MARSHALL GREEN MEMORANDUM OF DECEMBER 31, 1969

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000300070003-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: January 7, 1969
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/19: CIA-RDP08C01297R000300070003-1
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INR/00R - Mr. Mark
THROU H: RSF/OD r. ?Volff
PSF/GE - Robert D. Hodgson
RET
Marshall raen MDrandzi of December 31* 1969.
January 7? 1969
?Assistant Secretary Green's Memorandum of December 31, 1969, which arrived
in the GE mail on January 50 1970* requests an up-dating of existing reports on
the Laos - Vietnam boundary for targeting purposes.
On the afternoon -of the 5th, REA informed me that a briefing would be
held at 0930 of the 6th. I furnished Ar. Lyne with the data than available.
I enlose the basic data which have been compiled on the 5th and the
6th.
Attachments:
I. )Analysis
2. Memo dated Feb. 104 1967.
3.. Memo dated. March 28, 19694
4. las no. 35.
?5. Maps.
cc: EA - Mr. Lyne ///
?-?
INR/R5F/GEADHo4gson:cl1,
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STATUS OF THE LA(Is - VIETNIM BOODARY
To the Geographer's best knowledge. the attached International Bounckny.
?./4.142:219,4_1?.111?A.42.1.1..2111!t,714RAIRAllarY. tikat1L1221.rePresents
the latest juridical status of the boundary. Basically the study states
the southern third of the boundary i delimited by a decree of the Indochinese
noverner General; the northern two-thirds is known *nly from official French
maps. However, it should be noted that Mark Pratt in Vietiahe 1435 of
June 8, 1966 stated that the FrenCh GOvernment had given to the Royal Lao
Government "...the text of various documents, including the Dalat Agreemnt
on Indochinese frontiers? The Dalat Are is the key, as I understaA
it, to all boundaries on the Indochinese peninsula which were not delimited by
specific decrees of the Governor General. In effect, the agreement
determined how the Service Gengrtphique de l'Indochine would align the
undelimited boundaries on its official maos The French Government in 1960
refused to give this document to me but did state that the results, and the
official French position, were shown on the 11001,000 maps of the SGI.
Those maps have been utilized for the compilation of the U.S. boundary
representation at all scales.
A serious effort should be made to obtain a copy of the Dalat Agreement
and other pertinent French documents obtained by the FIG. These documents
could answer most; if not ;11, of our open questions..
files
On the question of disputes along the frontier, we have reexamined ou
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For the sake of simplicity, I have divided the boundary Into three parts:
a From China to 20? North latitude;
b From 20? North to the Keo Nua Pass; and
c) From Keo Nua Pass to the Demilitarized Zone.
The "disputes", i.e. differences in boundary alignment, which we uncovered
are marked on the attached series of JOG(G) 1:250,000 maps. The "disputed"
areas are approximate although drawn as accurately as the scale of the captured
maps permit. Places, which are located correctly on the JO8s, as confirmed by
captured maps, have been marked in red. These villages and hamlets are
situated correctly politically as well as relatively to the boundary. They
merely serve to confirm the plotted position of the Lao-North Vietnamese
boundary.
a) China to 20? North
A captured north Vietnamese topographic map with an aeronautical
overprint, Dan Do Hano Khong Viet-Nam, Ty Le 11,000,000, (S0.1) Hong Ha,
undated, covers the area from 20? to 24? North and from 101? to 107? East.
The map has been compared with the JOG series and discrepancies noted on
the attached 3OGs. From the north, the first difference in alignment is
noted at 102? 31' East and 22? 02' North. A small circulatamountainous area
of Laos is included within Vietnam. However, no significant road or trail
pattern occurs in the area and the "dispute", if indeed it is not due to
cartographic generalization or error, can be disregarded.
The second difference occurs at 102? 51 East and 21 45' North.
A long finger of Laos projecting into North Vietnam is eliminated by the
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/19: CIA-RDP08C01297R000300070003-1
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capturad map. The ptt
SEQ.-41'
Le of this. Met. is- easi 'y- explained. The
boundary for most of this region fellows the rater divide. Old surveys ?showed
tbe NAM Nen beainning but 21? 45? north; the boundarY* as a result? passed
imediately to the north of th1 oTht.. When the United States photogrephod
this area for the 1:50000 series* 0%pilers discovered that the stream
actually began about milei to the:north of the previemsly plotted position.
Siote the boundary .followed the divide, it wts determined that on future
naps the streaa should remain in Laos. The boundary salient reaulted.
The third '7'disputie is situated to the southwest of Olen Dien Phu at
1024 47" East and 216 '13' 'North. Theliort Vietnamese RAP rouehly doublestIie
size of the salient which 'extends into Laos to the Nam Noua. It should be
emphasized% however; that the extension does not rpath Route 19. The road
remains in Laos as shown on the JOG series. ,
The foUrth area of difference straddlei the Intersection of the boundarY
and the Song Mt at O4? Z9' East and 20e 31' North. The $(4.1 1:100%000 maps
showed the boundary extending eastward along We Song Ma for approximately
4 miles:. The Herth VietnameSe Rmpt however, carries the boundary directly
across the river, continuing north -northeastward to the ridge line of ths
Ph a Lmong. About 40 square sties of territory is cut off from Laos. The
main road,. ROuto no, 6-passes to the west and north of the ndisputed tePritory?
and is not affected by it; a Subsidiary trail along the Song Ma does traverse
the disputed area.
Th e lifth difference ,in alionment is nptd due south of the Song Na.
The Marth Vietnamese alignMent is situated but 4 is to the south of and
parallel to the alignment shown on US' maps; nearly 80 square miles of tarriteri
are involved. A connecting road between Pout* Mo. 65 and No. 154 is affecte
- TM: ?dispute
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- 4 -
To theseuth and east, centered on 104? 39' East and 20? W North is
V he sixth area of '?dispute? as determined by a comparison of the two map
series. The area, which is directly on the border crossing of out: ZS
measures approximately 4 miles iP an east-west direction and 12 mil in
a north-south directiOn?' The approximately 50 square miles disputed area
places nearly 5 miles of Route 65 in North Vietnam.
b 200 North to Kee 14a Pass
No evidence has been uncovered to chame our analysis of this sector
es stated in our Memorandum of March 28, 1969 to EA-Mark Pratt. A ce9Y
of the Memorandum is attached.
However, to assure myself, 1 rechecked the itToo,000 captured map
,e ioned in the Memo. The small confirmed boundary segment is marked in
red on JOG sheet NE 48-2. An eXamination of the map shows that thd boundary
is verY near the crossing of Route No. 7 and it does confirm that the
North Vietnamese have net made any extensive claim in this region. Places
shown en the maP te'be in Laos and in North Vietnam have been marked in red
(Note: the eastern margin of the ,Captured map was 104? the southern
19? 70' North Meng Het is-confirmed to be in Laos in spite of the jtjh
N0 other evidence, other than the small-scale captured school map of
north Vietnamese origin has been located for the remainder of the sector.
Fortunately, no major read crosses the frontier between Route 7 and Route a
at the Kola Nua Pass.
Kea Rua 'Pass to the DMZ
The Kee Rua Pass is mark th a black arre on JOG Sheet NE 48-7.