[091812Z.OH 04/28/96]

RCV11489      05: 08 OS/13/93
VZCZCBTO545
RR RUEHBT
DE  RUHQSGG #5366 2211812
ZNR UUUUU
R 091812Z  AUG 93 ZYB
FM  CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2//
TO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP:RSA/POW-MIA//
INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE  HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH  DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OASD-ISA/PW-MIA//
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/OCS/CCS/EAP/VLC//
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//OCJCS/J5/PW-MIA/J3-JOD//
RUHQHQB/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//J3/J30-M//
RUEKJCS/USCINCPAC LO WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC//DEA/SEA/IB/DDO/EA/ICOG//
RUHVAAA/CDRUSACILHI HICKAM AFB HI//TAPC-PED-H//
RUEHBT/USDAO BANGKOK TH//PW-MIA//
RUEHBT/CJTFFA DET ONE BANGKOK TH
BT
UNCLAS //N03460//
MSGID/SYS.RRM/CDR JTF-FA/J2//
AMPN/SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE,
REF/A/FAX/DET 2/26JUNE93//
AMPN/SUBJ: LIST or PERSONS FOR INTERVIEW, ENTRY NUMBER 31 or
83//
PAGE 02 RUHQSGG5366 UNCLAS

RMKS/I. BACKGROUND. ON 21 JUNE 1993, A JOINT U.S./VIETNAM ORAL
HISTORY PROGRAM INTERVIEW TEAM INTERVIEWED RETIRED SRCOL TRAN DUY
HOI, A HANOI RESIDENT. HE IS CURRENTLY EMPLOYED BY VIETNAM
AIRLINES AND WAS  FORMERLY AN AIR FORCE OFFICER WHO  CONTRIBUTED TO
THE BOOK "THE AIR AND AIR DEFENSE FORCE MEMOIRS." THE TEAM MET  A
THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL NEWS AGENCY COOPERATION, VIETNAM
NEWS AGENCY, NUMBER 8 TRAN HUNG DAO STREET, HANOI, TO INTERVIEW
SRCOL HOI, LISTED IN REFERENCE AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF
INFORMATION CONCERNING U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN ACTION (MIA) IN
VIETNAM. THE U.S. CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF MR. KEITH GARY
FLANAGAN, DET 2, JOINT TASK FORCE-FULL ACCOUNTING (JTF-FA)
CASUALTY RESOLUTION SPECIALIST; TSGT RONALD D. WARD, JTF-FA ORAL
HISTORY PROGRAM COORDINATOR; AND PO2 JOHN HARVEY, JTF-FA
ANALYST/LINGUIST. THE VIETNAMESE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CONTINGENT
CONSISTED OF LTC LE KY, MINISTRY OF DEFENSE; AND MR. TRINH QUOC
KHANH, MINISTRY OF INTERIOR. SRCOL HOI HAD NOT BEEN INTERVIEWED
BY A JOINT TEAM BEFORE.

2. SUMMARY. THE SOURCE, TRAN DUY HOI, PROVIDED NO DETAILS
CONCERNING U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. HE
SUMMARIZED HIS METHODS AND PURPOSES FOR WRITING A CHRONICLE OR

PAGE 03 RUHQSGG5366 UNCLAS
VIETNAM'S AIR AND AIR DEFENSE FORCE,  SOURCE MATERIALS FOR
WHICH REPORTEDLY CAME FROM OFFICIAL VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY
SOURCES. THE SOURCE CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF U.S. PERSONNEL,
LIVING FREELY OR AGAINST THEIR WILL, IN VIETNAM SINCE 1973.

3. DETAILS.

A. AFTER FORMAL INTRODUCTIONS, LTC LE KY EXPLAINED THE JOINT TEAM'S
MISSION AND MR. FLANAGAN BEGAN THE INTERVIEW WITH THE FOLLOWING
TWO  KEY QUESTIONS:

(1) SINCE 1973, HAVE YOU  EVER SEEN OR HAD ANY KNOWLEDGE OF
U.S. PRISONERS OF WAR  (PW) CAPTIVE IN VIETNAM? SRCOL HOI
REPLIED HE HAD NOT.

(2) SINCE 1973, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN OR HAD KNOWLEDGE OF
AMERICAN "STAY-BEHINDS" IN VIETNAM? SRCOL HOI REPLIED HE HAD NOT.

B. SRCOL TRAN DUY HOI (TRAANF ZUY HOWIJ)  RELATED THAT HE WAS A
FRENCH ERA WAR VETERAN, AND DURING THE ANTI-AMERICAN WAR  WAS  AN AIR
FORCE OFFICER IN THE GROUND SUPPORT SERVICES FIELD. THOUGH NOT  AN AUTHOR,
HIS SUPERIORS DIRECTED HIM  IN 1970 TO BEGIN, ALONG WITH A GROUP OF FELLOW
CONTRIBUTORS, COMPILING INFORMATION FOR WHAT EVENTUALLY BECAME "THE AIR
AND AIR DEFENSE FORCE MEMOIRS."

PAGE 04 RUHQSGG5366  UNCLAS

THE GROUP'S  PURPOSE WAS TO  DOCUMENT, FROM A
PERSONAL VIEW POINT, THE WARTIME AIR/AIR  DEFENSE (AAD) FORCE'S
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE MISSION'S DIFFICULTY AND THE
ORGANIZATIONS'S OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS. HOI STATED HIS DIRECT
SUPERIOR IN THIS PROJECT WAS NGUYEN  HONG  NIEM (NGUYEENX  HOONGF
NIEEMJ) ( SEE PARA.  7.B., BELOW).

C. SOURCE INFORMATION FOR THE BOOKS, SRCOL HOI SAID, CAME FROM
VIETNAM NEWS  AGENCY (THOONG  TAANS XAX VIEETJ NAM) SOURCES, TO INCLUDE
THE PEOPLE'S ARMY  NEWSPAPER (BAOS QUAAN DOOIJ NHAAN ZAAN), THE PEOPLE'S
NEWSPAPER  (BAOS  NHAAN ZAAN), ANDVIETNAM NEWS AGENCY PHOTOGRAPHS. HE DID
NOT KOW THE DISPOSITION or THE PHOTOGRAPHS HEHAD USED, AND SAID HE NEVER
USED SKETCHES OR ARTIST WORKS TO COMPILE INFORMATION. HE DID OFFER,
HOWEVER, THAT TACTICAL BATTLE SKETCHES USED IN THIS AND OTHER BOOKS OF
ITS TYPE WERE BASED ON BEST ESTIMATES ONLY, AND HE BELIEVED THEY WERE
FAIRLY INACCURATE.

D. AS FOR  INSTANCES IN WHICH AAD  UNITS CAME IN CONTACT WITH U.S.
PRISONERS, SRCOL HOI SAID HE KNEW or NONE, EXPLAINING THE UNITS DID NOT
HAVE VEHICLES FOR PRISONER RETRIEVAL  AT THEIR DISPOSAL. CONCERNING
U.S. PW'S, HE STATED THAT, TO HIS

PAGE 05 RUHQSGG5366  UNCLAS

KNOWLEDGE, ONLY "MILITARY  INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL", ASSOCIATED WITH
THE PRISONERS. HIS  WARTIME SPECIALTY HAD NOT PUT HIM IN A
POSITION TO KNOW THE DISPOSITION OR U.S. PW'S; IN FACT, HE
CLAIMED, THIS TYPE INFORMATION WAS  CLASSIFIED  SECRET AND WOULD
NOT NORMALLY BE MADE AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT A NEED TO
KNOW.

E. WITH NO FURTHER  QUESTIONS FOR  SRCOL HOI, THE JOINT TEAM
AGREED TO CONCLUDE THE INTERVIEW.

4. CORRELATIONS TO EXISTING POW/MIA CASES. NONE.

5. POTENTIAL LEADS. NONE.

6. MATERIAL EVIDENCE: NONE. THIS SOURCE BROUGHT NO RECORDS  ---
NOTEBOOKS, DIARIES, OR  ANY MATERIAL EVIDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH
UNACCOUNTED  FOR  U.S. PERSONNEL.

7. COMMENTS.

A. THE SOURCE, TRAN  DUY HOI, PROVIDED STRAIGHT FORWARD  AND CREDIBLE
STATEMENTS CONCERNING HIS WARTIME ACTIVITIES AND LACK or INVOLVEMENT WITH
U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. BELIEVE THE CHANCE OR SRCOL HOI
PROVIDING FUTURE STATEMENTS  USEFUL IN SOLVING EXISTING PW/MIA

B. THE JOINT ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW  TEAM  INTERVIEWED NGUYEN

PAGE 06 RUHQSGG5366 UNCLAS

HONG NIEM ON 19 JUNE 93.

C. THE MEMBERS or THE JOINT TEAM CONFERRED ON THE QUESTIONS TO BE
ASKED DURING THIS INTERVIEW. TEAM MEMBERS AGREED THAT THE NEED TO
RE-INTERVIEW THIS SUBJECT WOULD DEPEND ON WHETHER FURTHER  QUESTIONS FOR
SRCOL HOI ARISE DURING THE COURSE OR THE ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW TEAM'S
FUTURE WORK.

D. REQUEST  THE  VNOSMP MAKE  SRCOL HOI AVAILABLE  FOR
REINTERVIEW IF  NECESSARY.//

BT

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