PRELIMINARY INTERROGATIONS OF VIET CONG CAPTURED IN SAIGON

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06766071
• Document Creation Date: January 28, 2019

Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 C06766071
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE A.iNCY
Intelligence Information Cable
EO
PRIOR.C.TY 13526
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3.3(h)(2)
IN 43509 EO
13526
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STATE/INR DIA NMCC/MC (SECDEF JCS ARMY NAVY AIR) CIA/NMCC NIC NSA SDO ONE CRS
EXO DDI OER FBIS DCS IRS AID USIA
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.O.
Secs. 793 and 704, the transmisson or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
NO FORN DISSEM
GROUP I
Excluded from oveninoTcl
downgrading end
decleuillcotion
THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT. NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
SE T
COUNTRY
DOI
SUBJECT
032215Z CITE
DIST 3 FEBRUARY. 1968
SOUTH VIETNAM
1 FEBRUARY 1968
PRELIMINARY INTERROGATIONS OF VIET CONG CAPTURED IN SAIGON
ACQ VIETNAM, SAIGON (3 FEBRUARY 1968)
SOURCE AN OFFICIAL VIETNAMESE SECURITY SERVICE WHICH PROVIDED A
COPY OF THE PRELIMINARY INTERROGATION REPORT.
(SUMMARY: PRELIMINARY INTERROGATION OF FOUR VIET CONG (VC) CAP-
TURED IN SAIGON DURING THE RECENT FIGHTING REVEALED THAT ALL WERE
MEMBERS OF COMPANY 3 OF VC BATTALION (BN) 6. ACCORDING TO ONE
OF THE CAPTIVES, THE COMPANY 3 POLITICAL OFFICER, THE BN'S TARGET WAS
1-1-IE CHI HOA PRISON WHICH IT WAS TO SEIZE, FREE THE INMATES AND THEN
HOLD INDEFINITELY. RETREAT WAS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED AND WOUNDED WERE TO
BE LEFT BEHIND. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY THE COMPANY COMMANDER WHO WAS
CAPTURED BUT SOON DIED OF HIS WOUNDS. THE POLITICAL OFFICER HAD STUDIED
A SAND TABLE OF THE PRISON AND HAD KNOWN FOR ABOUT A'MONTH OF THE ATTACK
S�E� NO FO GN DISSEM
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S-E-C- -T NO FORtilA pistrit
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� ON. SAIGON, ALTHOUGH NOT THE DATE AND PRECISE OBJECTIVES. ALL FOUR CAP-
TIVES- REPORTED THAT THE COMPANY HAD UNDERGONE 20 DAYS OF TRAINING JUST
PRIOR TO THE ATTACK. THE POLITICAL OFFICER SAID THAT 21 BNS WERE
INVOLVED IN THE ATTACK, WHILE THE COMPANY COMMANDER STATED BEFORE
HE DIED THAT 30 BNS WERE SCHEDULED TO PARTICIPATE. ONE OF THE
PRISONERS IDENTIFIED A FIFTH PRISONER AS THE BN COMMANDER BUT THE
OTHER THREE INSISTED HE WAS NOT. THE PERSON INVOLVED IS WOUNDED AND
UNCONSCIOUS AND HAS NOT YET BEINQUESTIONED. END SUMMARY,. )
1. FOLLOWING :IS A. SUMMARY TRANSLATION OF VIETNAMESE POLICE INTER-
ROGATIONS OF FOUR VIET CONG (VC) CAPTURED IN SAIGON BETWEEN 31 JANUARY
AND 1 FEBRUARY. ALL FOUR pows WERE MEMBERS OF THE VC -6TH BATTALION (BN).
(A) LE VAN BEN,.ALIAS MINH KIET, ALIAS BAY KIET, 27 .YEARS OLD, POLITI-
CAL OFFICER OF COMPANY. 3, BN 6, REGIMENT 165A. HE PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING
INFORMATION:
"COMPANY 3 WAS RECENTLY REENFORQED AND GIVEN 20 DAYS' TRAINING IN
THE BA THU FOREST AREA, HAU NGHIA PROVINCE, WHICH ENDED ON 26 JANUARY.
THE COMPANY THEN WENT 70 THE CAU SANG AREA, WHICH IT REACHED ABOUT 1000
HOURS ON 29 JANUARY. UPON RECEIVING ORDERS TO PREPARE FOR AN URGENT MILT-
-TARY OPERATION, THE COMPANY BEGAN 70,ASSEMBLE AT TAN NHUT VILLAGE, WHERE
TT.RECEIVED ORDERS TO ATTACKSAIGON-DURING.THE LATE-NIGHT HOURS OF 30
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JANUARY.
"AFTER RECEIVING A FULL ISSUE OF AMMUNITION FOR VARIOUS KINDS OF
GUNS, BN 6 SET OUT FOR SAIGON AT ABOUT 2000 HOURS. THE TROOPS DID NOT KNOW
THE BN'S PRECISE SCHEDULE, ONLY THAT IT WAS TO ENTER SAIGON AT THE PHO
THO HOA CROSSROADS ALONG THE CEMETERY AND THEN ENTER THE PHU THO RACE-
TRACK. BN WEAPONS INCLUDED: (1) K57 ANTI-AIRCRAFT MACHINEGUN, WITH 2
(PORTION GARBLED)x'. , WITH SEVEN ROUNDS FOR EACH (EACH SOLDIER HAD TO CARRY
EITHER ONE B40 OR B41 ROUND); (3) B41'S, WITH FIVE ROUNDS FOR EACH WEAPON;
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(4) RBD-TYPE AUTOMATIC RIFLES, WITH 1,500 ROUNDS FOR EACH; AND (5) CZECH
AK5O'S, WITH 500 ROUNDS FOR EACH. IN ADDITION, THE BN HAD GRENADES AND
CLAYMORE AND HAND-THROWN MINES, AND COMPANY-LEVEL CADRES AND HIGHER
CARRIED K54 REVOLVERS.
"WHEN THE AMMUNITION WAS ISSUED, SOLDIERS WERE ORDERED TO CONSERVEIT:
SINCE THEY WOULD NOT BE RESUPPLIED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING NIGHT. (SINCE BEN
WAS CAPTURED, HE NEVER LEARNED THE LOCATION OF THE AMMO RESUPPLY POINT.)
THE BN SOLDIERS DID NOT CARRY ANY FOOD WITH THEM; THEY WERE ORDERED TO
FIND WAYS TO BUY FOOD OR TO REQUEST IT OF THE POPULATION WHEREVER THEY
WENT. CASUALTIES WERE TO BE LEFT BEHIND. AFTER SAIGON HAD BEEN OCCUPIED,
THERE WOULD BE A SPECIAL DETACHMENT TO TAKE CARE OF CASUALTIES.
"THE BN'S TARGET WAS THE CHI HOA REEDUCATION CENTER WHICH WAS TO
S-E- -E-T NO FOREIGN DIStin
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BE HELD INDEFINITELY AFTER INMATES HAD BEEN RELEASED. IF THE BN WAS
BLOCKED BY THE ENEMY ENROUTE TO ITS OBJECTIVE, IT WAS TO CONCENTRATE ITS
FIRE POWER AND CONTINUE TO ADVANCE OR, AT LEAST, TO HOLD ITS GROUND UNTIL
SUPPORTING FORCES ARRIVED. THE BN WAS NOT TO RETREAT. BEFORE LEAVING TAN
NHUT, BEN STUDIED A SANDTABLE.MODEL FOR THE ATTACK ON CHI HOA FROM THE
WEST. THE BN COMMANDER TOLD HIM AT THAT TIME THAT AFTER THE BN OCCUPIED
THE OBJECTIVE IT WAS TO HOLD IT INDEFINITELY. HE ALSO SAID THAT OTHER
UNITS WOULD BRING IN SUPPLIES LATER AND THAT 21 BNS WOULD PARTICIPATE IN
THE ATTACK ON SAIGON.'
"BEN STUDIED THE "RESOLUTION" CONCERNING THE SAIGON ATTACK A MONTH
BEFORE THE ATTACK, BUT HE WAS NOT TOLD LOCATIONS AND DATES. HE LEARNED
OF THE BNTS SPECIFIC TARGET ONLY WHEN HE STUDIED THE SANDTABLE AT TAN
NHUT.. THE "RESOLUTION" STATED THAT SAIGON MUST BE CAPTURED IN ORDER TO
CREATE CONDITIONS FOR NEGOTIATIONS TO BRING ABOUT A NEUTRALIST REGIME
IN SOUTH VIETNAM.
"SINCE BEN DOES 'NOT KNOW THE ROADS LEADING INTO SAIGON, HE COULD.
NOT DESCRIBE THE ROUTE TAKEN BY HIS UNIT. WHEN THE LATTER REACHED THE
PHU THO RACETRACK 9 IT ENCOUNTERED A POLICE FORCE WHICH IT WAS IN THE
S�E� �T NO FOREIGN DISSSA
7-A�
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PROCESS OF ROUTING WHEN IT RAN INTO A U.S. FORCE. THIS WAS TOO STRONG AND
BEN'S UNIT, 'BEING UNABLE TO ADVANCE, TRIED TO HOLD ITS. GROUND. BY THE NEXT
MORNING, IT WAS SURROUNDED BY ARVN TROOPS. AT ABOUT 1400 HOURS, BEN WAS
WOUNDED AND LEFT BEHIND, HE THEREFORE DID NOT KNOW WHERE HIS UNIT WAS
DRIVEN TO OR IF IT WAS ORDERED TO RETREAT.
"AFTER BEING WOUNDED, BEN EXCAPED TO A CIVILIAN HOME WHERE HE STAYED
UNTIL DARK, THEN HIRED A PEDICAB TO TAKE HIM TO THE BUS STATION. BEING
UNABLE TO BET . A BUS BACK TO BEN LUC, HE SLEPT IN THE STATION UNTIL HE WAS
ARRESTED AT 0700 HOURS THE NEXT MORNING (1 FEBRUARY).
"ACCORDING TO BEN, BN 6 .NUMBERED ABOUT 360 PERSONS. THE BN COMMAND
CONSISTED OF BN COMMANDER, NGUYEN CHI XUAN, ALIAS NAM XUAN, ALIAS DO
VAM GOM , ABOUT 27 YEARS OLD; DEPUTY COMMANDER AND CHIEF OF UPAFF , HAI KHEN
POLICTICAL OFFICER TU VU; AND ADJUTANT, HUNG, ALIAS LONG. THE BN WAS
DIVIDED INTO FOUR COMPANIES:
COMPANY 1: COMMANDER, BE; FIRST DEPUTY COMMANDER, CUONG; SECOND
DEPUTY COMMANDER, UT NGU; POLITICAL OFFICER, HA.
COMPANY 2: COMMANDER, KHUi ACTING DEPUTY COMMANDER, TAI; FIRST
POLITICAL OFFICER, CON; SECOND POLITICAL OFFICER, NHO.
COMPANY 3: COMMANDER, TY (WOUNDED AND DIED UNDER ARREST ON 1 FEBRU-
ARY); FIRST DEPUTY COMMANDER, DEN; SECOND DEPUTY COMMAN-
S-E-C -E-T �Ne--FeRettit-Dllsrr
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DER, EM; POLITICAL OFFICER, BEN (SOURCE).
COMPANY 4: COMMANDER AND POLITICAL OFFICER, BINH; DEPUTY COMMANDER,
MOT; DEPUTY POLITICAL OFFICER, THIEN."
(B) LE VAN DUC, ALIAS HOANG, 18 YEARS OLD, MEMBER OF COMPANY 39 BN 6,
WHICH HE JOINED ABOUT A MONTH AGO, HAVING PREVIOUSLY BEEN A TAN NHUT
VILLAGE GUERRILLA. BEFORE HIS TRANSFER TO COMPANY 39 DUC WAS SENT TO BA
THU FOREST FOR 20 DAYS OF TRAINIW., WHICH HE COMPLETED ON 26 JANUARY. ON
27 JANUARY, HE WAS ORDERED TO TAN NHUT, WHERE HE ARRIVED ON 31 JANUARY
AND WAS IMMEDIATELY ORDERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE "GENERAL UPRISING."
DUC SAID �HIS COMPANY WAS ORDERED TO LEAVE TAN NHUT AT 2000 HOURS ON 31
JANUARY VIA TAN KIEN, AN LAC AND PHU THO HOA VILLAGES. ITS MISSION WAS
TO ATTACK VARIOUS POSITIONS IN SAIGON, ALTHOUGH DUC DID NOT KNOW THE
SPECIFIC POINTS OF ATTACK. THE TROOPS WERE ORDERED TO FIGHT UNTIL SAIGON
WAS TAKEN; THERE WOULD BE NO ORDERS TO RETREAT. DUC DID NOT KNOW WHICH
UNITS WERE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT OR WHICH OTHER VC BNS WERE INVOLVED IN THE
ATTACK. DUC'S TASK WAS TO CARRY TWO BOXES OF MACHINE GUN AMMUNITION. AFTER
ARRIVING IN SAIGON, HE PASSED OUT AND WAS TAKEN INTO A CIVILIAN HOME.
WHEN HE REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS, HIS UNIT WAS GONE. HE WAS THEN CAmpRED.
(C) TRINH VAN AN, 31 YEARS OLD MEDIC OF 2ND PLATOON, COMPANY 3, BN 6.
LIKE BEN AND DUC, AN MENTIONED COMPANY 3'S 20 DAYS OF TRAINING AT BA THU.
-E-T NO FOREIGN DISsEM
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2
HE STATED THAT ON 27 JNAUARY, THE COMPANY BEGAN TO MOVE FROM BA T HU TO
THE TAN NHUT AREA ARRIVING THERE ABOUT 2000 HOURS ON 31 JANUARY.THE
ORDERS
TO ATTACK SAIGON WERE RECEIVED AT THAT T IME . AS 7AR . AS AN KNEW BN 6
HAD THE MISSION TO TAKE THE CHI HOA REEDUCATION CENTER. ALL BN SOLDIERS
WORE FOR IDENTIFICATION A RED BANDANA AROUND THEIR NECKS PLUS A RED
BRASSARD. AN 'S DUTY WAS TO CARRY BANDAGES. AFT ER TREATMENT THE WOUNDED
WERE TO BE LEFT IN NEARBY CIVILIAN HOMES. AN ALSO HAD TO CARRY A B40
ROUND AND 100 ROUNDS OF AK50 AMMUNITION.
) HO VAN CUOC ALIAS TU QUOC, 18 YEARS OLD, COMMO LIAISON CADRE FOR
COMPANY 3, BN 6, WHICH JOB HE HAD HELD FOR ONLY ABOUT A MONTH. CUOC
SAID HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE BN 'S OBJECT IVES IN THE ATTACK. HE KNEW
ONLY THE BN WAS TO ATTACK WHENEVER IT MET RESISTANCE, WAS TO HOLD
FIRM AND WAS NOT TO BE ALLOWED TO. RETREAT HE SAID THAT ON 30 JANUARY,
HIS COMPANY, THEN STATIONED IN THE VUON T HOM AREA, . RECEIVED ORDERS TO
LEAVE AT 1800 HOURS. THE UNIT ARRIVED IN SAIGON (CUOC DID NOT KNOW JUST
WHERE IN THE CiTY ) AT ABOUT 0200 HOURS ON 51 JANUARY. SHORTLY AFTER THE
S-E- -E-T -110-gORE-terrDTSTETT
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ATTACK BEGAN, FE AND ....COMPANY 3 COMMANDER TU TY. WERE .WOUNDED..- Ty WAS LEFT
BEHIND IN A CIVILIAN HOME.. ACCORDING TO CUOC, WHEN HIS 'UNIT REACHED HU
TH09 IT ENCOUNTERED A.POLICE FORCE AND LOST TEN MEN, INCLUDING Tu TY,
LATER, WHEN COMPANY POLITICAL OFFICER LE VAN BEN WAS WOUNDED, CUOC WAS �RDO
ED TO REMAIN WITH BEN. THE LATTER TOLD HIM TO GET .A.'vE.HIcLE TO.TAKE THEN
ON THE ROAD.
2. A FIFTH POW WAS IDENTIFIED BY LE VAN DUC . ALIAS. HOANG, AS BN 6
COMMANDER NGUYEN CHT XUAN, ALIAS NAM XUAN., ALIAS�DO VAN GOM. HOWEVER, THE
OTHER THREE POWS DESCRIBED ABOVE CLAIMED THAT. THE: CAPTURED XUAN WAS NOT
THE BN COMMANDER. THE PRISONER IS WOUNDED AND UNCONSCIOUS .AND HAS NOT YET
BEEN QUESTIONED.
3. NGuYEN VAN TY, .ALIAS TU TY, ALIAS K. DoNG KHANH., TRUE NAME CA VAN
Ty, COMMANDER OF COMPANY 3, BN 6, .WAS WOUNDED IN A .BATTLE WITH THE -COMBAT
POLICE AT THE PHU THO -RACETRACK. AND CAPTURED BY PoLICE. OF DISTRICT 6 ON 31
JANUARY. HE DIED OF HIS WOUNDS ON 1 F.EBRUARY...BEFORE...-HE DIED, HE REVEALED
THAT THE VC USED ABOUT 30 BNS IN THE ATTACK ON SAIGON, WITH THE MAJOR
OBJECTIVES BEING THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, THE RADIO STATION AND TAN SON
NHuT AIRBAsE, F.11.5 OWN BN 6 WAS TO TAKE THE CHI' HOA REEDUCATION CENTER, FRE2
THE INMATES, AND To HOLD THE.UNErE.i..z. AT ALL COSTS, WITH NO THOUGHT OF
RETREAT TY SAID HE DID NOT KNOW THE DESIGNATIONS. OFT HE OTHER � UNITS WHICH
�E�T NO FOREIGN .,DISER1 .
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PARTICIPATED IN THE ATTACK,
REPORT CLASS S ET/NO IOREICN DIEM
5. '4HEADQUARTERS COMMENT: MISSING PORTION WILL BE DISSEMINATED ONLY IF IT
MATERIALLY AFFECTS THE SENSE OF THIS REPORT.
ADVANCE COPIES TRANSMITTED TO: THE WHITE HOUSE,
STATE, DIA, ARMY, NAVY, AIR, JCS, NIC, NSA, OCI.
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Distribution.
- Messrs. Rostow, McNamara, Katzenbach, Wheeler via LDX
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