PARACEL AND SPRATLEY ISLANDS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000300180020-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 15, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: December 27, 1965
• Content Type: REPORT

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i NOTE: Th,* document 90ntAtn. fnlarartlon
oll.ctind thw ns91one1 deletyse of tA. Untted
State9 within rho momnind 01 the 08;11011-40
1ews. Tltl. 17, U.S.C.. Sec. 793 and 704-
Th* tranavuselo" or the revelation of U.
$onlante in any manner to an un.utherlsed
p r.on 1* prohibited by law.
3. SU JECT: .(U) PARACEL and SPRATLEI
ISLANDS
MAX
This r.pprt eonlsln. unptoo.sa.d tnlonnatlon.
Piano and/or pottel...Aouid n" be evolved
'
or atodlit d solely on the "a#@ of this r "K WI.
9. DATE OF REPORT: '27 December 1965
10. NO. OF PAGEE3:
25X1'
t ?
Yi.REFERSNC~s: SICR D-103-11711. SICR D-1C3-11736
'3. DATE OF IN;ORNATION: ' 20 December 1965
b. PLACE AND DATE OF ACg: Taipei; 20 Dec 65
3. EVALUATION: SOURCE B INFORMATION 2
RVN Armed Forces Attache
13. PREPARED 01
14.'APPROVING Al
SUMMA9tr' (S) This report forwards verbatim information contained in three documents
received from the RVN Armed Forces Attache which supports the RVNZ claim to the
SPRATLEY and PARACEL'ISLAND complexes.
`j 1.- (S)-Document number one. --------'------------------------"__-
1VIETN?AM'S SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE PARACEL AND SPrRATL"Y ISLANDS"
"In a.statement made on March 17th, last, Mr Tomas.Cloma~ Director of the Maritime
Institute of the Philippines, announced that he had discovered some unclaimed
islands off the Philippines which he christened "Freedomlard".
Tomas Clomals statement set off a chain of protests.
To
of
# a. y
t
begLn with, the Chinese Nationalist Government informed the Philippine Minister
Foreign Affairs, through its Ambassador in'Manilat that the Spratley Islands were ?
CINCPACAF (DIDDS)1.w/o Encl
AM EMiD, TAIPEI, W/o Encl
17. DolvNSatAD,NG DATA; 110. ATTACHMENT VATAt
OWNGRADED AT 12 YEAR INTERVALS;
%cc c)
Y
", L AMPLACMS 0A 17011'-1 10,441, ! AUG A0.
Uynaw M WOAM 3020 (RVT
t. to Vii} 4,4
1 t3. JUL S.1. yt.d)t Y1 A ! a
( .o.slS art s? anal Cerstr~d l r.,lt e) A
ri
ua0 O Ur1TtL 1 JA" 33?
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CIA-RDP08CO1297R000300180020-0
2 Encj.osures
1. Map of Spratley islands
1 cy, 1 page (S)
2. Map of Paracel Islands
1- cy, 1 page (S}
EOUEST ATTACHMENT F tOM gypA~^3 is
i U-3-2 523
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,,;; :'hinese possession.
Conversations were about to open between the Chinese Nationalist Government and the.
lGovernment of the Philippines on the subject.. when., on May 30th a spokesman of the
Hand also the Paracels. ?
In a communique published on June 1st, the Government of the Republic of Vietnam
finally re-established the truth by affirming its.historic rights over the two
archipelagoes, which have always formed part of Vietnamese territory., as indeed was
recalled by the head of the Vietnamese delegation to the Peace Conference in San .-
Francisco at the moment of the signature of the peace treaty (with Japan). -
We feel it would be useful to retrace the hisry of the occupation of these islands,
which shows that they have for a long time been Vietnamese possessions.
o PARACELS ISLANDS d,
The Paracels archipelago is a string of islets situated off the Vietnamese coast
between 110 and 113 degrees of longitude east of Greenwich and from 15?45117" of
latitude about 300km from Tourane6 These islands which differ in size, are divided
into two groups. }
The Amphitrite group (called after the first French ship. which entered the
South-China Sea):
North Island Rocky Island
Middle Island Lincoln Island
South Island Tree Island
.Wooded Island South Bank
and the Crescent Group (so called because of its shape
Pattle Island Drummond Island
Roberts Island Passu Keah Island
Money Island Triton Island
Duncan Island
The two largest islands are Wooded Island in the Amphitrite group and Pattle Island
in the Crescent Group. The total area of the isles forming the archipelago barely
exceeds 10 square kilometers.
Originally coral islands,.they have the bare appearance of sandbanks and are
O for the most part surrounded by a ring of reefs which make the approach by vessels
particularly dangerous.
Wooded Island alone is covered by dense forest, from which it takes its name.
The islands have been frequented since long ago by Vietnamese fishermen who
went there for tortoises, sea-slugs and other marine creatures which were abundant
there. In recent times, the Paracels have attracted exploiters of phosphates, rich
'beds of which are produced by the interaction of the guano of sea-birds with the
tropical rains and the coral limestone.
Vietnamese sovereignty over the Paracels was asserted many centuries ago,
even before the official annexation of the isles to the Empire of Annam, in 1816, by
the founder of the Nguyen dynasty., the Emperor Gia Long. It will be well here to
recall these traditional sovereign rights, which the vicissitudes of history have
1never yet brought in dispute.
a. THE PA_R'LACELS SERE A VIETNAMESE POSSESSION BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH
qM _ Ma y historical works, both Vietnamese and foreign, mention the Paracel
~.
Kin
of 'Snna'n_
. ___ - '1
f th
f
o
mer
g
possessio o
e
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(Classification and Control bfarkings)
Here is the description given by the Hoang Viet Dia-Du (Geography of the
An smite Empire) published in the 16th year of the Emperor Minh Mang (1835).
I North East of the Village of An-ninh (huyen de Binh-Son) and well out to
sea, there is an archipelago composed of 130 isles separated one from another by
anything from a few hours to a whole day's journey by boat. At the'lowest point of
911 the islands there is a fresh water well.
In the midst of these-reefs lies a yellow sand bank (from which comes th
name of Hoang-Sa which is given to this archipelago); the sea is calm there. Sea
swallows and other birds live on this archipelago in companies innumerable. They ar
bold, and do not fly away at the approach of man.
Upon these islands are to be found many kinds of sea treasures, flower
shells of the kind called elephantst ears which are as long as mats, and can
1dzells
,
be used for making tablets for mandarins or for the manufacture of lime, mother-of-
pearl shells much sought after for the making of objects d'art, and many kinds of
shellfish which make excellent eating.
ecs
h one s
i
,
p
ses, o winc
There are also to be round gigantic torto
Ba-Ba, provides shell used in the fabrication of certain objects.
Crayfish, lobsters and sea-urchins are also to be fished for there.
The Dai-Nam Nhut Thong-Ch (Annals of Viet-Nam), published in the reign of Tu-Due,
tells the story of the occupation of the Paracels by the Kings of Annam.
According to the Annals, a special company was created at the beginning
of the Nguyen dynasty (1802) called the Hoang-Sa Company, for the purpose of super-
civising the exploitation of the Paracels.
The company was formed by seventy men from the village of Vinh-An,
chosen from among the most experienced seamen. The company spent half the year upon
the islands.
In the third month of each year they set sail for the isles to collect the
sea produce which they brought back in the eighth month to the port of Tu-Hien.
A Northern Company was also created under the same direction as the
1Hoang-Sa Company, which explored the islands to the north of the Paracels, including
the Kouen Louen islands close to Hainan.
in 1832 the Emperor Minh Mang sent labour and materials by State boats
to build a pagoda on a rock called the Ban-Na Rock.
in his work entitled "History and description of the religion,
Th
us
, 1 customs and morals of all peopled', published in 1838 Monseigneur Taberd wrote as
in s the name of the territory formed
w _ . _ . . i _ -h a.4 t
-!t t m
a
e
the south and a part of the centre of Vietnam):
t embark on enumerating the main islands dependencies of
IIW
ll
h
e s
no
a
s to remarking that for more than 34 years the
lv
e
hall limit ourse
Cb c inching; we s archipelago of the Paracels, called by the Annamites Cat -`fang or Hoang-sa (yellow y?
1
1
ared with good reason by
f
b
-
e
an
.
s,
kooky islands and sand
sand'a maze of little
navigators, has been occupied by the people Of Cochinchina. }}
a e o f F M Q{ R.EnAc:_s AF FORM '?^.a, :ti!. 65 WH!CH MAY zc
Near the pagoda was erected a stone column to commemorate its foundation,
But there are not only the documents of the old court of Annam to assert
the sovereignty of Viet-nam over the islets of the Paracels.
Before the establishment of the French protectorate over Annam, numerous
;writings by missionaries, explorers; and French sailors bore witness to this
sovereignty
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CO TINUAT OH SHEET S E C H. E T
REPORT NO.
PAGE
4
(C:asaification and Control Markings)
We do not know if they founded a settlement there, but 'it is certain tha
the Emperor Gia-Long had resolved to add this singular ornament to his crown, since
she though fit to take possession of the islands in person, and in 1816 solemnly
hoisted there the flag of Cochinchina."
The above extract from the work in question was also' published in Englis
in the Journal of the Asiatic Society or Bengal.
J. B. Chaigneau (1769-1825) in his "Memoires Sur la Cochinchine" defines.
Cochinchina as the territory formed by Cochinchina proper... and the archipelago of
N
The book also mentions the official annexation of the archipelago by the
Emperor Gia-Long in 1816.
Vietnams historic rights over the Paracels are therefore incontestible.
THE PARACELS UNDER THE FRENCH PROTECTORATE
During the first year of their protectorate over Annam, no doubt preoccupied
by more urgent questions, the French authorities in Indochina seemed to take little
interest in this possession far out in the China Sea.
Fortunately there were some far-seeing minds to rendnd France of the
obligations she had contracted, in imposing the protectorate on Annam, to defend the
territorial integrity of that country against foreign nations.
The press demanded an effective occupation of the Paracels islands and
tithe establishment of certain vital installations such as a lighthouse, radio unit,
meteorological station, etc...in the interest of navigation.
In 1899 after a number of shipwrecks had occurred on the outlying reefs
ea 9
'$ of the Paracels, a plan was drawn up for the erection of a lighthouse. But the plan
slumbered in the pigeon-holes of the administration.
I The shipwrecks in question gave rise to a number of disputes which are not
without interest, since they show that China did not recognize any right of her own
over the Paracels.
Two of the shipwrecked vessels, the Bellona (wrecked in 1895 on the north
reef) and the Imezi Maru (wrecked in 1896 on the Amphitrite) were carrying cargoes
of copper insured by British Companies.
After a vain attempt at salvage, the wrecks were abandoned. Some Chinese,
plying in sampans and small junks, pillaged the wreckage and took the copper they
got from it to Hainan, where they offered to re-sell it to the shipowners.
anies then provoked and intervention by the British
om
i
T
p
nsurance c
he
Minister in Peking and the British Consul in Hoi-Hao, who tried to hold. the Chinese
local authorities responsible for the shipwrecks.
uthorities declined all responsibi-lity, maintaining that the
C
hinese a
The
ji ?race4 AAA not belong to China. and that the islands were not attached to any part
author ities
It was in fact with the French authorities in Indochina that the local
representative of the Chinese government in t ainan and Southern China settled
disputes at issue between Vietnamese and Chinese fisherfold. on the Paracels islands.
he French consuls in Bao-itao had to protect against the
h
an once t
More t
abduction of women and children of Vietnamese fishermen by Chinese fishermen, who
sold them An the ports (5f Hainan.
OF 8
25X1':
PAGES
25X1
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~~4 ~ ,,~~^^~~ 8t~ 41 ~~~_
./ j' ~ / \` '~,'~II X11 - 3
SECRET
REPORT NO.
PAGE
ORIGINATOR
25X1.:
OF PAG'8S25X1
In 1909, profiting from the fact that there were as yet no installations to
'denote French sovereignty over the Paracels., the Viceroy of Canton sent two gun
:boats to make a general reconnaissance and draw up a map of the archipelago.
The two gunboats arrived on -June 6th and remained less than 2~4 hours.in a
cove of the archipelago, departing the next day.
This unexpected volte-face of the Chinese Government could not of course have
any legal consequences.
The faret?th;at the French had neglected to reaffirm formal possession of the
islands after the establishment of the Protectorate over Annam could not in any way
weaken the incontestable rights of the latter.
The Chinese expedition had the fortunate effect of awakening the French
jauthorities in Indochina., who began to realize the importance of the Paracels for
1the security of the Indochina coast.
From 1920 on, the motor launches of the Customs made frequent visits to the
islands, which provided excellent refuge for smugglers of arms ammunition and opium.
In 1925 the first scientific exploration of the archipelago was set on foot,
in which the De Lanessan, a vessel of the' oceanographical services in Indochina,
took part. This exploration revealed the rich beds of phosphates which the isles-
possessed.
It also proved the existence of a continental shelf which reaches out in
platforms from the Annamite coast into the sea. The Paracels rest on one of these
platforms; they are thus joined to the coast of Vietnam by a submarine plinth.
possessions, til then little known to the general public. The press of Indochina
devoted numerous articles to the possibilities of developing the resources of the
archipelago, and to the strategic importance.
Numerous Japanese Companies were not slow in applying to the French auth-
crities in Indochina to obtain permission to work the phosphate beds, therefore
recognizing French sovereignty over the archipelago.
The Japanese carried out important works. They built a jetty of phosphate
blocks and a metal landing-stage 300 meters long on Roberts Island to ease the
loading of phosphate.
These installations were later abandoned, no doubt because the workings were
not sufficiently profitable.
By reason of the numerous administrative problems raised by the presence of
-Pnrmicr nmmnnniea on the archipelago. a decree was issued on June 15th, 1932 making
the Paracels an administrative "delegation", named the "delegation of the Urescent
and dependencies" and "Delegation of the Amphitrite and dependencies."
c , TIM PARACELS DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPAT ION
who had need of strategic bases in the Pacific with a
In 1939 the Japanese
,
view to an approaching onslaught, quite simply claimed the Paracel Islands and in
fact occupied them at the time of their entry into the war at the side of the Axis
powers.
The Paracels thus remained under Japanese occupation until the end of the
war in 1945.
ij
As the natural consequence of her defeat, Japan renounced, under article 2
d, THE PARACELS AND THE SAN FRANCISCO PEACE TREATY
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