[241112Z.OH 04/27/96]

ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE

ROUTINE

R 241112Z SEP 93 ZYB PSN 697346P35

FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//42//

TO RUEHBT/CJTFFA DET ONE BANGKOK TH
CDRPERSCOM ALEXANDRIA VA//TAPC-PED-P//

INFO WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH DC
SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP: RSA//
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/OCS/CCS/EAP/VLC//
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//OCJCS/45/PW-MIA/03-JOD//
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//J3/J30-M//
USCINCPAC LO WASHINGTON DC
DIA WASHINGTON DC//CH-3//
CIA WASHINGTON DC//DEA/SEA/IB/DDO/EA/ICOG//
RUEHBT/USDAO BANGKOK TM//PW-MIA//
CDRUSACILHI HICKAM AFB HI//TAPC-PED-H//

UNCLAS //N03460//

MSGID/SYS.RRM/CDR JTF-FA//

AMPN: EVALUATION OF SRV ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW - MR. DO VAN
NGUYEN//

REF/A/MSG/CDR JTF-FA/020042ZJUL93//

RMKS/1. REF A DOCUMENTS AN INTERVIEW WITH MR DO VAN NGUYEN, A
FORMER PHUOC LONG (CURRENTLY SONG BE) PROVINCE PARTY SECRETARY.
ANALYSIS OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY MR. NGUYEN PROBABLY
CORRELATES TO TWO UNRESOLVED CASES: REFNO 0054 JAMES MCLEAN AND
REFNO 1244-03 PETER RUSSELL. MR. NGUYEN ALSO PROVIDED THE NAMES
OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO
UNACCOUNTED FOR SERVICEMEN.

2. MR, NGUYEN DESCRIBED THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE CAPTURE
OF AN AMERICAN MEDIC (MCLEAN) AT THE BATTLE OF BU DANG. HE
SAID THAT VIETNAMESE FORCES TOOK THE MEDIC TO A DETENTION CAMP
IN THE BU GIA MAP AREA. DAC O VILLAGE. HE DESCRIBED THE MEDIC AS
BEING A TALL YOUNG CAUCASIAN MR. NGUYEN RECALLED THAT
U.S./REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM FORCES ATTACKED THE DETENTION CAMP AND A
BOMBING RAID PRECEDED THE GROUND ATTACK. HE LEARNED SECOND HAND
THE MEDIC DIED AT DINH KRA BANG HAMLET (NORTHWEST OF BU DANG,
NEAR THE CURRENT BOUNDARY BETWEEN BU DANG AND PHUOC LONG
DISTRICTS) AND HIS BODY WAS PLACED IN A NYLON BAG AND BURIED ON
THE SPOT FOLLOWING

                                Page l

THE ATTACK. MR NGUYEN RECALLED THE MEDIC'S BODY HAD DOG TAGS
BUT PUBLIC SECURITY FORCES CONFISCATED THEM. HE ALSO SAID THAT
POSSIBLY IN 1967, AN ARMY AMERICAN AIRBORNE SPECIAL FORCES
CAPTAIN (RUSSELL) SURRENDERED NEAR BU DANG HE SAID THE CAPTAIN
CAME FROM A HELICOPTER AND SUBSEQUENTLY DIED OF MALARIA WHILE
IN CAPTIVITY. HE ALSO SAID THE CAPTAIN WAS BURIED NEAR NGIA
TRUNG VILLAGE, GRID COORDINATES YT250950.

3. MR. NGUYEN CORRECTLY DESCRIBED THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF AN ARMY MEDIC WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE
SPECIFIC YEAR. THE EVENTS DESCRIBED CLOSELY MATCH THE
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH REFNO 0054. JTF-FA FILES
INDICATE REFNO 0054 WAS THE ONLY GROUND LOSS INCIDENT INVOLVING
THE CAPTURE OF A MEDIC IN THE BU DANG AREA, PHUOC LONG PROVINCE.
HE ALSO,CORRECTLY DESCRIBED THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE
CAPTURE OF AN AMERICAN SPECIAL FORCES CAPTAIN WITH THE EXCEPTION
OF THE SPECIFIC YEAR. THE EVENTS DESCRIBED CLOSELY MATCH THE
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH REFNO 1244-0-03.

4. FORWARDED TO CDRPERSCOM/TAPC-PED-P FOR APPROPRIATE ACTION.
SANITIZED COPY OF REF A WILL BE FORWARDED SEPARATELY FOR
RELEASE
EVAL: KDS//

BT
DLVR: CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI(1)...ORIG
J3(1)...INFO FOR USCINCPAC HONOLULU H(13)
J30-M(1) 00-01-04(1) MDT(0) LRN061PCMT(1) J52(1) J51(1) J2(1)
J1(1) J032(3) J03(1) CDO(1)

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