ROAD CONDITIONS AND BOMBING EFFECTS IN THE VICINITY OF HANOI

Created: 9/1/1967

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

Intelligence Information Cable

in

7

subject road conditions and bombing effects in the vicinity of hanoi

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MlMIIMIVn ICI

state

to dia

to nmcc/mc

to msa

distributionJ THOKiS l. hughes

exclusive for general carrol-

exclusive for army acsi, general yarbdrough;

navy onij AOMirallfluckey;

air force afc in, general thomas exclusive for general carter

VEHICLE LARGO*HALLIETNAMESE OFFICIAL SAID THAT ROADS IN THE AREA SURROUNDING NAM DINH CiTY WERE SO BAD THAT IT WAS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR SAM MISSILE TRANSPORTERSE FROM PLACE TO PLACE. END OF SUMMARY.

I. IdAUGUSTL MENBErfS Of THE FIFTH RUSSELL TRiSUfcAL INVESTIGATION TEAM WERE TAXES OK GUIDED TOURS OF BOMBED

CITIES Ik THE HANOI VICINITY. THE FIRST TRIP TOOK PLACEUGUST . WKE* THE TRIBUNAL MEMBERS WiSE DnlVEfc FROH HA"O THE TOWN OF SON TAY ivOHTH WEST OF HANOI ON SOUTE . THEY WERE ACCOMPAINED ON .THIS TRIP BY CO-ChEL HA VAN LAU WHO HADE SENIOR NORTH VIETNAMESE REPRESENTATIVE AT THE jffiCSOT STOCXhOLMCONFERENCE. THE TRIP

j WAS MADE AT NIGHT. ABOUT ILOMETERSiAbOX THE GROUP PASSED Tt* SAM MISSILE TRANSPORTERS WITH HliSlLiS WHICH WEXE APPARENTLYREPAIRS TO THE TrtANSPORTERS. IN THE AHEA FROM

i, KILOMETERS FROM HANOI ON ROUTE 1IA THERE WERE NUMEROUS CONVEfcTIOKALTSLLAT:0KS NEAR THE ROAD. ABOUTILOMETERS FROM HANOI THE

OAD WAS BADLY CRATER EDAMD TO BE INTACT. E SEDJP WAS TAKEN TO DAT LAI VlLLlACE, dhi DISTRICT, HAVInCL WHICH THEY WERE TOLD HAD 8EEJ. SOficiD WITH CLUSTER8 UNITSS JULY Ai.D UGUST. NINE PEA80ft2 SlESE SAID TO HAVE SEEN KILLED AftDOU.iDED. THE VILLAGE WAS QUITI .iKMOTt AND HAD NO APPARENT

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THE KlGhTUGUST IKE GrtGUP HAS DAIVEH FnOH HANOIDINH CITY. THEY WERE ACCOMPANIED ON THIS TRIP BY PHAK VAN

SAC, WHOICE PRESIDENT OF THE VIETNAMESE WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATION TfiAfE IN HAwOIUD8E IN THE CITY OF HANOI. THE riOAD ollwZZ* NAfcAS EfcY JAD STATE OF REPAIR BECAUSE OF 5uK3 DAKAGE AND IN SOME PLACES IT WAS NECESSARY TO DRIVETHE FORMER ROADBED. THE GROUP SAW MEDIUM SIZED TRUCKS WHICHBECOKE STUCK TRYING TO ?ASS BOMB DAi-.ACE ON SOME OF InE STEEP CURVES btSIDE THE FORMER ROADBED. TnE rOL-OWING MORNING PrtAM VAN 3AC DISCUSSED ROAD CONDITIONS WITH THE TRIBUNAL GROUP AND SAID THAT THE aOADS IN THE NAM DINH AREA WEREvY BAD SHAPE AND THAT IT WAL BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR THE SAM MISSILE TRANSPORTERS T3 GET FrtCM PLACE TO PLACE.

TRIBUNAL GROUP VISITED NAK Dlfih CITY ONUGUST. THEY TOLDER CENT OF THE TOWS HAD BEEN DESTROYED BYAND ThE GROUPEiT^ATS UriZkE CITY.

AS

SAID ALL LARGE HOUSES HAD EITHER BEE.'. DEsTnCYED OR DAMAGED. THEINHABITANTS LOOKED TIRED ANDHAM VAN BAC sAXD THAT THE TOWNEACETIME POPULATION3 BUT DID NOT

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DXiE HAD BiLSIC KTI.LIT)SSAD BSSHTJ TJ1

.espite visttwese GLACIS to TIG COtfEiARY,!

HTBUSAL VZXBZaS PRIVATELY coscluded THAT CIYILIA3 CASUALTIES EAD NCT BELtf

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4. Oft ThE MIGHTUGUST THE GROUP, STILL ACCOMPANIED BY PHAM VAtt BAC, wAS DRIVEN from PnU ly CITYH BINh CITY. THE ROADt TWO CITIES CKOSSiS TAAK SOSC DAY fciVcF. TWICE AND AT BOTH CftOSSlftSa THE BRIDGES HADBOMBED OUT AMD PONTOON BRIDGES WERE IN USE. AT THE FIRST CROSSING ABOUT JXOftSTScfl from HINH bibh TrttR1DGE WAS TWO LAAZ AND TRAFFIC WENT THROUGH WITH LITTLE DELAY. HOWtVErt, THEDGE AT THa CROSSINGOM .WNH 3INH was OiiE LANE AN-ONSIDERABLE

3. viOUGhOUTUGUST the TRIBUNAL MEMBERS WErtE TRAVELING BY car AT NIGnT THEYPASSEDHE ROADS. THEY were TOLDHAM van BAC AND COLONEL HA VAfc LAU that. SPECIAL "ShOCK BRIGADES" HAD BEEN CREATED TO AD OARAGE. THESEGADEb ArtE WADE UP OF PEKSONS WHO LIVE '

f THE MiKocRSrfDCX 3RIGADLS ArtE LA3GRZ3S GnC UGrirlUnb AT SIGHT On ROAD iitPAIR. Ah EFFCaT Is AADZ TO liJ-tP iTO.;Ei FOrt ROAD REPAIRTHE PLACE* THEY SAYEEDED. THE

ftS FREGUEXTi.YHEA.iDT NIGHTIkZSCOrtTbiillK BY EXPLAI.vIi.3ii-.OCr; daIGaDLS WERE BLASTING SOCK CUT OF MALL HILLS FOR 'Jiii Gu THE ?ILES OF SOCK FOa rtOAD aEPAIRS WEHE ALONG THE HOC it EG UL An SCAD DAMAGE SitflED TOUICKLY RZPAIaSDEREftLftGUS PLACtS WHERE IT WAS OBVIOUS BECAUSE OF THE

;.LS3 CF THE SLOPE OR TIGHTNESS OF THE TUrtN THAT THE ROAD COULD' ivGTSaD BY AaY VEHICLE LAnGEr. MALL TRUCK. ii. FI&L5 DlistM: NONE.

7. HEADOJARTCRS CCHKENTi ADVANCE COPIES SENT ELECTRICALLY TO WHITE HOUSE,

STATE,Y, NAVY, AIR, NIC, NSA, OCl.

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Original document.

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