VIET CONG POLICY TOWARD U.S. PRISONERS OF WAR

Created: 10/6/1969

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT. NOl HNAUY EVA'.UAIEPIINTEUIGENC?

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REPORTATE DISTR. CTOBER9

li OBJECTIVES AND PROBLEMS OF THE VIET CONG LAMIET CONG POLICY. PRISONERS OF WAR

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THE BASIC TARGETS OF VIET CONG /VC/ MILITARY UNITS

j'IN LAM DONG PROVINCE HAVE REMAINED UNCHANGEDE PAST THREE

j MONTHS, DESPITE AN APPROXIMATELYER CEwtf DECREASE IN TROOP "

{.OF THEEVOLUTIONARY PARTY USUALLY MEETS ONCE A ONTH BUT DOES NOT MAKE ANYCpNoiy. JeCJJCfl'.

Cf VC PROVINCE COMMITTEE'HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO. MEET ITSAX COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS SINCE..THE BEGINNING OFEAR. ACCORDING TO INFORMATION AT THE. |PRISONERS OF VAR /POWS/ ARE SENT TO THE CENTRAL OFFICE FOR^SOUTH VIETNAM IMMEDIATELY AFTER CAPTURE. THE LATEST VC. POV'S IS REPORTEDLY ^ACCORD THEM GOODECAUSELL BE feDED FqV PRISONER EXCHANGESHE 'END OF THE*WAR IS IN SIGHT. END SUMMARY.,

I, ACCORDING TO INFORMATION AVAILABLE' WITHIN.THE LAM DONG

VIET CONG /VC/ PROVINCE STAFF UNIT"IN LATE AUGUST9 THETARGETS' "OF* VC MILITARY. UNITS IN THE PROVINCENDERGONE. NO SIGNIFICANT, CHAljREs" AS OF-THE LAST. I'.MONTHS- THEY. AND GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAMNSTALLATIONS AND PERSONNEL. HOWEVER, THE SET POLICY OF {ATTEMPTING to CONTROL THE RURAL AREAS, AND ULTIMATELY THE

POPULATION CENTERS ADJACENT TO NATIONALADAFFECTEDECREASING CAPABILITY OF THE VC IN OVIESULT ING UHDERSTRENGTH UNITS. IT '

IfiUMORED' THAT A NEWH VIETNAMESE ARMY /NVA/OMPANY, CONSISTINGEN, HAD ARRlVEO IN

;KHANK PROVINCE EN ROUTE TO REINFORCIHG UNITS IH LAM DONG. EETING HELD ONUGUST9 FOR ALL VC OF -COMPANY COMMANDER RANK, THE OBJECT IVES* OF'CDMI NS CAMPAIGNS*

OF VC LOCAL FORCE UNITS WERE STATED

iDICTING NATIONAL" CAUSINGTH TRAFFIC j'COMMUNICATIONSE PROVINCE- /B/ ORTAR AND ROCKET ATTACKS. AND GVNfy

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.AND /C/ CONDUCTING SNIPER ATTACKS AGAINST. AND.

i.GVN PERSONNEL. ALTHOUGH NO GREAT EMPHASIS HAD BEEN PUT ON

CAPPER TRAINING FOR.THE LAST FOUR MONTHS. SNIPEREPORTEDLY WAS TO BEGIN SHORTLY. /FIELD .COMMENT

SIGHLY SUCCESSFUL

i VC SAPPER ATTACK WAS CARRIED OUT ON THE SIGHT9 AGAINSTD ARMY OF IKE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAMREGIMENT. THE FOLLOWING .NIGHT THE SAME UNIT .RECEIVED AAND ROCKET j

ROOP STRENGTH IHONG'wAS

OXIMATELY ONE-HALF WHATIT WAS PRIOR TO THE TET8

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OFFENSIVE. THE AVERAGE .SISEJtGTHOCAL, FORCE COMPANY

CURRENTLY ONLYEN. CONTINUING. SHORTAGES OF FOOD AND

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; MEDICINE DURING THE RAINY SEASON NAVE CAUSED MORALE^ TO REACH I .EVEN LOVER ED3 THAN EXISTED PREVIOUSLY.

WEAK POSITION OF VC UNITS IN .THECOMPOUNDED DY LOW MORALE AND INADEQUATE TROOP STRENGTH, WOULD _j .,ROBABLY PROHIBIT. THEM. FROMjnOUHTZWG ANY LARGE-SCALE ATTACKS IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY PROJECTED COUNTRYWIDE OFFENSIVE.

C COMPANY COMMANDERS^ WESE_CONTINUALLY REMJLNOED THROUGH PROPAGANDA THAT THEIR UNITS CONSISTED OF GUERRILLA FIGHTERS

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; WHO MUST ALWAYS BE PREPARED TOUERRILLA WAR,REQUENTLY WOULD REQUIRE EACH UNIT TO BEND ABLE TO FIGHT WITHOUT* OUTs'lDE*INCLUDING NVA ANPOWER.

THE VC PROVINCE STAFF UNIT CHAPTER" OF THE PEOPLE'S

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REVOLUTIONARY PARTY /PRP/.HELD MEETINGS USUALLY ON THE LAST DAY OF EVERY MONTH, WITH THE TIME AND PLACE ANNOUNCED AT THE

LAST MINUTE. THE MEETINGS USUALLY LASTED ABOUT EIGHT TO TEHFTENINTO THEND'WERE ATTENDED BYF THE

; TOTALEMBERS OF THE IT VAS DESIRED THAT *

UMIT"MEMBERS,BECOME prp'MEMBERS, BUT SOME WEREECAUSE OF THEIR MONTAGNAftD ETHNIC BACKGROUND, AMD OTHERS

had not servedong enough. tke agenda of

: THE MEETINGS RARELY VARIED. THE FIRST PART"WAS DEVOTEDROUP DISCUSSION OF THE PAST*MONTH'S ERRORS AND TO StLF-

.criticisn, while the second part vas devoted to discussion of goals to.be achieved in the coming month. the advice and guidance rendered by the senior cadres were not injtke form of '; concrete direction but took on the flavor of no i policy decisions were made. the night sessions of*thfmeetings'onductedigh-ranking 'cadre "fROfTtkE province! committee *

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) chapter, who merely repeated the substance of the earlier dis-

, cussions. .

the' vc province committee has NOT been able to "meet

i. ITS militaryax collection .

not all tke reasons are known, but the shortage ofower isain factor prohibiting efficient collection

operations. the finance-economy section of the provinces having problems, as indicated by the minimal allowance oft the official exchange rate of/ given each vc soldier every other month for the

Purchase of tobacco, candy, and other sundries, theconomy section annoWcedTtVo monTHs ago'

j'vould be discontinued beginning with the fourth quarter of the

.year, because funds for this purpose "vould be depleted. the

: majority of tax money obtained by the province committee is

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"derived from lumber and plantation interests. the larger plantations, such as le van phuoc,ampir* and

j tu quy, must payoercent of JHfil^ gross incomeperating privileges, and the smaller plantations must pay

' aboutercent. .IN addition, The plantation workers are

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| required toork-residence tax. some lumber and coffee

[ interests must pay a's^MUClTRs percent of "tHe'ir*

CCORDING TO INFORMATION LEA^NED.fAT. * .V" "LEVEL,. .MILITARYeTjTENANTERGEANT,*

-HO WERE CAPTURED1 IN_ERE SENT *

I IMMEDIATELY TO^ THE CENTRAL OFFICE TOR_ SOUTH. VIETNAJ1 IN KEEPING.WITH TKE.HE LATEST VC POLICY. POWS IS TO PROVIDE

HEM GOOD TREATMENT, BECAUSE THE WAR WILL SOON END AND THEY

: WILL BE NEEDED FOR PRISONER EXCHANGES WITH.THE GVN ANDHERE IS NO INTERNMENT.AM DONG PROVINCE

j PRISONERS, ALTHOUGH THERE IS ONE FOR ARVN'SOLDIERS,HE VICINITY OF YT IT ISARGE BAMBOO . j" ej AREA, IS WELL-CONCEALED FROM THE AIR, AND CONSISTS OF SIX

- SMALL HOUSES AND DEFENSIVEEUARDED

t APPROXIMATELYC SECURITY GUARDS, ARMED WITH SKS.

j' CARBINES, WHO HAVE ORDERS TO KILL THERRVN.: .

j THE CAMP IS RAIDED. THE PRISONERS PERFORM AGRICULTURAL WORK, _ * EAT wiTH THE GUARDS, AND ARE WILLINGOPPORTUNITY

ITSELF. SOKE OF THE LESS TRUSTED PRISONERS ARENDER PHYSICAL DETENTION AT NIGHT. NO OTHER LARGE VC FORCES

. ARE STATIONED NEARBY7

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f' 8. FIELD DISSEH-- STATE, USMACV, USAID, CORDS,/MR. NICKELTH AIR FORCE, USARV,THAG, OSI, CIHCPAC, PACFLT, PACAF,/

Original document.

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