[191922Z.OH 05/04/96]

RCZ1078519:38 06/24/93

VZCZCBTO815
RR RUEHBTPW                              MIA-2  CJTF -2
DE RUHQSGG #6045 1701922
ZNR UUUUU
R 191922Z JUN 93 ZYB
FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2//
TO RUEKJCS/DIA WASHINGTON DC//PW-MIA//
INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECRITY COUNCIL WASH DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OASD-ISA/PW-MIA//
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC//CA/EAP/VLC/CCS/OCS//
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF  WASHINGTON DC//OCJCS/J5/PW-MIA/J3-JOD//
RUHQHQB/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//J2/J30-M//
RUEKJCS/USCINCPAC LO WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC//OEA/SEA/IB/DDO/œA/ICOG//
RUHVAAA/CDRUSACILHI HICKAM AFB HI//TAPC-PED-H//
RUEHBT/USDAO BANGKOK TH//PW-MIA//
RUEHBT/CJTFFA DET ONE BANGKOK TH
BT
UNCLAS //N03460//
SECTION 02 OF 02
DIA PASS TO DOD POW-MIA CENTRAL DOCUMENTATION OFFICE//
MSGID/SYS.RRM/CDR JTF-FA/J2//
AMPN/SUBJ/INTERVIW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, NGUYEN VAN HA//
REF/A/FAX/DET/16MAY93//

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AMPN/SUBJ: LIST OF PERSONS FOR  INTERVIEW-SENATOR KERRY, ENTRY NUMBER
14 OF 83//
191922Z.OH
RMKS/I BACKGROUND. ON 19 MAY 1993, A JOINT US/VIETNAM INTERVIEW TEAM
INTERVIEWED NGUYEN VAN HA, 55 YOA, CURRENT DEPUTY DIRECTOR, HAI PHONG
CITY COURT OF INVESTIGATION AND HAI PHONG CITY RESIDENT; FORMER B-2
FRONT ENEMY PROSELYTING CADRE AND TRANSLATOR. THE PURPOSE OF THE
INTERVIEW WAS TO GATHER INFORMATION RELATING TO U.S PERSONNEL MISSING
IN ACTION IN VIETNAM.  THE U.S. CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF MR. KEITH GARY
FLANAGAN, DET 2, JOINT TASK FORCE-FULL ACCOUNTING (JTF-FA) CASUALTY
RESOLUTION SPECIALIST; AND PETTY OFFICER JOHN HARVEY, JTF-FA ANALYST
LINGUIST. THE VIETNAMESE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CONTINGENT CONSISTED OF
LTC LE KY,  MINISTRY OF DEFENSE; AND MR. NGUYEN THANG LOI, MINISTRY OF
INTERIOR.

2. SUMMARY. THE INTERVIEW SUBJECT, NGUYEN VAN HA, A FORMER
B-2 FRONT ENEMY  PROSELYTING TRANSLATOR, PROVIDED INFORMATION
CONCERNING HIS EXTREMELY LIMITED WARTIME ASSOCIATION WITH U.S.
PRISONERS OF WAR IN THE FORMER SOUTH VIETNAM. ONE OF HIS EXPERIENCES
PROBABLY CORRELATES TO A RESOLVED POW/MIA CASE INVOLVING THE CAPTURE
OF A U.S. SOLDIER WHO WAS LATER RELEASED.

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MR. HA PROVIDED LEADS IN THE FORM OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE
KNOWLEDGE OF POW/MIA MATTERS, SEVERAL OF WHOM  HAD ALREADY BEEN
INTERVIEWED BY JOINT U.S. VIETNAM INTERVIEW TEAMS.  THE SUBJECT
PROVIDED NO INFORMATION THAT WILL LEAD TO THE IMMEDIATE RESOLUTION OF
ANY EXISTING POW/MIA CASE.                                                                
 
3. DETAILS.

A. AFTER FORMAL INTRODUCTIONS AND EXCHANGING AMENITIES WITH HAI
PHONG CITY OFFICIALS, THE JOINT TEAM EXPLAINED ITS MISSION AND
OBJECTIVES TO THE SUBJECT, NGUYEN VAN HA (NGUYEENX VAWN HAF). MR. HA
BEGAN BY SAYING THAT SINCE 20 YEARS HAD PASSED SINCE THESE WARTIME
EVENTS OCCURRED, HE HOPED HE COULD STILL HELP THE JOINT TEAM. HE CLAIMED
HIS PRIMARY PROSELYTING DUTIES DURING THE WAR CONCERNED REPUBLIC OF
VIETNAM ARMED FORCES (RVNAF) PERSONNEL, AND HE KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT
U.S. PRISONERS OF WAR (PW).

B. IN RESPONSE TO THE TEAM'S QUESTIONS, MR. HA STATED THAT OTHER THAN
THE PW REPATRIATION AT LOC NINH, HE KNEW NOTHING CONCERNING MISSING
AMERICANS IN VIETNAM HE SAID THAT ACCORDING TO TWO OF HIS WARTIME
ASSOCIATES, TAM HUY (TAMS HUY, AKA LE HUY (LEE HUY)) AND LE DAN MANH (LEE
ZAAN MANHJ), APPROXIMATELY 30 PW'S WERE REPATRIATED AT THAT TIME.

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C. CONCERNING THE FORMER SOUTH VIETNAMESE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT'S
"DIED IN CAPTIVITY" LIST, MR. HA CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE HE SAID
NGUYEN TAN LUC (NGUYEENX TAAN LWCJ}, KILLED DURING THE WAR DURING
8-52 RAIDS, MAY HAVE HAD INFORMATION CONCERNING THE LIST ANOTHER
POSSIBILITY FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS MATTER IS NGUYEN HUNG
CHI (NGUYEENX HUNGF CHIS), CURRENT DIRECTOR OF THE VIETNAM
PETROLEUM IMPORT-EXPORT (PETROLIMEX) COMPANY IN HANOI.

D. MR. HA RELATED THAT IN 1968 OR 1969, HE COMMANDED A PLATOON
TASKED TO RETRIEVE THREE U.S. PW'S CAPTURED ON THE BATTLE FIELD. THIS
OPERATION TOOK PLACE AT NIGHT AND HA COULD NOT DESCRIBE THE PRISONERS.
HA'S UNIT TURNED THE PRISONERS OVER TO LE HUY AT HIS CAMP.

E. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, IN 1969 OR 1970, MA. HA AND NGUYEN TAN LUC
(AKA NAM LUC (NAWM LWCJ)) WENT TO CU CHI TO PICK UP A BROWN
SKINNED U.S. PW, POSSIBLY A PUERTO RICAN. THE MAN'S NAME SOUNDED
PHONETICALLY LIKE "RUH-GREE-GET". HA REMEMBERED NO FURTHER DETAILS
CONCERNING THIS INCIDENT.

F. WHEN ASKED ABOUT WARTIME PW RECORDS, MR. HA REPLIED THAT DUE TO
THE WAR'S FEROCITY, THE NORTH VIETNAMESE HAD TO EQUIP

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THEMSELVES AS LIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE AND THAT IS WAS VERY UNLIKELY ANYONE
HAD TRANSPORTED SUCH RECORDS TO ANOTHER REGION. HIS OPINION WAS THAT
EVERYONE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF RECORDS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHIN HA'S
PURVIEW WAS DEAD, AND THAT BY 1975 THE B-52 RAIDS WOULD HAVE DESTROYED
EVERYTHING ANYWAY.

G. ON THE SUBJECT OF LIVE AMERICANS IN VIETNAM SINCE THE WAR,
MR. HA CLAIMED NEVER TO HAVE SEEN AN AMERICAN LIVING IN
VIETNAM, WHETHER LIVING FREELY OR IN CAPTIVITY, SINCE 1973.

H. UPON CONCLUDING NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WERE NECESSARY, THE JOINT
TEAM AGREED TO DISCONTINUE THIS INTERVIEW.

4. CORRELATIONS TO EXISTING POW/MIA CASES. MR. HA'S STATEMENTS IN
PARA. 3.E., ABOVE PROBABLY CORRELATE TO CASE 1129-0-01, A RESOLVED
CASE, BASED ON THE PHONETIC SIMILARITY OF THE NAME "RUH-GREE-GET"
TO THE NAME OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE CASE, THE REGION OF THE INCIDENT
(SOUTHERN VIETNAM), AND GENERAL TIMEFRAME.

5. POTENTIAL LEADS. THE SOURCE IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS
AS POTENTIAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION CONCERNING POW/MIA MATTERS:

A. LE HUY (AKA TAM HUY), FORMER B-2 FRONT CAMP CADRE.

B. LE DAN MAN (AKA BA MANH), HA'S WARTIME ASSOCIATE.

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C. NGUYEN HUNG CHI, FORMER TRANSLATOR, CURRENT DIRECTOR OF
PETROLIMEX IN HANOI.

D. LE DOC NGOC (LEE DOOX NGOCJ), FORMER ENEMY PROSELYTING
TRANSLATOR, CURRENT DIRECTOR OF THE "PACCOM" CHARITY ORGANIZATION
IN HANOI. (PREVIOUSLY INTERVIEWED BY A JOINT INTERVIEW TEAM, 12
MAY 93)

E. NGUYEN MINH PHUONG (NGUYEENX MINH PHWONG), FORMER ENEMY
PROSELYTING TRANSLATOR, CURRENTLY "TOTAL POPULACE DEFENSE"
MAGAZINE STAFF MEMBER. (SCHEDULED FOR INTERVIEW WITH A JOINT
INTERVIEW TEAM)

F. NGO DAT TAI (NGOO DATJ TAIF), FORMER B-2 FRONT ENEMY
PROSELYTING CHIEF. (PREVIOUSLY INTERVIEWED BY A JOINT INTERVIEW
TEAM, 17 MAY 93)

G. PHAM BAN (PHAMJ BAN). (NFI)

H. LUU QUANG TUYEN (LWU QUANG TUYEENS), REPORTEDLY REPLACED NGO DAT
TAI AS B-2 FRONT PROSELYTING CHIEF, POSSIBLY RETIRED IN HO CHI MINH
CITY.                                                                                     

I. NGUYEN CONG TRUNG (NGUYEENX COONG TRUNG), RESIDES IN BEN TRE.
(NFI) //

BT

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