[100042Z.OH 04/28/96]

RCV16637                00:37 08/14/93

VZCZCBT0682
RR RUEHBT                      PW-MIA-2 CJTF-2
DE RUHQSGG #6130 2180001
ZNR UUUUU
R 100042Z AUG 93 ZYB
FM  CDR JTF-FA  HONOLULU HI//J2//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP:RSA/DPMO-RA/DPMO-RO//
INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH DC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/EAP/VLC/CCS/OCS//
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 X/N03460//
SECTION 01 OF 02
MSGID/GENADMIN/CDR JTF-FA/J223//
SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, CAN HOANG DU//
REF/A/FAX/DET 2 /16MAY93//
AMPN/SUBJ: LIST OF PERSONS FOR INTERVIEW, ENTRY NUMBER 27 OF 83//
RMKS/1. BACKGROUND. ON 19 JUNE 1993, A JOINT U.S. VIETNAM OR

PAGE 02 RUHQSGG6130  UNCLAS
    
HISTORY PROGRAM INTERVIEW TEAM INTERVIEWED RETIRED SENIOR COLON L
(SRCOL) CAN HOANG DU, AN APPROXIMATELY 65 YEAR OLD HANOI RESIDENT,
SRCOL DU IS CURRENTLY RETIRED, FORMERLY A MILITARY ENGINEER WITH
TRANSPORTATION GROUP 559 HE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OFFICIAL PAVN
HISTORY OF THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL. THE TEAM MET AT TNE CENTER FOR
INTERNATIONAL NEWS AGENCY CORPORATION, VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY, NUMBER 8
TRAN HUNG DAO STREET, TO INTERVIEW  SRCOL DU, LISTED IN REFERENCE AS A
POTENTIAL  SOURCE OF INFORMATION  CONCERNING U.S. PERSONNEL  MISSING IN
ACTION IN VIETNAM. THE U.S. CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF HR. KIETH  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 P02 JOHN HARVEY, JTF-FA ANALYST/LINGUIST.
THE VIETNAMESE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF LTC LE KY,
MINISTRY OF DEFENSE; AND MR. THINH QUOC KHANH, MINISTRY OF INTERIOR
SRCOL DU HAD NOT BEEN INTERVIEWED BY A JOINT TEAM BEFORE.

2. SUMMARY. THE SOURCE, RETIRED SRCOL CAN HOANG DU, PROVIDED NO
INFORMATION CONCERNING U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. HE
SUMMARIZED HIS ENGINEERING WORK ON THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL, CLAIMING IN
ALL HIS EXTENSIVE TRAVELS IN VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA HE NEVER SAW AN
AMERICAN.  HE AND THE OTHER OFFICIAL PAVN HISTORY OF THE HO CHI MINH

PAGE 03 RUHQSGG6130 UNCLAS

TRAIL AUTHORS USED PERSONAL NOTES AND JOURNALS TO COMPILE
THE BOOK, AFTER WHICH THEY TURNED THESE ITEMS IN TO THE
CENTRAL VIETNAMESE  GOVERNMENT. SRCOL DU CLAIMED HE HAD 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 HR. FLANAGAN BEGAN THœ INTERVIEW WITH THE
FOLLOWING TWO KEY QUESTIONS:

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

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

B. SRCOL CAN HOANG DU (CAANS HOANGF ZUJ) EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS A
MILITARY ENGINEER FOR THE 42 YEARS BEFORE HIS RETIREMENT, AND DURING
HIS EXTENSIVE TRAVELS THROUGHOUT VIETNAM, INCLUDING SOME TIME IN BOTH
CAMBODIA AND LAOS, HE HAD NEVER SEEN A SINGLE AMERICAN. HE EXPRESSED
HIS BELIEF THAT THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HAD RELEASED ALL U.S.
PRISONERS IN 1973. BEGINNING IN 1968, HE WAS A STAFF AGENCY ENGINEER

PAGE 04  RUHQSGG6130  UNCLAS

WITH TRANSPORTATION GROUP 559, WHICH OPERATED THE
HO CHI MINH  TRAIL (AKA TRUONG SON STRATEGIC ROUTE J. A ROAD
CONSTRUCTION/NAINTENANCE SPECIALIST, DU SUPERVISED WORK ON ALL PARTS OF
THE STRATEGIC ROUTE DURING THE WAR, HIS PRIMARY MISSION TO DEVELOP, EXPAND,
AND MAINTAIN THE ROUTE TO FACILITATE TROOP MOVEMENT AND RESUPPLY.

C. BETWEEN 1973, WHEN GROUP 559'S MISSION TURNED MORE TOWARDS ECONOMIC
REBUILDING, AND 1979, SRCOL DU WORKED IN VIETNAM'S WESTERN HIGHLANDS (TAAY
NGUYEEN), WHICH INCLUDE KON TUM, GIA LAI, AND DAC LAC PROVINCES. AFTER
THE CHINESE INVADED VIETNAM  IN 1979, DU WAS CALLED NORTH TO PROVIDE
ENGINEERING SUPPORT TO ROADS TO THE VIETNAM-CHINA  BORDER AREA.

D. MR.  FLANAGAN POINTED OUT THAT THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL PLAYED A KEY
ROLE IN U.S. MIA SEARCH OPERATIONS, PARTLY DUE TO ITS POTENTIAL LINK TO
THE 592 U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN LAOS. SRCOL DU EXPLAINED THAT DURING THE
WAR, ROAD BUILDING ALONG THE STRATEGIC ROUTE WAS A CONSTANT AND OFTEN
DANGEROUS TASK; THE ENGINEERS PAID LITTLE ATTENTION TO ANYTHING BUT THIER
MISSION AND DAILY SURVIVAL. WHERE THE TRAIL RAN THROUGH LAOS, THERE
WERE FEW INDIGENOUS PERSONNEL AND THE ENGINEERS, UNFAMILIAR  WITH THE
REGION, OPERATED FROM POINT "A", TO POINT "B", OFTEN NOT KNOWING
EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE. FOR THIS

PAGE 05  RUHQSGG6130 UNCLAS

REASON, HE EXPLAINED, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT
FOR HIM TO HELP LOCATE MISSING PERSONNEL IN LAOS, EVEN IF HE KNEW Of
ANY, WHICH HE DID NOT. HE OPINED THAT FINDING  MISSING PERSONNEL IN
LAOS WOULD BE DOUBLY DIFFICULT DUE TO THE HARSH TERRAIN AND SHARPLY
CHANGING CLIMACTIC CONDITIONS. HE ALSO OPINED THAT THIS PROBLEM,
ADDRESSED BY THE U.S. 20 YEARS TOO LATE, COULD NOW ONLY BE HANDLED
THROUGH LAO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.

E. AS FOR TRANSPORTATION GROUP 559'S WARTIME RECORDS, SRCOL DU RELATED
THAT, DUE TO THE GROUP'S UNIQUE MISSION, THEY GENERATED FEW RECORDS Of
THE TYPE MAINLINE UNITS USUALLY KEPT. HIS ENGINEERING UNIT USED A
GREATER PERCENTAGE OF RECORDS DOCUMENTING WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION THAN
ANY OTHER TYPE. HE DID NOT KNOW THESE RECORDS, CURRENT DISPOSITION. HE
SUGGESTED THAT, SINCE THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE FOR ECONOMIC
RECONSTRUCTION (GDER) CONTROLLED THE GROUP'S MISSION
BEGINNING IN 1976, THE RECORDS NIGHT BE IN THAT AGENCY.

F.  SRCOL DU AND THE OTHER AUTHORS USED PERSONAL NOTES AND JOURNALS TO
COMPOSE THE OFFICIAL PAVN HISTORY Of THE HO CHI NINH TRAIL. THESE
MATERIALS, HE CLAIMED THEY HAD TURNED IN TO THE GDER'S ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS
ELEMENT  (BOOJ PHAAMJ TAIF LIEEUJ LWU TRWX) AFTER COMPLETING  THE
PROJECT.

PAGE 06 RUHQSGG6130 UNCLAS

G. WITH NO FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR SRCOL DU, THE JOINT FIELD TEAM
AGREED TO CONCLUDE THE INTERVIEW.

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

5. POTENTIAL LEADS. SRCOL DU IDENTIFIED  OTHER AUTHORS AND
CONTRIBUTORS TO THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL AS
FOLLOWS:

A. NGUYEN VIET PHUONG (NGUYEENX VIEETJ PHWONG), A 75 YOA RETIRED
SRCOL AND HANOI RESIDENT. (JTF-FA, DET 2 RESEARCHER/HISTORIAN BEGAN AN
INTERVIEW, IN SUPPORT Of CODEL VISIT, WITH MR. PHUONG ON 1 JUN 93. THIS
INTERVIEW WAS CUT SHORT DUE TO TIME  CONSTRAINTS AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED
IN THE NEAR FUTURE.)

B. NGUYEN THANH BINH (NGUYEENX THANH BINHF), A RETIRED HANOI
RESIDENT AND A MILITARY TRANSPORTATION EXPERT.

C. DONG VAN THINH (DOONGF VAWN THINHJ), A HANOI RESIDENT AND
FORMER  GROUP 559 REGIMENTAL STAFF OFFICER. (THIS JOINT ORAL HISTORY
INTERVIEW TEAM INTERVIEWED MR. THINH ON 19 JUN 93, IMMEDIATELY PRIOR
TO INTERVIEWING SRCOL DU.)

D. TRAN HAU TUK (TRAANF HAAUF TUEEJ), AN ANTI-AIRCRAfT
ARTILLERY SPECIALIST CURRENTLY RESIDING IN HO CHI NINH CITY. SRCOL

//
BT
#6130

RCV16648                  00:56 O8/14/93
VZCZCBTO693
RR RUEHBT
DE RUHQSGG #6131 2180002
ZNR UUUUU
R 100042Z AUG 93 ZYB
FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2//
TO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP:RSAFDPHO-RAFDPHO-RD//
INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASH DC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/EAP/VLC/CCS/OCS//
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/SEAfIB/DDO/EA/ICOG//
RUHVAAA/CDRUSACILHI HICKAM AFB  HI//TAPC-PED-H//
RUEHBT/USDAO BANGKOK TH//PW-NM//
RUEHBT/CJTFFA DET ONE BANGKOK TH
BT
UNCLAS //N03460//
FINAL SECTION OF 02
MSGID/GENADMIN/CDR JTF-FA/J223//
SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, CAN HOANG DU//
RMKS/
DU SAID THAT TUK SUFFERS FROM AN ILLNESS THAT RENDERS HIM UNABLE T0
WORK.

PAGE 02 RUHQSSG6131 UNCLAS

E. PHAM HANG HAI (PHAMJ HAWNGF HAIR), CURRENT WHEREABOUTS
UNKNOWN. HAI PROVIDED ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT, BUT WAS
NOT AN AUTHOR. SRCOL DU SAID HE BELIEVED HR. HAI WOULD HAVE NO
INFORMATION USEFUL TO THIS TEAM.

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, CAN HOANG DU, PROVIDED STRAIGHTFORWARD AND CREDIBLE
STATEMENTS CONCERNING HIS WARTIME ACTIVITIES AND LACK or INVOLVEMENT
WITH U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. BELIEVE  THE CHANCE
OF SRCOL DU PROVIDING FUTURE STATEMENTS USEFUL IN SOLVING EXISTING
PW/MIA CASES IS VERY SLIM.

B. THE MEMBERS OF 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 DU ARISE DURING THE COURSE OF THE ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW TEAM'S
FUTURE WORK.

C. REQUEST THE VNOSMP MAKE SRCOL DU AVAILABLE FOR RE-INTERVIEW IF
NECESSARY.//

BT

#6131

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