CABLE TO AIG 7840 FROM NPIC WASHDC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78B04549A000600020008-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2007
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: February 28, 1968
• Content Type: CABLE

Approved Release 2007/02/28: CIA-RDP78B,49A000600020008 6 ,
1968 FEB 28 02 4 4 Z
P 280226Z FEB 68
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S E C R E T CITE NPIC 3127. 1 25) A
REF A: GN T946/T906, 23 JAN 68. ~~~...,
REF B : NPIC MSG 2939, DTG 07215OZ , FEB 68. Q(ri r ;
1. ANALYSIS OF RECENT AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY R VEALS INCRSI
MILITARY ACTIVITY IN THE A SHAU VALLEY OF SOUTH VIETNAM IN ---- 1
A POSSIBLE HELICOPTER PAD OR RUNWAY RECONSTRUCTION AT A LU ~~.
A POSSIBLE DROP ZONE AT A SHAU AIRFIELD, AND ROAD AND
TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONSTRUCTION.
2. IN MARCH 1966 COMMUNIST FORCES OVERRAN AND TOOK CONTROL OF Tl "Q`'c``'`?P" -
GENERAL AREA OF THE A SHAU VALLEY, SOUTH VIETNAM, INCLUDING THRELGn""`ed
SPECIAL FORCES STRONGPOINTS AND ASSOCIATED AIRSTRIPS, A SHAU With Text
( 1607N 10705E) , A LUOI (1616N 10713E) , AND TA BAT ( 1613N 10716E) 41
THIS AREA GENERALLY PARALLELS THE LAOTIAN BORDER AND IS SERVED
BY ROUTE 548, AN EXTENSION OF LAOTIAN ROUTE 922, WHICH WAS RECON-
STRUCTED AND MAINTAINED DURING THE DRY SEASONS BY COMMUNIST FORCES.
THE THREE AIRSTRIPS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED BY CONTINUING U.S.
AIRSTRIKES AND UNTIL 23 JAN 68 NO SIGINFICANT ACTIVITY EXCEPT ROAD
CONSTRUCTION, REPAIR, AND REHABILITATION WAS NOTED.
3. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION DESCRIBES RECENT ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED
WITH TWO OF THE AIRSTRIPS AND SUGGEST THAT PREPARATIONS MAY BE
UNDERWAY TO PROVIDE AN AIR DROP/AIR LANDING CAPABILITY. THIS
ACTIVITY IS REMINISCENT OF THAT NOTED DURING THE 1967 REPEAT 1967
TET TRUCE PERIOD WHEN THE COMMUNISTS DROPPED SUPPLIES AT THE DIEN
BIEN PHU AIRSTRIP, NORTH VIETNAM.
4. NEWLY CLEARED AREA APPROXIMATELY 90 FT SQUARE IS EVIDENT ON
HOTOGRAPHY OF A LUOI AIRFIELD, AT THE NORTHWEST END OF 25X1
THE 1,375 FT RUNWAY AT UTM XD385002. THIS CLEARING COULD POSSIBLY
BE USED AS A HELICOPTER PAD OR COULD REPRESENT INITIAL EFFORTS
TO RECONSTRUCT THE RUNWAY. VEHICLE TRACKS EXTEND INTO THE AREA
FROM ROUTE 548, WHICH FOLLOWS THE ALIGNMENT OF THE LONGER
UNSERVICEABLE RUNWAY. A PROBABLE SMALL SUPPORT BUILDING IS LOCATED
120 FT SOUTHEAST OF THE CLEARED AREA. NONE OF THIS ACTIVITY WAS
NOTED ON PHOTOGRAPHY OF (REF A). 25X1
5. ROUTE 548 IS SERVIGEAbLt 1U A SHAU AIRFIELD, LOCATED JUST
9 NM SOUTHEAST OF A LUOI AIRFIELD, AND CONTINUES ACROSS THE BORDER
INTO LAOS. TRACK ACTIVITY EXTENDS WEST FROM ROUTE 548 AT THE A SHAU
AIRFIELD TO A POSSIBLE DROP ZONE IN A CLEARING BETWEEN THE OLD
ABANDONED U.S. SPECIAL FORCES CAMP AND THE MAIN RUNWAY AT
16-07-12N 107-2 0-OOE (YC495834). SCATTERED UNIDENTIFIED MATERIAL
IS NOTED IN THE VICINITY OF THE CLEARING.
6. NEWL DENTIFIED ROAD CONSTRUCTION OBSERVED ON PHOTOGRAPHY OF
EXTENDS NORTHEAST FROM ROUTE 548 JUST NORTH OF TA BAT 25X1
 Approved For Release 2007/02/28: CIA-RDP78B04549A000600020008-6
AIRFIELD TOWARD SOUTH VIETNAM ROUTE 547, WHICH IN TURN EXTENDS TOWARD
THE HUE AREA. APPROXIMATELY 6 NM PRESENTLY SEPARATE THE ROAD
CONSTRUCTION FROM ROUTE 547 AT BA HI. A 4 NM SECTION OF ROUTE
547 FROM BA HI TO NUI MAY NHA APPEARS TO BE IN DISUSE. THE
REMAINING PORTION OF ROUTE 547 INTO HUE IS SERVICEABLE.
7. FIVE AAA SITES (4 OCCUPIED) ARE AT YD347040, YD304091,
YD296085, YD279093 AND YD2 68104 DISPERSED ALONG ROUTE 548 NORTHWEST
OF A LUOI AIRFIELD. THESE POSITIONS WHICH ARE ROAD SERVED AND
LARGER THAN NORMALLY OBSERVED IN SOUTH VIETNAM COULD HANDLE
ZPU-4 OR LARGER WEAPONS.
8. A NEW TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPEN- WAS OBSERVED UNDER
CONSTRUCTION IN SOUTH VIETNAM, ON PHOTOGRAPHY, FROM 25X1
16-17-30N 107-08-12E (YD283022), ABOUT 0.5 NM EAST OF THE LAOS/SOUTH
VIETNAM BORDER. THIS TRACE EXTENDS GENERALLY SOUTHEAST AND TERMIN-
ATING 2.5 NM WEST OF A LUOI AIRFIELD AT 16-16-15N 107-11-14E
(YD337001). THIS TRACE WILL SERVE THE A SHAU VALLEY AND IS
PROBABLY A BRANCH LINE OF THE LINE GENERALLY PARALLELING ROUTE
9'> (RFF R)
MAP REF: AMS SERIES L 7014, SHEETS 6441 II AND IV9 1ST F.D.
GP-1
S E C R E T
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