[071842Z.OH 06/16/96]
NNNN
RCV18305 00:51 06/10/93
VZCZCBT0383
RR RUEHBT
DE RUHQSGG #8360 1581842
ZNR UUUUU
R 071842Z JUN 93 ZYB
FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2//
TO RUEHBT/CJTFFA DET ONE BANGKOK TH
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHINGTON DC//PW-MIA//
RUEAMC/CMC WASHINGTON DC//MHP-10/INTC/INTM//
RUEAHOF/CDRPERSCOM ALEXANDRAI VA//TAPC-PED-P//
INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OASD-ISA/PW-MIA//
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/OCS/CCS/EAP/VLC//
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//OCJCS/J5/PW-MIA/J3-JOD//
RUHQHQB/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI/J3/J30-M//
RUEKJCS/USCINCPAC LO WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC//DEA/SEA/IB/DDO/ICOG//
RUEHBT/USDAO BANGKOK TH//PW-MIA//
BT
UNCLAS //N03460//
DIA PASS TO DOD POW-MIA CENTRAL DOCUMENTATION OFFICE//
MGSID.SYS.RRM/CDR JTF-FA//
AMPN/SUBJ: SRV ORAL HISTORY - LTC NGUYEN HONG CHAU//
REF/A/RMG/CJT-FA DET ONE/210942ZMAY93//
PAGE 02 RUHQSGG8360 UNCLAS
RMKS/1. REF A PROVIDED RESULTS OF AN INTERVIEW WITH LTC NGUYEN
HONG CHAU, A FORMER COMMUNIST GUERILLA IN THE LONG KHAN AREA AND
A RETIRED PAVN OFFICER. ANALYSIS OF THE INFORMATION HE PROVIDED
INDICATES A POSSIBLE CORRELATION TO REFNOS 0049, 0050, AND 0163.
2. IN PARA THREE OF REF A, SOURCE CLAIMED HE TOOK CUSTODY OF TWO
CAUCASIAN AMERICAN PRISONERS NEAR THE SUOI DA STREAM (YS6393)
SHORTLY AFTER THE BINH GIA BATTLE, WHICH OCCURRED IN DECEMBER
1964. SOURCE REPORTED HIS GROUP ESCORTED THE TWO PRISONERS, A
CAPTAIN AND A FIRST LIEUTENTANT, INTO TAN PHU DISTRICT, WHERE THE
PRISONERS WERE TURNED OVER TO AN ESCORT TEAM FROM HQ, SOUTH
VIETNAM LIBERATION ARMED FORCES (SVNLAF). SOURCE WAS UNABLE TO
RECALL THE IDENTITIES OF THE TWO AMERICANS. THIS INFORMATION
POSSIBLY CORRELATES TO EITHER REFNO 0049 OR REFNO 0050.
A. REFNO 0049: ON 29 DECEMBER 1964, SERGEANT HAROLD G. BENNETT
AND PRIVATE CHARLES E. CRAFTS WERE ADVISORS TO THE 33RD ARVN
RANGER BATTALION ENGAGED A HOSTILE FORCE NEAR GRID
COORDINATES YS549755, APPROXIMATELY FIVE KILOMETERS EAST OF BINH
GIA VILLAGE AND THREE KILOMETERS SOUTWEST OF XUAN SON VILLAGE,
BA RIA-VUNG TAU PROVINCE, VIETNAM. DURING THE BATTLE, NATIONAL
PAGE 3 RUHQSGG8360 UNCLAS
LIBERATION FRONT FORCES CAPTURED SERGEANT BENNETT AND PRIVATE
CRAFTS. THE NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT RELEASED PRIVATE CRAFTS ON
23 FEBRUARY 1967. UPON HIS RETURN TO MILITARY CONTROL, PRIVATE
CRAFTS SAID THAT THEY HAD KILLED SERGEANT BENNETT BECAUSE HE
WAS UNABLE TO TRAVEL. PRIVATE CRAFTS ESTIMATED THEIR LOCATION TO
BE IN THE VICINITY OF GRID COORDINATES YS550730. APPROXIMATELY
SIX KILOMETERS SOUTHEAST OF BINH GIA, BA RIA-VUNG TAU PROVINCE.
ON 25 JUNE 1965, A HANOI RADIO BROADCAST ANNOUNCED THAT SERGEANT
BENNETT HAD BEEN EXECUTED IN REPRISAL FOR THE EXECUTION OF A
COMMUNIST TERRORIST. IN JANUARY 1973, THE PROVISIONAL
REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT OF SOUTH VISETNAM RELEASED A DIED-IN-
CAPTIVITY LIST WHICH INDICATED THAT SERGEANT BENNETT DIED IN JUNE
1965. SERGEANT BENNETT IS UNNACOUNTED FOR.
B. REFNO 0050: 31 DECEMBER 1964, CAPTAIN DONALD G. COOK WAS AN
ADVISOR TO THE 4TH ARVN MARINE BATTALION DURING A BATTLE IN THE
VICINITY GRID COORDINATES YS495775, NEAR BINH GIA VILLAGE, BA
RIA-VUNG TAU PROVINCE, VIETNAM. ARVN MARINES REPORTED THAT
CAPTAIN COOK WAS WOUNDED IN THE LEG AND WAS LED AWAY BY VIET CONG
FORCES. RETURNEES REPORTED THAT CAPTAIN COOK WAS HELD AT
PAGE 4 RUHQSGG8360 UNCLAS
VARIOUS PRISON CAMPS LOCATED IN TAY NNING AND DONG NAI PROVINCES.
ONE RETURNEE REPORTED THAT A GUARD TOLD HIM CAPTAIN COOK DIED OF
MALARIA IN DECEMBER 1967 WHILE BEING MOVED BETWEEN CAMPS IN
NORTHEASTERN TAY NINH PROVINCE. CAPTAIN COOK'S NAME APPEARED ON
THE DIED-IN-CAPTIVITY LIST RELEASED BY THE PROVISIONAL
REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT OF SOUTH VIETNAM. THE LIST INDICATED
CAPTAIN COOK DIED ON 8 DECEMBER 1967. CAPTAIN COOK IS
UNACCOUNTED FOR.
C. THE GENERAL TIME FRAME AND LOCATION OF THE ALLEGED INCIDENT
DESCRIBED BY THE SOURCE AND THE NUMBER AND RACE OF THE ALLEGED
AMERICAN CAPTIVES CORRELATES WELL WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS
ASSOCIATED WITH REFNO 0049 AND REFNO 0050. JTF-FA FILES INDICATE
REFNO 0049 AND 0050 WERE THE ONLY GROUND LOSS INCIDENTS,
INVOLVING UNACCOUNTEDS FOR INDIVIDUALS, WHICH OCCURRED WITHING 25
KILOMETERS OF THE SUOI DA STREAM (YS6393) DURING LATE 1964 OR
EARLY 1965.
4. IN PARA FOUR OF REF A THE SOURCE PROVIDED A HEARSZAY ACCOUNT
CONCERNING THE ALLEGED CAPTURE OF A LONE CAUCASIAN AMERICAN ON
NATIONAL HIGHWAY ONE IN THE VICINITY OF GRID COORDINATES YT6308,
DURING THE MID-1960'S. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE, THE AMERICAN
PAGE 5 RUHQSGG8360 UNCLAS
PRISONER EVENTUALLY SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPED AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF
CAPTIVITY. ANALYSIS INDICATES THIS INFORMATION PROBABLY
CORRELATESD TO REFNO 0163, A RESOLVED CASE.
A. REFNO 0163: ON 8 OCTOBER 1965, MR. JOE L. DODD, A U.S.
CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE OF THE RMK CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, WAS TRAVELLING
BY MOTORCYCLE FROM THE BIEN HOA AREA EAST ALONG NATIONAL HIGHWAY
ONE TOWARD PHAN THIET, BINH THUAN (FORMERLY THAUN HAI) PROVINCE,
VIETNAM. HE WAS CAPTURED BY VIETNAMESE FORCES IN THE VICINITY OF
GRID COORDINATES YT5906, APPROXIMATELY 15 KILOMETERS EAST OF XUAN
LOC, DONG NAI (FORMERLY LONH KHANH) PROVINCE. MR. DODD
SUCESSFULLY ESCAPED FROM HIS CAPTORS ON 25 OCTOBER 1965.
B. THE PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE AMERICAN PRISONER, THE
GENERAL TIME FRAME AND THE LOCATION OF THE INCIDENTS, AND THE
CIRCUMSTANCES OF CAPTURE PROVIDED BY SOURCE CORRELATE WELL
WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH REFNO 0163. JTF-
FA FILES INDICATE REFNO 0163 IS THE ONLY GROUND LOSS INCIDENT,
INVOLVING AN UNACCOUNTED FOR INDIVIDUAL, WHICH OCCURRED ALONG
HIGHWAY ONE IN THE MID-60'S.
5. IN PARA FIVE OF REF A, THE SOURCE PROVIDED HEARSAY
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CAPTURE OF ONE CAUCASIAN AMERICAN IN
PAGE 06 RUHQSGG8360 UNCLAS
BA RIA-VUNG TAU PROVINCE. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE, THE ALLEGED
INCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER THE INCIDENT CORRELATED TO REFNO 0163
DESCRIBED ABOVE. THE SOURCE REPORTED THAT THE AMERICAN WAS
EVENTUALLY TURNED OVER TO AN ESCORT TEAM FROM THE HQ, SVNLAF.
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE SOURCE IS INSUFFICIENT TO
ESTABLISH A CORRELATION WITH DATA IN JTF-FA FILES.
6. FOR CMC/MHP-10 AND CDRPERSCOM/TAPC-PED-P: INFORMATION
IS PROVIDED FOR APPROPRIATE ACTION. SANITIZED COPIES OF REF A
WILL BE FORWARDED SEPARATELY.
EVAL-KLE//
BT
#8360