COMMUNIST VIOLATIONS OF THE VIETNAM AND LAOS SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T02095R000700080026-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 20
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 19, 2009
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: April 27, 1973
• Content Type: REPORT

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NSA review completed
ARMY review(s)
completed.
Tenth Report
COMMUNIST VIOLATIONS OF
THE VIETNAM AND LAOS SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS
(This report covers the week from
20 April through 26 April 1973)
Top Secret
DIA review(s)
completed.
25X1
25X1
This memorandum has been prepared jointly by the
Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense
Top Secret
25
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27 April 1973
Tenth Report
COMMUNIST VIOLATIONS OF
THE VIETNAM AND LAOS SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS*
(This report covers the week from
20 April through 26 April 1973)
The Key Points
The only new North Vietnamese infiltrators de-
tected starting south during the week were
about 80 non-combat personnel--civil and mili-
tary specialists.
Heavy North Vietnamese logistic activity con-
tinues, however, all along the Ho Chi Minh trail
in southern Laos and in northern South Vietnam.
We have received further evidence that the Com-
munists are continuing to construct roads which
parallel the Ho Chi Minh trail system, but are
located wholly inside South Vietnam.
They are also extending a road toward Sa Huynh
in Quang Ngai Province, a town which they tried
to capture for a seaport at the time of the
ceasefire.
Combat activity during the week was at a low
level in both South Vietnam and Laos.
* This report has been prepared jointly by the
Central Intelligence Agency and the Department
of Defense.
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The Details
NOTE: This is the tenth in a series of reports de-
tailing recently received evidence of (a) Communist
efforts to infiltrate new manpower and military ma-
teriel toward and into South Vietnam, and (b) Com-
munist-instigated combat activity in violation of
the Vietnam and Laos settlement agreements.
A. Infiltration and Redeployments of North Viet-
namese Personnel
1. The only new North Vietnamese infiltrators
noted departing North Vietnam during the past week
were in one small group of civil and military special-
ists. Seven other small groups of specialists, who
probably left North Vietnam about a month ago, were
detected for the first time farther south in the in-
filtration system. All together, these eight groups
total only some 200 men.
2. For over a month, we have been carrying an
estimate of 35,000 North Vietnamese personnel who
have infiltrated into South Vietnam or adjacent
border areas since 28 January (25,000 of whom were in
the pipeline as of that date, and 10,000 of whom
started the trip south after that date). As a re-
sult of a careful re-appraisal of all available evi-
dence, both CIA and DIA now conclude that the estimate
of about 25,000 infiltrators in the pipeline as of 28
January remains valid, but that the estimate of new
infiltrators starting the trip south since that date
should be raised to 15,500--giving a new total of
more than 40,000 North Vietnamese personnel who have
been in the infiltration system at one time or an-
other since the ceasefire went into effect. Part
of this increase comes from the addition of the spe-
cialist groups which we have detected infiltrating
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in each of the recent weeks--but which individually
were too small to add into our rounded totals. An-
other part of the increase comes from the detection
of several groups which started a month or more ago.
Also, a reassessment of estimated travel times--
owing to increased use of trucks to transport in-
filtrees--increased the number of post-ceasefire
starts. Of the new total of over 40,000, some 3,000
to 4,500 are civil or military specialists, and the
remainder are combat replacement troops. All but
about 2,000 of the 40,000 have now completed their
journey south and have left the infiltration pipeline.
(ANNEX II, contains a more detailed
discussion ortne intor~ion pertaining to North
Vietnamese infiltration which was received during
the past week.)
3. New evidence on the status of the 312th
and 304th NVA Divisions was received this week. The
headquarters of the 312th NVA Division was again
identified west of Vinh, further strengthening the
likelihood that this division has left, or is in
the process of leaving, South Vietnam's Quang Tri
Province. None of the division's subordinate reg-
iments, however, has yet been identified in North
Vietnam. The status of the 304th NVA division is
less clear. Tenuous information has located elements
of the division headquarters in the western DMZ while
at the same time other elements of the division have
been detected in both southern North Vietnam and
northern South Vietnam. The pattern of the 304th's
current deployment could mean that it is temporarily
rotating some of its combat units to North Vietnam
for rest and refitting or it could mean that the
division actually is withdrawing entirely to the
North.
4. Another NVA anti-aircraft artillery reg-
iment has been identified operating in the vicinity
of Khe Sanh. The regiment originally deployed from
the Hanoi area in early January and arrived in south-
ern Laos shortly before the 28 January Vietnam cease-
fire. Subsequently, the regiment moved into South
Vietnam--almost certainly after 28 January and al-
most certainly in violation of the ceasefire agree-
ment. The total number of line anti-aircraft
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artillery regiments now known to be operating in
the Khe Sanh area is four; in addition there is
one North Vietnamese SAM regiment in the area, and
other AAA units subordinate to the NVA logistics
structure.
5. In another development, an NVA regiment
which has been operating in Binh Long Province of
GVN MR 3 may have moved to Hong Ngu District in
Kien Phong Province of GVN MR 4. The regiment re-
portedly left Binh Long Province in late February
and arrived in MR 4 in early April. If this re-
deployment has in fact occurred, it would be the
first interregional redeployment of a major Commu-
nist unit in southern South Vietnam since the cease-
fire.
B. Movement of Military Equipment and Supplies To-
ward and Into South Vietnam and Laos
6. The reporting period was a amain characterized
by heavy Commun ' s f _ 1.oai,atjc 1 acti u t
North yietnam, the Laos Panhandle, and northernouth
Vietnam. Detected vehicle traffic was unusually high
in the Laos Panhandle, particularly on Route 99, a
main north-south road extending through the central
Panhandle. Continuing NVA truck traffic was also
seen on the primary feeder routes from southern
Laos into the northern regions of South Vietnam.
The level of NVA logistic activity within South
Vietnam was down somewhat from the previous week,
but there was again hard evidence of large quantities
of munitions being shipped to and stored in Quang
Tri. Province and the Laos/South Vietnam border region
of GVN MR 1. Logistic activity in the southern part
of North Vietnam continued at the level of the
preceding several weeks, and truck traffic moving
south through the entry corridors into Laos was also
at about the same level as that observed last week.
(,See Annex III, for a brief
statement concerning the recent deterioration in our
intelligence on truck traffic moving from North Viet-
nam into Laos.) Small quantities of supplies also
were seen moving from Vinh toward destinations in
northern Laos.
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7. The following instances of Communist lo-
gistic activity were observed in South Vietnam during
the week. Activity observed in South Vietnam prob-
ably reflects supplies which have recently entered
the country. (The map on the following page shows
the roads and route numbers which appear below.)
(a) Evidence of the following Communist
road construction activity in South
Vietnam was received during the re-
porting period.
(]) a 4-mile extension
of motorable road was observed
on Route 614 south of the A Shau
Valley. Currently, there is an
18-mile gap between the limit of
construction on Route 614 and
similar road improvement activity
occurring on Route 14.
there was an 8-
mile segment of newly constructed
road extending east from Route
514 to within 5 miles of the
coastal town of Sa Huynh in
Quang Ngai Province.
(3)
a 52-mile segment of
cleared road was observed ex-
tending south from the Route 19
border crossing in Pleiku Prov-
ince into central Darlac Province.
(.b) On 20 April, the major NVA logistic
unit operating in northern Quang Tri
Province shipped about 210 tons of
munitions southward on Route 608/616.
The total included nearly 150 tons of
160-mm mortar ammunition.
(c )
42 cargo trucks were ob-
served on Route 9 between Dong Ha and
the Laos border (23 eastbound, 7 west-
bound, 12 parked).
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 \-/,~," inh (anchorage)
-. ~- -North ietnam -ip
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Pass l ,Ha Tiah I.. .
Tha
Phano
Mu Gia
Pass -
udon
iRatchathe o~
W n
Chamrap
4441
Huong
g Saravan 7 921 9b
-969 19 _rTam Ky
R h Gf0. a,. Car Tho
v ryon
Ban Me
Th u o1
mho
006 Dong Ha
Ling TM6
!,;PEC4AL ZONE
Names and bound ary representation
.are not necessarily authoritative
South Vietnam
and
North Vietnam Panhandle
-,-?- - - Province boundary
0110 ON Military region
International Commission
of Control and St pervlsion
region boundary
Railroad
- Road
- POL pipeline
25 50 75 Miles
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(d) here were 36 cargo ve-
hicles parked on a feeder road running
south from Route 9 southwest of Dong
Ha.
13 cargo trucks were ob-
served on Route 9 west of Cam Lo (7
eastbound, 6 parked). Also on that
date, 16 trucks were seen on Route 1
north of Dong Ha (1 northbound, 5 south-
bound, 10 parked), as well as 24 buses
parked along the road.
8. During the reporting period the following
indications of North Vietnamese logistic activity
in southern Laos were noted. Historical precedent
would suggest that much of this activity probably
involved supplies destined for South Vietnam.
(a) The following NVA vehicle activity
was observed during the reporting
period on Route 99 between Muong Nang
and the route's intersection with
Route 96 southeast of Ban Bac.
H180 cargo vehicle (17
(2)
(3)
northbound, 51 southbound, 112
parked).
northbound, 42 southbound, 4
parked).
47 cargo vehicles (1
parked).
southbound, 67 northbound, 54
-164 cargo trucks (43
(4) I -262 cargo trucks (113
northbound, 91 southbound, 58
parked).
(5)
(6)
northbound, 17 southbound, 80
parked).
146 cargo trucks (49
northbound, 30 southbound, 52
parked).
107 cargo vehicles (25
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(b) The following activity was observed
on Route 92 north of Muong Nong during
the reporting period: 82 cargo ve-
hicles on 19 April (47 northbound, 27
southbound, 8 parked); 23 cargo ve-
hicles on 20 April (5 northbound, 18
southbound); 34 cargo trucks on 23
April (20 northbound, 14 southbound);
13 trucks on 24 April (5 northbound,
8 southbound); 83 cargo trucks on 25
April (44 northbound, 39 southbound).
(c) During the period 20 through 22 April,
a number of NVA logistic units op-
erating in the Laos Panhandle adjacent
to or in GVN MR 1 handled large ship-
ments of supplies, consisting primarily
of ordnance and ammunition. Three
unlocated storage facilities in the
area were observed receiving over
2,000 tons of munitions over the three-
day period.
(d) On 20 April, an NVA logistic unit op-
erating in the Laos Panhandle adjacent
to central GVN MR 1 received a total
of 95 vehicles. 40 of these moved on
to an unknown destination.
(e) 47 cargo vehicles were
(f)
Chavane (31 eastbound, 6 westbound,
10 parked). There were also 47 ve-
hicles observed on this route on 24
April (34 eastbound, 7 westbound, 6
parked).
there were 75 cargo trucks
on Route 9211 southeast of Saravane
(13 northbound, 29 southbound, 33
parked). 82 cargo ve-
hicles were observed on this route
(10 northbound, 70 southbound, 2
parked). 32 cargo ve-
hicles were detected on the route (2
northbound, 21 southbound, 9 parked).
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(g)
were moving on Route 9 east of Tchepone.
9. There is additional evidence of the con-
tinuing movement within North Vietnam of military
and other supplies which are probably destined for
South Vietnam and/or Laos.
(a) On 19 April, an NVA logistic unit in
the southern North Vietnam Panhandle
offloaded over 300 tons of foodstuffs
and medical supplies from barges on
the Gianh River and shipped out over
100 tons of rice.
(b) On 20 April, over 90 tons of gasoline
and rice were shipped on 18 trucks
from Vinh westward on Route 7 to
northern Laos.
(c) During the period 21-23 April, over
240 vehicles were noted transiting
the operational area of an NVA lo-
gistic unit south of Dong Hoi.
(d) On 24 April, eight cargo trucks trans-
ported 41 tons of rice from a storage
area'near Vinh to an NVA logistic unit
located on Route 7 at the Laos border.
C. Combat Activity Initiated by Communist Forces
In South Vietnam Since the Ceasefire
10. In South Vietnam, the total number of Com-
munist-initiated ceasefire violations reported by
the South Vietnamese Armed Forces since 28 January
and for the last week (20-26 April) are shown below:
Military
Total Since
Ceasefire
Last Week (20-26 Apr)
Region
Level of
Action
Level of Action
Major
Minor
Major
Minor
MR 1
817
2,758
39
111
MR 2
196
1,316
10
85
MR 3
290
1,843
14
101
MR 4
444
4,047
26
277
Totals
1,747
9,964
89(11
6)1/
574(633)1/
1/ Denotes totals of previous week.
70 eastbound cargo trucks
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11. Some of these violations may have been in-
itiated by GVN forces rather than Communist forces,
and it is impossible in all cases to determine the
actual instigator. The table above and the chart
on the following page, however, do show fairly ac-
curately the trend in the amount of combat that has
occurred in South Vietnam since the ceasefire. The
fact that a combat incident occurred at a particular
time and place is generally reported accurately by
the South Vietnamese, even though the question of
who started it may not always be treated in objec-
tive fashion. In some cases, the Joint Military
Commission (GVN/PRG) also reports violations of the
ceasefire.
12. The following is a chronological listing
of only the most significant "major" Communist vio-
lations of the ceasefire in South Vietnam that were
reported by the South Vietnamese Armed Forces during
the past week.
MILITARY REGION 1
Between 20 and 26 April friendly units west
and southwest of Hue received 2,576 rounds
in 36 separate attacks-by-fire.
MILITARY REGION 2
On 21 and 24 April, enemy forces attacked
elements of two infantry battalions three
miles southeast of Bong Son in Binh Dinh
Province.
MILITARY REGION 3
Enemy pressure against the Tonle Cham base
camp continued at a decreasing level be-
tween 21 and 27 April.
MILITARY REGION 4
On 19, 20, and 21 April, enemy forces at-
tacked elements of an ARVN infantry reg-
iment on six separate occasions 12 miles
northeast of Chau Duc.
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CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS IN SOUTH VIETNAM AS REPORTED BY RVNAF
(28 JANUARY 1973 TO THE PRESENT)
JAN-FIB
4UU
300
200
JL 111 L I
d
ill
1 R 1CL% I (N No 0~4 %on 00
MAR
APR
4UU
300
200
MAY
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D. Combat Activity Initiated by Communist Forces
in Laos During the Week from 20-26 April
13. Three major incidents were recorded in
North Laos during the week. The first involved
the capture by Communist forces of three Royal Lao
Army (FAR) defensive positions in northwestern
Sayaboury Province. The other two involved Commu-
:Liist ground and shelling attacks which caused the
abandonment of FAR positions north and southeast
of the Plain of Jars. No major military activity
was reported in South Laos during the week.
14. Following is a brief account of significant
combat incidents which occurred between 20 and 26
April, and which were clearly initiated by Commu-
nist forces in violation of the Laos ceasefire agree-
ment:
(a) On 20 April, a Communist battalion
launched simultaneous attacks against
three Government positions in north-
western Sayaboury Province. All three
positions were lost. (These positions
are west of the Mekong River and as
close as 5 kilometers to the Thai
border.) The Royal Lao Government is
currently--as of 26 April--redeploying
several FAR units into position to
counterattack in this area.
(b) On 21 April, no significant military
activity occurred throughout Laos.
(c) On 22 April, a Communist battalion
attacked and captured the FAR position
at Phou Vieng, 20 kilometers northwest
of Bouam Long in Military Region II.
The attack was supported by over 400
(d)
rounds of mortar and artillery fire.
On 23 April, no significant activity
occurred in Laos.
(e)
On 24 April, military activity
re-
mained light throughout Laos.
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(f) On 25 April, activity again was at a
low level in Laos.
(g) On 26 April, a Communist ground and
shelling attack drove Government forces
further from the vicinity of Tha Vieng,
southeast of the Plain of Jars. This
sector was the scene of recent heavy
fighting which triggered a U.S. bombing
response.
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Next 1 Page(s) In Document Denied
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Post-Ceasefire Infiltration of North Vietnamese
Personnel to the South
1. During the reporting period, a total of
eight special-purpose infiltration groups were in-
itially detected at various points in the infiltra-
tion pipeline. One of these groups--with a reported
strength of 83--was detected at Binh Tram 18 in the
Vinh area of North Vietnam, while the other seven
appeared deeper in the pipeline in Laos and Cambodia.
In addition to these eight groups, there were two
references to several other "A"-designated groups
(probably consisting of civilian administrators) in
communications of Binh Tram 18. Since there was no
mention either of unique group designators or of
specific departure dates from the Vinh area, these
groups have not been included in the listing of
infiltration starts.
2. Further analysis of the intercepted mes-
sage citing group 1003--reported as an initial
detection in last week's issue of Ceasefire Develop-
ments. in Indochina--has revealed that in fact it was
a reference to group 2003. As this group was in-
itially detected in North Vietnam in mid-January
and included in our estimate at that time, the
changed group designator will not affect the in-
filtration totals.
3. The following table lists those infiltra-
tion groups which were detected for the first time
during the past week.
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Infiltration Groups-Initially Reported
During the Past Week
Group
Designator Strength Location
A 182 10 South Laos
A 194 Unk South Laos
A 215 Unk Cambodia
A 327 17 South Laos
L 736 83 North Vietnam
QL 262 15 South Laos
Y 182 5 South Laos
Z 101 Unk South Laos
Date of
Detection
17 April
17 April
7 April
17 April
22 April
19 April
17 April
19 April
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Truck Traffic on the Entry 25X1
orri ors into Southern Laos
Iwe believe the photographic
evidence of heavy truck traffic throughout south Laos
indicates a continuing heavy flow of vehicles out of
North Vietnam.
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25X1 Top Secret
Top Secret
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