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AND PLACEAIGON, Vietnam
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SUMMARY
his unit, operating in QUANG NAM, QUANG-
STfJ* learned about an air routGsir.ee
connected HANOI aurfiolds with another im CAMBODIA. Via this route,
B0DIilthe border 5
^AfSi^rsjsrT4/y, arts o* sK.
So.fri6nd hia who told him he was on his way from QUANO NGAI Province, to KONTUM Province and then into LAOS where he was
SVW*was confined to LAOS territory/
wnixT^nS do NVN. In'G,Source overheard another prisoner talk about
the NVH^aSinl^ . ce inhese helicopters had been sentNVN Government.to take thei American, prisoners back to
CSA)
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7
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conversations with other cadres in his unit, operating lnUANG NAM and BINH DINH Province, Source learnedirect air supply route between HANOI and an airfield somewhere In CAMBODIA; this route had boon in operationU. Ine mot an old friend, an NVA Sergeant, who was on his way to KONTUM and then LAOS toruck convoy to NVN; this oonvoy was to bring supplies back to SVN. Inuring his confinement at DA NANO, ha overheard another prisoner say that earlier that same month, rightattle in QUANG TRI, helicopters had coma to pick up marine prisonora captured by tho NVA unit, and taken them to NVN.
In the conversations with cadres of his unit. Source waa told Senior Captain NGUYEN VAN DY,the Battalion Political Officer, about the air supply route from HANOI to Cambodia. Source had asked why units in the northern regions of SVN lacked adequate supplies of weapons while the NVA/VC troops in the lower parts of SVN were reasonably well equipped. Ho was then informed thatu an air supply route had been put into effoctield somewhere in Cambodia with those of NVN. From the airfield in Cambodia supplies wero then trucked to the SVN bordor for distribution to NVA/VC troops operating in the southorn areas of SVN. He was also Informed that the location of this airfield waseoret and that even the Battalion Political Officer did not havo additional information about this route, tha types of aircraft Involved or the nationality of the pilots.
In7 Souroe met Senior Sorgcant NGUYEN MANU TUONG in MINH LONG Distriot, QUANG NQAI Province, This man had infiltrated SVN with Source's unit, but5 he had been transferred to an &iglneering School situated somewhere along the border of QUANG NAM and KONTUM Provinces. His friend was new the Adjutant of the engineering school. He told Source that he was on his way to the border of KONTUM Province and then to LACS where he wouldonvoy of trucks heading for NVN. At the engineering school personnel from Platoon Leaders up to Company Comtaondors wore instructed on the dismantling of bombs, making of bombs, land mines, torpedos and water mines. NGUYEN MANH TUONG added that he was going to NVN to bring back supplies for this school. He was travelling alone at the time, but once in LAOS he would join upruck convoy. Whan Source asked him about the danger involved in the journey, his friend told him that tha convoy would be travelling only at night, at high spoed, and that he expeoted to be in NVN (no definite location given) within ten days. He did not apecify the number of trucks involved but said itlargo" convoy of "MOLOTOVA" trucks, each equipped with an "antiaircraft" gun for dofonse against enemy aircraft. No comments were made in their converaation about tho condition or size of the road, other than the fact that lt ran from LAOS, swerved West around tho demilitarised zone and then East into NVN. His friend did not say who drove the trucks, or whether tho trucks carried anything in them on tho way north. Source knew that high level cadres or seriously wounded NVA veterans returning to NVN travelled through LAOS and hia friond stated that they used this same road in doing so.
During his confinement at DA NANG inource hoard one of thoother prisoners talk about the battlo of "DONG HA" in QUANG TRI Province staged ln7 in which American Marines engaged NVA forces. This nan (name unknown) said that during the battlo his unit (name not mentioned) had captured. Marines, and .that NVN helicopters had landed near the battlo acone to pick up these prisoners and take thorn to NVN. Ho added that tho NVN Government had sent theso holicoptors, but ho did not say anything about the direction they came from or departed.
Original document.
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