SIGHTING OF AN AMERICAN POW IN THE MUONG PHINE AREA OF LAOS AND REPORTS OF A PO

Created: 12/6/1971

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Intelligence

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LAOS/NORTH VIETNAM

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SU3JECT SIGHTING OF AN AMERICAN POW IN THE MUONG PHINE AREA OF LAOS ANDOW ESCAPE AND THE CAPTURE OF AN AMERICAN IN THE HUONG PHALANE AREA . ,

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SUMMARY. DURINGORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY

OBSERVED AX AMERICAN PRISONER IN SKI MUONG

PHINE AREA. THE AMERICAN APPEARED TO BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION AND HAD BLUE EYES AND BROWN HAIR.

."OR WHICH HE THANKED PfllSONER SIGHTING,

OFFERED THEIECE OF MANGO WHICn HE ACCEPTED

ABOUT ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE SPOKE WITH TWO CADRE I

WHO TOLD HIM THEY HAD OBSERVED TWO

HEARD

AMERICAN PRISONERS MOVING NORTH ON THE COMMO-LIAISON ROUTE. THESE TWO PRISONERS WERE DRESSEDIMILAR MANNER AS THE

SIGHTED, f

AMERICAN WHOM

PRIOR TO THE SIGHTING THAT AN AMERICAN PRISONER HAD ESCAPED FROM HIS GUARDS. EW DAYS BEFORE THE PRISONER SIGrtTINO, ^JLEARNEO FROM AN ANTIAIRCRAFT CREW THAT AN

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HAD BEEN CAPTURED IN THEA LANE AREA. END SUMMARY. 1. INORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY (NVA)

OBSERVED

AN AMERICAN PRISONER IN-THE AREA OF BAN (VILLAGE) KHAMSA-EE (TVDHE WAS NOT SURE OF THE EXACT MONTH OF THE

J-RISONER SIGHTING BUT RECALLED THAT IT WAS DURING THE MANGOHE BELIEVED IT OCCURRED IN JUNE OR JULY. THE AMERICANDRESGED IN BLACK PAJAMAS AND WORE HO CHI MTNH SANDALS, WERE LOOSELY TIED^AND HE WAS GUARDED BY SIX ARMED PATHETSOLDIERS AND ONE NVA LIEUTENANT WHO WAS AN ADVISOR TO THETHAT THE NVA ADVISOR WAS

ACCOMPANYING THE PL TROOPS GUARDING THE AMERICAN-PRISONER IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE PL FROM KILLING OR INJURING HIM. T THAT

NVA POLICY REGARDING CAPTURED AMERICANS IS NOT TO TIE THEIR HANDS OP. RESTRAIN THEM IN ANY WAY.)

HE AMERICAN PRISONER AND

THANKED

OFFEREDIECE OF MANGO. THE AMERICAN ACCEPTED THE FRUIT

IN VIETNAMESE. I

OBSERVED THAT THE

AMERICAN HAD BLUE EYES AND BROWN HAIR. HE WAS SLIGHTLY OVER SIX

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TALL AND HAD A SLENDERDID NOT OBSERVE ANY

THAT THEY HAD GIVEN THE AMERICANWHICH HE CARRIED IN THE RUCKSACK. THE

AMERICANEW MINUTES BEFORE THE PRISONER AND HIS GUARDS LEFT

NOTICEABLE SCARS OR INJURIES AND SAID THE AMERICAN APPEARED TO BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION. THE AMERICAN WAS WEARING NO WATCH OR JEWELRY OF ANY TYPE. THE AMERICAN'S NAME WAS NOT MENTIONED. THE PRISONER WAS CARRYING A. NVA RUCKSACK ON HIS BACK AND VILLAGERS LATER TOLD

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AREAORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION.

THE CADRE TOLD

THAT THEY HAD BEEN MOVING NORTH ON THE INFILTRATION ROUTE AND HAD OBSERVED LARGE NUMBERS OF NVA TROOPS MOVING [ASKED

THEM IF ANY TROOPS WERE MOVING NORTH AND THEY SAID THEY HAD WALKEDMALL GROUP OF NVA SOLDIERS WHO WERE GUARDING TWO AMERICAN PRISONERS. THE CADRE SAID THAT THE AMERICANS WERE WEARING BLACK PAJAMAS AND WERE BAREFOOT. THEY WERE NOT TIED OR RESTRAINED IN ANY

PAOea AGES

hwrn

HANKER. THE CADRE FOLLOWED THE GROUPHORT PERIOD AND THEM PASSED THE GROUP BECAUSE THE BAREFOOT AMERICANS WERE MOVING SLOWER THAN THE CADRK WANTED TO WALK. THE CADRE DID NOT OFFER ANT DESCRIPTIONS OF THE TWO AMERICAN PRISONERS.

THAT-PRIOR TO HIS SIGHTING OF THS AMERICAN,

HE SPOKE WITH SOLDIERS OF THE 3TH NVA VOLUNTEER BATTALIONNFORMED HIM THAT AN AMERICAN PRISONER HAD ESCAPED FROM HIS GUARDS SOMEWHERE ON THE COMMO-LIAISON ROUTE AND THEYLOOKING FOR HIM.

5. EW DAYS PRIOR TO THE SIGHTING OF THECOLLECTING MANGOES IN THE AREA NEAR

HIS HOSPITAL WHEN HE ENGAGEDONVERSATION WITH SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF AN ANTIAIRCRAFT GUN CREW. THE MEN WERE CONGRATULATING THEMSELVES EOR SHOOTING DOWN ANH JET PLANE. THB

GUNNER IN THE

'TOLD| ' [THAT TBE CREW HAD

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ESSAGE INFORMING THEM THAT THEY HAD DESTROYED AN

IRCRAFT. THE MESSAGE ALSO SAIDELICOPTER HAD BEEN

SHOT DOWN AS IT ATTEMPTED TO RESCUE THE AIRCRAFT CREW. THEY SAID

THEY WERE TOLD IT HAD CRASHED ON THE SOUTHWEST 8IDE OF PHOU

8 (MOUNTAIN) VIBNG. IF THB PILOT OF THE

H PLANE WAS CAPTURED WHEN IT CRASHED, AND THE MEN TOLD HIM THAT

INlSOS-iC

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THEY DID NOT KNOW. THEY SAID, HOWEVER, THAT THEY HAD RECEIVEDTHAT AN AMERICAN WAS RECENTLY CAPTURED IN THE MUONG PI IA NOT THINK THE AMERICAN HE

AREA.

OBSERVED WAS IN THE PLANE WHICH THE ANTIAIRCRAFT CREW SHOT DOWN, BECAUSE HE THEN WOULD HAVE BEEN WEARING MILITARYOMMENT.

SET

AQES

7. FIELD DISSEM. STATE ARMY AIR CINCPAC ARPAC PACAF PACFLT MACV/JPRC 7THH AF TFA/NKP 7TH RRFS (ALSO SENT SAIGON).

Original document.

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