[221802Z.OH 05/04/96]
RCV10602 01:22 06/24/93
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FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2//
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INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE
NATIONAL SECURITY 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/OCJS/J5/PW-MIA/J3-JOD//
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC/DEA/SEA/IB/DDO/EA/ICOG//
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UNCLAS //N03460//
SECTION 01 OF 02
DIA PASS TO DOD POW-MIA CENTRAL DOCUMENTATION OFFICE//
MSGID/GENADMIN/CDR JTF-FA/J2//
SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, MR. PHAN TU//
REF/A/FAX/DET 2/16MAY93//
PAGE 02 RUHQSGG5413 UNCLAS
AMPN/LIST OF PERSONS FOR INTERVIEW-SENATOR KERRY, ENTRY NUMBER 16
OF 83//
RMKS/1. BACKGROUND. ON 27 MAY 1993, A JOINT U.S./VIETNAM
SPECIAL INTERVIEW Team (SPINT) INTERVIEWED MR. PHAN TU, ALSO KNOWN
AS (AKA) PHAN TU KHUONG, AKA LE AM, A 64 YEAR OLD WRITER AND
FORMER MEMBER OF THE ENEMY PROSELYTING FUNCTION IN NORTHERN
VIETNAM DURING THE ANTI-FRENCH PERIOD. MR. TU WAS LATER ATTACHED
To A NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT UNIT TASKED WITH DETAINING AN
AMERICAN CIVILIAN IN CENTRAL VIETNAM IN 1963. MR. TU IS THE
AUTHOR OF A BOOK ENTITLED CAMP ST-18. THE TEAM MET ON THE SECOND
FLOOR ROOM OF THE BACH DANG HOTEL, DA NANG CITY, TO INTERVIEW MR.
TU, LISTED IN REFERENCE, BELIEVED TO BE A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF
INFORMATION CONCERNING U.S. PERSONNEL MISSING IN ACTION IN
VIETNAM. THE U. S. CONTNGENT CONSISTED OF MR. KEITH GARY FLANAGAN,
DET 2, JOINT TASK FORCE-FULL ACCOUNTING (JTF-FA)
CASUALTY RESOLUTION SPECIALIST; AND PETTY OFFICER JOHN L. 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. LTC KY ESCORTED MR. PHAN
TU TO THE BACH DANG HOTEL. MR. PHAN TU SAID HE HAD NOT BEEN
PAGE 03 RUHQSGG5413 UNCLAS
INTERVIEWED BY JOINT TEAMS PREVIOUSLY.
2. SUMMARY. THE SOURCE PROVIDED INFORMATION CONCERNING ONE AMERICAN CIVILIAN
DETAINED IN THE B-3 FRONT AREA OF VIETNAM'S CENTRAL HIGHLANDS FOR A FEW
MONTHS IN 1963. THIS INFORMATION CORRELATES TO 0016-1-01 A RESOLVED CASE.
HE CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER U.S. PRISONERS OR WAR (PW'S) OR AMERICANS
LIVING FREELY OR AS CAPTIVES IN VIETNAM SINCE 1973.
3. DETAILS. A. AFTER FORMAL INTRODUCTIONS AND WHEN THE JOINT TEAM HAD
EXPLAINED ITS MISSION AND OBJECTIVES, MR. TU SAID HE FOUND IT AMUSING THAT
THE TEAM HAD COME TO INTERVIEW HIM CONCERNING AMERICANS MISSING IN ACTION
BECAUSE OF HIS BOOK CAMP ST-18. HE SAID THAT HE HAD CLEARLY STATED IN THE
PREFACE TO THE BOOK THAT HE HAD CONSTRUCTED THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THœ
BOOK BASED PRIMARILY ON HIS EXPERIENCES WITH THE FRENCH, AND ON RESEARCH
CONSISTING OF NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES. MR. TU SAID, HOWEVER, THAT
HE WAS WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERVIEW AND WOULD GIVE HIS BEST
EFFORT TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS. HE ADDED THAT DURING THE WAR HE HAD CONTACT
WITH ONLY ONE PRISONER, AN AMERICAN CIVILIAN CONTRACTOR WHO WAS CAPTURED AND
RELEASED IN 1963.
PAGE 04 RUHQSGG5413 UNCLAS
B. MR. FLANAGAN ASKED THE QUESTION: "SINCE THE RELEASE OF
U.S. PRISONERS IN 1973, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANY LIVE AMERICANS?" MR.
TU RESPONDED THAT HE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY PRISONERS
WHO REMAINED IN CAPTIVITY AFTER 1973. HE SAID THAT IN HIS PROFESSION
AS A JOURNALIST, HE HAD TRAVELLED TO ALL THE MINORITY REGIONS AND
MANY OTHER LOCALITIES, AND IN HIS MANY TRAVELS HE HAD HEARD SOME
STORIES ABOUT U.S. CAPTIVES WHICH WERE, IN HIS OPINION, VERY CLEARLY
FICTION. MR. TU SAID HE ATTRIBUTED MANY OF THE STORIES TO EUROPEANS
OR OTHER NATIONALITIES, BUT NOT TO AMERICANS. HE BELIEVED ALL OF THE
FICTITIOUS STORIES COULD BE BASED ON SOME EASILY EXPLAINED EVENT
SUCH AS A TRAVELER STOPPING AND ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS. LATER THE
STORIES WOULD BE EMBELLISHED INTO TALES OF AMERICANS.
c. nR. FLANAGAN ASKED THE QUESTION: "SINCE THE RELEASE OF U.S.
PRISONERS IN 1973, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANY 'STAY-BEHINDS'?" MR. TU
RESPONDED THAT THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO STAY-BEHINDS TO HIS
KNOWLEDGE. HE SAID THAT HE HAD MANY GOOD FRIENDS WITH CONTACTS
THROUGHOUT ALL THE REGIONS OF VIETNAM. THEREFORE, HE WAS SURE HE
WOULD HAVE HEARD OF ANY AMERICAN STAY-BEHINDS OR ANY AMERICANS
LIVING FREELY IN VIETNAM SINCE 1973.
PAGE 05 RUHQSGG5413 UNCLAS
D. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE RESOURCES HE USED TO WRITE HIS BOOK
CAMP ST-18, MR. TU SAID-THAT HE WROTE THE BOOK BASED ON HIS
EXPERIENCES AND INFORMATION HE OBTAINED FROM A FRENCH-ERA CAMP IN
LAOS NEAR THE VIETNAM BORDER. MR. TU SAID THAT, AS HE CLEARLY STATED
IN THE PREFACE TO THE BOOK CAMP ST-IB, HE BASED THE STORY ON HIS
KNOWLEDGE Of ONE SENEGALESE SOLDIER AND ONE ARAB SOLDIER. MR. TU
WENT ON TO SAY THAT WHILE THE BOOK IS BASED UPON REAL LIFE, IT IS
NOT AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT. HE SAID THAT IN ORDER TO LEND MORE TRUTH
TO THE BOOK HE WDULD HAVE NEEDED TO MEET MORE AMERICANS OR PERSONS
OF OTHFR NATIONALITIES TO GET THEIR OBSERVATIONS ON VIETNAM.
E. MR. TU SAID THAT IN 1963 HE NET A GROUP OF 30 OR 40 AMERICANS,
INCLUDING ONE FORMER MAJOR, WHO WORKED FOR AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
CONTRACTED BY THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM AND WERE ENGAGED IN SURVEYING
VAST REGIONS OF THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS FOR COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION. THE
GROUP CONSISTED MOSTLY OF GEOLOGISTS WHO CEASED THEIR SURVEY
OPERATIONS WHEN THE WAR BEGAN ESCALATING BEFORE THE GROUP STOPPED
THEIR WORK, ON 4 JULY 1963, A NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (NLF) ELEMENT
CAPTURED ONE OF THE CONTRACTORS, AN APPROXIMATELY 28 YEAR OLD
CAUCASIAN MAN NAMED
PAGE 06 RUHQSGG5413 UNCLAS
ARTHUR ALLEN KRAUSE, AS HE TRAVELED IN A U.S. MADE, REPUBLIC OF
VIETNAM ARMED FORCES (RVNAF) JEEP FROM DANANG TO BONG MIEU
(BOONGF MIEEU) (BT2205) IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. KRAUSE HAD A
GUN (NFI> AND NINE AMMUNITION ROUNDS. MR. TU SAID HE HEARD THE
HAN WAS CAPTURED BECAUSE THE NLF BELIEVED HIM TO BE A U.S.
MILITARY ADVISOR WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN OR MAJOR. ACCORDING TO
TU, THIS WAS "REGION FIVE'S" FIRST PRISONER OF WAR.
F. THE NLF CONSCRIPTED MR. . TU, WHO WAS DOING NEWSPAPER WORK IN
THE AREA AT THE TIME, TO SERVE AS A TRANSLATOR FOR THE CAPTURED
AMERICAN. THE FRONT ALSO CHOSE HIM BECAUSE HE HAD WORKED WITH
FRENCH POW'S IN THE 1950'S. DURING THE TIME THE AMERICAN WAS
DETAINED, ACCORDING TO MR. TU, THE CAPTORS EXPERIENCED MANY
PROBLEMS. THE RONT HAD TO KEEP MOVING THE AMERICAN FROM PLACE O
PLACE IN ORDER TO AVOID DISCOVERY BOMBING ATTACKS, AND RVNAF
SWEEPS. DURING THE DETENTION PERIOD THE CAPTIVE HAD AMPLE
OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HOW WELL LOCAL PEOPLE INTERACTED WITH THE NLF
FORCES. TU SAID THAT THE FRONT FELT WHEN THE CAPTIVE WAS RELEASED
HE WOULD PASS ON WHAT HE HAD LEARNED. ACCORDING TO TU, WHEN THE
CAPTIVE SAS RELEASED THERE WAS A
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RCV1060301:25 06/24/93
VZCZCBTO634
RR RUEHBT
DE RUHQSGG #5414 1741802
ZNR UUUUU
R 221802Z JUN 93 ZYB
FM CDR JTF-FA HONOLULU HI//J2//
TO RUEKJCS/DIA WASHINGTON DC//PW-MIA//
INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL HASH DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OASD-ISA/PW-MI A//
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHHINGTON DC//CA/EAP/VLC/CCS/OCS//
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WAHINGTON DC//OCJCS/J5/PW-MIA/J3-JOD//
RUHQHQB/USCINPAC HONOLULU HI//J3/J30-M/
RUEKJCS/CINCPAC LO WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC//DEA/SEA/IB/DD0/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//
FINAL SECTION OF 02
DIA PASS TO DOD POW-MIA CENTRAL DOCUMENTATION OFFICE//
MSGID/GENADHIN/CDR JTF-FA/J2//
SUBJ/INTERVIEW OF REQUESTED SOURCE, MR. PHAN TU//
RMKS/
PAGE 02 RUHQSGG5414 UNCLAS CORRESPONDENT FROM PACIFIC STARS AND
STRIPES ON HAND TO INTERVIEW THE HAN.
G. MR. TU SAID THAT THE AMERICAN CAPTIVE WAS RELEASED AT TIEN
NGOC POST, TIEN PHUOC DISTRICT, QUANG BINH PROVINCE ON 3 NOVEMBER
1963 FOR rTWO REASONS . FIRST, THE FRONT HAD DETERMINED THAT THE
AMERICAN WAS A CIVILIAN CONTRACT EMPLOYEE OF A UNITED STATES COMPANY
AND NOT A MILITARY ADVISOR. THE SECOND SO THAT THE AMERICAN COULD
RETURN TO UNITED STATES CONTROL AND INFORM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT
THE CONSEQUENCES OF B-52 BOMBING RAIDS, THE RESULTS OF DISPERSING
AGENT ORANGE AND THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM REGIME'S DISINFORMATION
ACTIVITIES.
H. CONCERNING WARTIME REPORTING ON U.S. PRISONERS AND
ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTATION OR FILES, MR. TU SAID THAT HE HAD PERSONAL
CONTACT WITH ONLY THE ONE AMERICAN PRISONER DURING THE WAR AND THE
INCIDENT OCCURRED 30 YEARS AGO, IN 1963. AS PROOF OF HIS ASSOCIATION
WITH THE AMERICAN, MR. TU SHOWED THE JOINT TEAMS THREE ITEMS.
(1) THE FIRST ITEM WAS A NEATLY TRIMMED CENTER-THIRD
PORTION OF A UNITED STATES ONE-DOLLAR BILL. MR. TU SAID THAT HE HAD
RECEIVED THE PARTIAL BILL AS A GESTURE OF FRIENDSHIP FROM THE
PAGE 03 RUHQSGG5414 UNCLAS
AMERICAN.
(2) THE SECOND ITEM HAS A VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
OF A LETTER THE AMERICAN DETAINEE WROTE TO HIS WIFE. TU HAD
REQUESTED THE LETTER BE TRANSLATED INTO VIETNAMESE SO THAT HE COULD
READ IT AT VIETNAMESE GATHERINGS.
(3) THE THIRD ITEM WAS AN ADDRESS SLIP WITH THE AMERICAN'S
UNITED STATES ADDRESS. MR. TU SAID THAT THE AWERICAN DETAINEE HAD
GIVEN MR. TU HIS ADDRESS PRIOR TO HIS RELEASE SO THE TWO COULD
CORRESPOND. THE ADDRESS SLIP CONTAINED A POSTAL ZONE FOR HOLLYWOOD,
CALIFORNIA, AND PREDATES THE USE OF U.S. POSTAL ZIP CODES.
I. AFTER THE AMERICAN'S RELEASE MR. TU OCCASIONALLY HEARD
STORIES OF AMERICANS IN CAPTIVITY, BUT HE AVOIDED GOING ANYWHERE
NEAR LOCATIONS WHERE AN AMERICAN MIGHT BE HELD BECAUSE HE FEARED
BEING CONSCRIPTED AS A TRANSLATOR, AS HAD HAPPENED IN 1963. TU SAID
THAT HE SUFFERED FROM DIABETES AND WAS NOT FIT FOR JUNGLE DUTY,
SO HE HAD ANOTHER REASON FOR AVOIDING THE AREAS WHERE AMERICANS
MIGHT BE DETAINED.
J. MR. TU SAID THAT IN 1972, WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE
OPPOSING SIDES WERE NEARING A TIME OF PRISONER EXCHANGES, HE
PAGE 04 RUHQSGG5414 UNCLAS
ASSUMED THE DUTY TO PORTRAY THE HARDSHIPS AND DIFFICULTIES OF KEEPING U.S.
POW'S ALIVE. HE SAID HIS SEVENTH BOOK, CAMP ST-18 WAS A RESULT OF THOSE
EFFORTS. HE USED NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, AND FRENCH-ERA EXPERIENCES
TO WRITE THE BOOK. MR. TU SAID THAT HE RECEIVED NO MATERIAL FROM THE
PEOPLE'S ARMY OF VIETNAM BECAUSE HE HAD SEVERED ALL TIES WITH THE ENEMY
PROSELYTING ORGANIZATION LONG BEFORE THE ANTI-U. S. PERIOD. MR. TU SAID
THAT HE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY PROSELYTING OFFICES PRIOR
TO WRITING THE BOOK CAMP ST-18, BUT HAD SENT A COPY OF THE MANUSCRIPT TO
THE PROSELYTING DIRECTORATE IN HANOI FOR REVIEW. THE DIRECTORATE ASSISTED
HIM BY CORRECTING TRANSLATION OF RANKS SUCH AS "WARRANT OFFICER" BECAUSE,
ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTORATE, WARRANT OFFICERS ONLY WORKED IN REAR
AREAS AND DID NOT PARTICIPATE DIRECTLY IN BATTLES AS TU HAD ORIGINALLY
DRAFTED IN HIS MANUSCRIPT.
K. WITH NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AT HAND FOR MR. TU, THE MEMBERS OF THE
JOINT TEAM AGREED TO CONCLUDE THE INTERVIEW. BOTH THE U.S. AND VIETNAMESE
MEMBERS CONFERRED ON POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS BEFORE CONCLUDING. MR.
TU VOLUNTEERED TO APPEAR FOR ANOTHER INTERVIEW IF THE U.S. SIDE
REQUESTED IT.
PAGE 05 RUHQSGG5414 UNCLAS
4. CORRELATIONS TO EXISTING POW-MIA CASES: THE JOINT TEAM
COMPARED THE IDENTIFICATION DATA WITH INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT
THE INTERVIEW AND DETERMINED THAT THE ADDRESS SLIP PERTAINED TO
THE INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS CAPTURED IN THE REFNO 0016-1-01 INCIDENT.
THIS IS A RESOLVED CASE.
POTENTIAL LEADS. THE SOURCE COULD ONLY RECALL ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO MIGHT BE
OF ASSISTANCE TO THE JOINT TEAM. HE SAID THAT A MAN THAI (THAIS), WHO WAS A
MAJOR WHILE MR. TU WAS IN THE B-3 FRONT AREA (CENTRAL HIGHLANDS), WAS THE
ENEMY PROSELYTING CHIEF AT THE TIME OF THE AMERICAN'S DETENTION IN 1963.
MR. TU RECALLED ONLY THE PROSELYTING CHIEF'S GIVEN NAME. HE COULD NOT
RECALL ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL'S WHO MIGHT BE OF ASSISTANCE TO THE JOINT TEAM.
6. MATERIAL EVIDENCE:
A. THIS SOURCE BROUGHT NO RECORDS, NOTEBOOKS, OR DIARIES WHICH COULD BE
ASSOCIATED WITH UNACCOUNTED FOR U.S. PERSONNEL.
7. MR. TU DID BRING THREE ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AMERICAN DETAINEE IN
HIS STORY: A TORN U.S. ONE-DOLLAR BILL, A VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY THE AMERICAN TO HIS WIFE, AND AN ADDRESS SLIP WITH
THE U.S. ADDRESS OF THE U.S. PRISONER, WHO WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED.
PAGE 06 RUHQSGG5414 UNCLAS
B. COMMENTS. THE SOURCE WAS EAGER TO MEET AMERICANS AND SPOKE
READILY (AND AT LENGTH) ON A WIDE VARIETY OF SUBJECTS. AFTER THE
INITIAL INTRODUCTIONS, THE SOURCE TOLD HIS STORY IN GREAT DETAIL,
LEAVING VERY FEW QUESTIONS, FOR THE JOINT TEAM TO ASK. BEFORE THE
CONCLUSION OF THE INTERVIEW, THE SOURCE SAID THAT HE WOULD BE
WILLING TO MEET WITH U.S. PERSONNEL OR JOINT TEAMS AT ANY TIMES.//
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