49-5.)
D. WHEN MR. TUNG POINTED OUT THE BATTLE AREA AS HIGH
POINT 330 (BT111276) ON A 1:50.000 SCALE MAP. MR. TUNG HAD
ALREADY VERBALLY DESCRIBED THE BATTLE AREA AS PHUOC HA HAMLET
(BT1328), PHUOC SON VILLAGE (BT0824). PHUOC HA HAMLET WAS
APPROXIMATELY 2 KILOMETERS NORTHEAST AND PHUOC SON VILLAGE
WAS APPROXIMATELY 2 KILOMETERS SOUTHWEST OF HIGH POINT 330.
(MAP USED: SERIES L7014, EDITION 3-DMA. SHEET 664D-2.)
E. MR. TUNG APPEARED TO BE PLEASED TO MEET WITH THE JOINT
TEAM. HE APPEARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AS DIRECTLY AND THOROUGHLY
AS POSSIBLE. ALTHOUGH ON SOME OCCASIONS HE WAS FORCED TO
GENERALIZE HIS RESPONSES. UNABLE TO RECALL SPECIFIC DETAILS. HE
STATED THAT THE CURRENT MIA SITUATION IS TRULY A TRAGEDY FOR
ANYONE WHO LOST LOVED ONES FROM EITHER THE U.S. OR VIETNAM AND HE
REGRETS THAT THE WAR EVER HAPPENED.
F. THE MEMBERS OF THE JOINT TEAM CONFERRED ON THE QUESTIONS
TO BE ASKED DURING THIS INTERVIEW. TEAM MEMBERS AGREED THAT
THE NEED TO REINTERVIEW THIS SUBJECT WOULD DEPEND ON WHETHER
FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. TUNG ARISE DURING THE COURSE OF
THE ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW TEAM'S FUTURE WORK.
G. REQUEST THE VNOSMP MAKE BUI DUC TUNG AVAILABLE
FOR REINTERVIEW IF NECESSARY.//
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