[090712Z.OH 06/16/96] ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE ROUTINE R 090712Z NOV 93 ZYB PSN 896168P38 FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2// TO SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP: RSA// INFO WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH DC RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/OCS/CCS/EAP/VLC// JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//J5// USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//J2/J3/J30-M// USCINCPAC LO WASHINGTON DC DIA WASHINGTON DC CIA WASHINGTON DC//DEA/SEA/IB/DDO/EA/ICOG// RUEHBT/USDAO BANGKOK TH//PW-MIA// CDRUSACILHI HICKAM AFB -HI//TAPC-PED-H// UNCLAS //N03460// MSGID/GENADMIN/CDR JTF-FA/J2// THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPTION OF AN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT FIELD REPORT// SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, NGUYEN VAN CHAU// REF/A/FAX/DET 2/060CT93// AMPN/SUBJ/ENTRY NUMBER 68, LIST OF 83 INTERVIEW REQUESTS// RMKS/1. BACKGROUND. ON 9 SEPTEMBER 1993, THE JOINT- PRIORITY CASE INVESTIGATION TEAM (PCIT) INTERVIEWED NGUYEN VAN CHAU, A 54 YOA DANANG CITY RESIDENT. MR. CHAU IS CURRENTLY RETIRED, FORMERLY A MEDIC AT THE PAVN 2ND DIVISIONS'S (DIV) GK38 HOSPITAL, WHICH OPERATED IN QUANG NAM-DANANG AND QUANG NGAI PROVINCES. THE TEAM MET IN A CONFERENCE ROOM OF THE SONG HAN HOTEL IN DANANG CITY TO INTERVIEW MR. CHAU, LISTED IN REFERENCE AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING U-S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN ACTION IN VIETNAM. THE U.S. CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF MSGT [XXXX][XXXX][XXXX] PCIT TEAM LEADER; AND [XXXX][XXXX][XXXX], DIA ANALYST/LINGUIST. THE VIETNAMESE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF LTC PHAM TEO, MINISTRY OF DEFENSE; AND NGUYEN THE CONG, MINISTRY OF INTERIOR. NGUYEN VAN CHAU HAD NOT BEEN INTERVIEWED BY A JOINT TEAM BEFORE- 896168/316 1 OF 4 090712Z NOV 93 CDR JTF-FA HON 2. SUMMARY. THE SOURCE. NGUYEN VAN CHAU, PROVIDED CREDIBLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON HIS MILITARY CAREER AND HIS ACTIVITIES AS A MEDIC AT THE PAVN 2ND DIV'S MEDICAL BATTALION (AKA GK38) IN QUANG NAM-DANANG PROVINCE. SPECIFICALLY. HE RECOUNTED AN INCIDENT IN WHICH A U.S. PRISONER OF WAR (PW) RECEIVED TREATMENT AT GK38. THIS INFORMATION CORRELATES TO CASE 0678-1-02, A RESOLVED CASE. HE NEITHER ENCOUNTERED NOR HEARD OF ANY OTHER U.S. PRISONERS DURING THE WAR. DR. TU CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF U.S. PERSONNEL, LIVING FREELY OR AGAINST THEIR WILL, IN VIETNAM SINCE 1973. 3. DETAILS. A. NGUYEN VAN CHAU (NGUYEENX VAWN CHAAU) BEGAN HIS MILITARY CAREER IN 1964, SERVING AS A CORPSMAN FOR THE 2ND COMPANY, 60TH BATTALION, 1ST REGIMENT. PAVN 2ND DIV. IN 1965, AFTER RECEIVING ADDITIONAL MEDICAL TRAINING. HE WAS ASSIGNED THE 2ND DIV'S GK38 DISPENSARY AS A MEDIC. IN MAY 1967, CHAU ATTENDED THE 2ND DIV'S MEDICAL TECHNICIAN SCHOOL AND THEN RETURNED TO GK38. SOMETIME IN 1968, HE RECEIVED SIX MONTHS OF ADDITIONAL TRAINING AS A PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT AND WAS THEN ASSIGNED TO AN ARTILLERY BATTALION SUBORDINATE TO THE 2ND DIV. IN 1970, CHAU WAS SENT TO NORTH VIETNAM TO RECOVER FROM TRAUMATIC STRESS BROUGHT ON BY THE WAR AND HE DID NOT RETURN TO THE SOUTH UNTIL AFTER 1975. HE IS CURRENTLY RETIRED AND IS ACTIVE IN THE LOCAL WAR VETERAN'S ASSOCIATION. B. SOMETIME IN LATE 1966 OR EARLY 1967, WHILE WORKING AS A MEDIC AT THE GK38 DISPENSARY. CHAU RECALLED AN AMERICAN PW WHO WAS BROUGHT IN FOR TREATMENT. THE AMERICAN WAS A TALL. THIN. CAUCASIAN, AND APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 21 YOA. CHAU WAS UNABLE TO RECALL THE PW'S HAIR COLOR OR ANY DISTINGUISHING SCARS OR TATTOOS. THE AMERICAN HAD SUFFERED A SLIGHT WOUND TO THE LOWER LEG AND WAS AMBULATORY WHEN HE ARRIVED AT THE DISPENSARY. C. MEMBERS OF A COMBAT UNIT SUBORDINATE TO THE PAVN 2ND DIV ACCOMPANIED THE PRISONER TO THE DISPENSARY. BUT CHAU WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC UNIT. ALTHOUGH HE WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AMERICAN'S CAPTURE. CHAU ASSUMED THAT THE PW HAD BELONGED TO AN AMERICAN INFANTRY UNIT- CHAU DID NOT DIRECTLY PARTICIPATE IN TREATING THIS PW. SO HE WAS UNABLE TO RECALL WHICH LEG HAD BEEN INJURED OR THE SEVERITY OF THE WOUND. HE NEVER LEARNED THE IDENTITY OF THE AMERICAN AND WAS UNABLE TO RECALL THE NAME OF ANYONE WHO WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN HIS TREATMENT. D. DURING HIS STAY AT GK38, THE AMERICAN WAS KEPT SECLUDED FROM OTHER PATIENTS. FOLLOWING HIS TREATMENT, IT WAS UNNECESSARY TO POST AN ARMED GUARD ON HIM SINCE HE WAS UNABLE TO WALK. ADDITIONALLY. THE DISPENSARY MAINTAINED A TWENTY-FOUR HOUR PERIMETER SECURITY NETWORK 896168/316 2 OF 4 090712Z NOV 93 CDR JTF-FA HON CHAU RECALLED OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GK38 MEDICAL STAFF PRESENT DURING THE AMERICAN'S STAY AS FOLLOWS: NGUYEN KIM TU (NGUYEENX KIM TWJ), THE DISPENSARY COMMANDER; LE HONG SON (LEE HOONGF SOWN), THE DISPENSARY'S POLITICAL OFFICER; AND HIEU (HIEEUR) (NFI) A PHYSICIAN. CHAU INDICATED THAT TU IS RETIRED AND CURRENTLY LIVES IN DANANG. SON, ALSO RETIRED. IS LIVING SOMEWHERE IN THE NORTH. CHAU WAS UNAWARE OF HIEU'S CURRENT WHEREABOUTS AND STATUS. E. APPROXIMATELY TEN DAYS FOLLOWING THE AMERICAN'S ARRIVAL, CHAU LEFT THE DISPENSARY TO ATTEND A THREE MONTH MEDICAL TECHNICIAN COURSE. WHEN HE RETURNED TO GK38, THE AMERICAN WAS NO LONGER THERE. CHAU HEARD THE PW HAD BEEN TURNED OVER TO HIGHER HEADQUARTERS. BUT CHAU WAS UNABLE TO ELABORATE ON THIS POINT. HE HELD NO INFORMATION REGARDING THE SUBSEQUENT FATE OF THIS AMERICAN AND KNEW OF NO OTHER INCIDENT INVOLVING AMERICAN PW'S. CHAU CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF U.S. PERSONNEL LIVING, EITHER FREELY OR AGAINST THEIR WILL IN VIETNAM SINCE 1973. 4. CORRELATIONS TO PW/MIA CASES NGUYEN VAN CHAU'S STATEMENTS CORRELATE TO CASE 0678-1-02 BASED ON GENERAL TIME FRAME AND GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY TO INCIDENT LOCATION- HIS STATEMENTS ALSO CORROBORATE WELL WITH OTHER WITNESSES WITH INFORMATION ON CASE 0678-1-02 (NGUYEN KIM TU - INTERVIEWED BY THE PCIT ON 9 OCT 93; NGUYEN VAN HIEU - INTERVIEWED BY AN ORAL HISTORY TEAM ON 12 SEP 93; AND NGUYEN HONG SON - INTERVIEWED BY AN ORAL HISTORY TEAM ON 20 SEP 93). 5. POTENTIAL LEADS: NONE. 6. MATERIAL EVIDENCE: NONE. 7. COMMENTS. A. CHAU WAS COOPERATIVE THROUGHOUT THE INTERVIEW HE ANSWERED ALL QUESTIONS WITHIN THE REALM OF HIS KNOWLEDGE. AT NO TIME DID HE GIVE INDICATIONS THAT HE HAD BEEN PREBRIEFED OR OTHERWISE PREPARED FOR THE INTERVIEW. ASSESS THIS SOURCE'S RELIABILITY TO BE GOOD. B. REQUEST THE VNOSMP MAKE NGUYEN VAN CHAU AVAILABLE FOR REINTERVIEW IF NECESSARY.// BT DLVR:CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI(1)...ORIG J2(1)...INFO FOR USCINCPAC HONOLULU H(12) 00499/17/129l J30-M(1) J3(1) 00-01-04(1) WWMCS(0) MDT(0) LRN061PCMT(0) J52(1) J51(1) Jl(l) J032(3) J03(1) CDO(1) 896168/316 3 OF 4 090712Z NOV 93 CDR JTF-FA HON