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Intelligence Information
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THIS ISF CRMS' SlPOflT, NOT tiN-MLY EVALUATED [NISLUGENCE
DATE DiSIR. anuary North Vietnam/South
throughctoborg S
sus'ect nHnn"BnH Trc.^tme at i
[ American Prisoners of War.
iNorth and South1 ;
ACQ - Vietnam, Saigonield
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The apprehension and detention of American risoners of war (POWs) in North Vietnam (NVN) are the respoi sibility of the Armed Public Security Forces. There are' specific procedures relating to the handling of American POWs captured in NVN and to their subsequent exploitation for tactical and strategic information. American POWs were
f AGES
considered generally cooperative and much important infor-
mation^of tactical value was obtained from them. In not publicizing the identities of tho American POWs, NVNree hand for tho continued exploitation of the POWs. Some American POWs reportedly were to -be retained in NVN, just as some Frenchad been retained after the armistice End Summary.
. 1. The Armed Public Security Forcos (APSF) (Luc Lubng Cong. An Vo Trans) was the principal Democratic RepubTic of Vietnam TTJRv; agency responsible for the arrest and,of_ American POtfs_in NVN. _It was .also^er lean POWs" and'had some responsibility for their interrogation^ "
2. According to DRV policy, American POWs wore toumanely treated during and after'apprehension, butppropriate measures were to bo taken to preclude" American POWs were disrobed immediately,some American Pilots, using radio equipment concealed in thoir uniforms, had been able to summon help fron. aircraft. This policy was adhered to by tho militia, APSF, and members of tha Ministry of National Defense (HND) but ofteu not by the people, who harbored an in."American flyers -
_Jhad hoard of numerous cases in which Americanboon beaten by the peoplo in Thanh Eoa- and Nghe An When apprehended by villagox-s, aptured pilotto tho nearest villageho nbtlfieiTthaauthorities, who had transportation facilitiesthe POW__to tho province level, where he wasto.-the APSF.Public Security
Services on tho province levol didinvolved inof American POWs in NVN norhoy'given access
Z. "Isaw an American pilot captured in Winh pmh (now ham HaTFroTii.es while ho was eurouto from Nam Dinh to Ninh Binh. The pilop's aircx-aft was clowned xvhilo attempting toridge on Routeocated noar Vol Mountain. Two members of thy APSF appeared on the scenoeep within less than five minutes, apprehended and disrobed the pilot, who offered no resistance, and immediately drove off f with him. The pilot, who.was later identified in a'newspaper
articleaptain, was0 meters tall. (Fieldof the information in^hislparVgra Dh'ahd'ingiven preliminary
4. In about6 (or February ircraft, which had been shot down
City Nam Ha Province. Ho did not see tho pilot, who
bailed out and landedeters from shoro and wasonded by two members of an Air Defense unit who swam after nim. Although the pilot had surrendered his weapon while swimming toward'. helicopter appeared on tho scene'-and rescued the pilot. The body of the co-pilot waa found ashed ashore the follov<nK day. VJ_
ho Air Defense unitr* involvedevere reprimand, and other Air Defense units were alerted. methods of rescuing downed pilots
February orhile in
witnessed
a bombing attack. aircraft on tho Longwho was then near the Gia Lam Airfield by the"
oia Lam Railroad Factory, saw one aircraft downed and one
klot capturQd b? tho APSF. The pilot, who was big and0 meters tall, was surrounded by several APSF Jeeps
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throughout tho period of his three-day stay with Company.American denied knowing any thing .aboutircraftdeployment of tanks in the Dalat area.
73tnowleq'ge of English is elementary, audi
"Ishe had problems in communicating with" theho spoke too fast. She obtained soma answers fromwriting after posing questions to him, at times also The American wasas permittedtho company commander's'Vuiiker afriight, and wasto UM the commander's radio to listen to alsoqund_.lef
ficial skin
the Enemy "groselvtlngf Tuyen Due Province.
heard that the American POW had" been inter
.Tfppatedpy members of the Enemy Proselyting anduring his stay with Companyhe entire"company was used to guard the American and to establish perimeter defense. No one was permitted to see him except senior cadres ofnd of the VC Tuyen Due Province Unit.
merican POWs wore considered important sources of tactical information by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Air Force
American pilots had liquos,
provldod information on flight techniques, maneuvers,capabilities and other informationad aided tho NVA AF Air Defense units In Revisingcounter-measures against attacks.
^American pilots had provided information onorganization; and flight formationsermitted tho Air Defense to concentrate their
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upon tho flight commnudor's aircraft.
}most American POWs woro cooperative orpersuaded to become cooperative because of thethey received, which ovon included tho servingchicken, in lieu of turkey, on certain Amorlcan holidaysspite of this cooperation, the "information from the . - POWs could not always bb' accepted as reliable
had not hoard that violence waa urn-ad against American POWs, though lt had been used earlier against French POWs.
11. AfterVN decided not to publicize'the |iajes, ranks or other information oo captured American POWs.
his decision was related to NVN exploitation of these prisoners for information and to their exploitation by othor Communist Bloc countries.
]the American prisoners by name would place NVN in an untenable position, in that it would then have to deal. demands, for tho return of each prisoner of war who had boen identified. y not identifying thorn, NVN would avoid having to account for those who had died or those whom NVN did not wish to return tos had occurred with somo French POWs after4 Armistico (see below). Also, by keeping secrot the identities of the American POWs, NVN prevented. from ascertaining precisely what information may have been compromised by each POW, thus precluding tho Americans from negating tho countar-measures which NVN had devised. aircraft.
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not know any locations where American
prisoners wore detainod in NVN.
after the Tvo4 Armistice, an umcnown number of Fronchwore highly knowledgeable on technicalmatters' had not been returned to'France." POWs, who wore subsequently consideredof NVN and who wero permitted to marry Northgirls, were kept in restricted camps in former Son(now Ha Dong) and wero provided all the necessary for production actlvitiosrelatod to thoirBQWa
were considered of much greater vaitra^than tbe 'fpr-roer French prisoners whom NVN had decided not to return to France.
14. Field Dissom: Stato USMACV 7th Air ForcoPACFLT PACAF Alt PAC
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Original document.
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