SOUTHEAST ASIA COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITY (SEACA)(SANITIZED)1951 - 1964

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CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4
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S
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40
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December 27, 2016
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August 17, 2012
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4
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PAPER
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- Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 *4.1( 25X1 3 3 25X1 CS Historical Paper 34 No. CLANDESTINE SERVICES HISTORY (TITLE OF PAPER) SOUTHEAST ASIA COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITY (SEACA) AND ITS (PERIOD) 1951 - 1964 DO NOT DESTROY Controlled by 0/Communications Date prepared ? Written by RET 1964 et al. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 '%111' N?osti S-E-C-R-E-T 25X1 ILLEGIB 11 25X1 3 CS Historical Paper No, 34 SOUTHEAST ASIA COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITY (SEACA) 1951 a1964 Controlled by: Office of Communications Date prepared: 1964 Written by : et al. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 41 A. INTRODUCTION 0- - kJ- 13. Noe vale 1 Table of Contents 1. Early Days of SEACA 1 2. First Communications Support of Clandestine Activity 2 ..????? 3. Developments in SEACA after 1955 . . . . . ? 3 4. Laying of Foundations for SEACA's Great Expansion 4 5. Acceleration of Growth of SEACA Begun in 1955 to 1957 ? 0 ? ? 4 B. 25X1 6. Office of Communications' Largest and Most Active Area DEVELOPMENTS LIMIER SEAGA'S FIRST CHIEF. 1951-1953 . . . Goo Initial Efforts towards Establishment of SEACA. ? . '. ? ..... 40 'I) 0 ? 4 0 C. ' CONTINUED GROWTH OF SEACA 953-1955 25)(1 . ? ? le . Reopening of a Wireless Communications 25X1 Station 25X1 25X1 A 25X1 II Opening of a CW Station 40040041M 000004?40 450 10 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Nal Nomad 1 25X1 4. 5. Personnel Statistics D. SEACA'S RAPID EXPANSION -- 1955-1957 13 14 15 1. Emergence of Difficulties and Problems in Mid-1955 15 ? 2. Problems Leading to Recommendation to Move Station Facilities I ? 0 0 0 ? 0 . Problems in Transporting Communications Equipment 4. Gradual Improvement in Supply Situation. . . 5. Transportation Problems ... ... ? . vki. Extent of Operations in Mid-1955 r. 7. Personnel, Housing, and Morale . . (, 8. . ... 12. Office of Communications' Responsibility in Training of Agents 13., Summary Statements 16 16 18 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 24 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 ?fter, S-E-C-R-E-T vftd 25XI1 25A1 3 25)a" 251 25X1 25X1 25)1, 25X1 SEACA 1951 - 1964 A. INTRODUCTION The Agency's first communications support of was furnished in late 1950 in the form of a single radio circuit Base, although general commu- betweer nications support of Southeast Asia was not inaugurated formally until early 1951. In February 1951 arrive( and assumed his duties as the first chief of the Southeast Asia Communications Activity (SEACA). tour of duty, as indicated in his report, was devoted to planning and developing a staff communications network connecting the key cities of Southeast Asia with the first base station established in radio circuits were among the most active and most important because of the rapidly deterio- rating situation Increasing U. S. interest in that area. 1. Early Days of SEACA Very little clandestine communications support was provided during these early days of SEACA and the service provided remained S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 aiI 254 25X1 25X1,, 25X1 primarily a staff communications service handling Agency, In March 1953, to assume duties as Chief, following month. During arrived SEACA, succeeding the SEACA of duty, the tour staff was gradually enlarged and the communications service was extended. Early in 1953 communications equipment was stored in against a day when service would be 251 inaugurated from those principal cities 25X1 By late 1954 both actively entered the 25X11 SEACA network. Communications were established with 25)3 2. First Communications Support of Clandestine Activity 253 During tour of duty, most of which was in 253 support of the Agency , we saw the first communi- cations support of clandestine activity and the inauguration of an emergency communications network encompassing all the above 254 stations 25X1 Declassified 2 S-E-C-R-E-T in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified -41 25X1 _Ift 71) 25X1 25XI1 in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 _ Nur 25X1 ILLEGIB 3. Developments in SEAGA after 1955 4s succeeded by arrived in June 1955. When who took over in mid-1955, the SEACA staff consisted of a chief, a deputy chief, a secretary, a junior operations officer, a junior engineering officer, and two security officers. The base station was manned by approxi- mately radio operators at the receiving site with echnicians serVing at the transmitter site and doubling as repairmen (base station and area) as well as supply and warehousemen. The tempo of activity and the attendant traffic load zoomed upward, and it became obvious that SEAGA would soon be one of the busiest, if not the most active, communications activities in the world. Crises occurred throughout the area and no country in the area escaped. Strangely enough, despite its occasional flare ups, such as the wars of the religious sects enjoyed a period of relative stability from 1955 to 1957. There was considerable operational activity, S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 225X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 but from the communications standpoint, it could not compare at this time to the activity elsewhere in the area. 4. ? Laying of Foundations for SEACA's Great Expansion The period 1955 to 1957 was one of transition. Recognizing the explosive political situation in the area, thg SEACA staff concentrated on plans to prepare communications facilities and augment the various communications station staffs to meet the ever- increasing workload. The site for the existing major relay station which services all of Southeast Asia, was found after an exhaustive search of available sites in the area. Plana were made, agreements drawn up, and Headquarters approval requested during this period. By the close of tour, SEACA had a full headquarters complement, complete with senior operations, security, engineering, supply, and administrative officers. The foundations had been laid for the great expansion period which was to follow from 1958 until 1964. 5, Acceleration of Growth of SEACA Begun in 1955 to 1957 arrived in June 1957 and assumed the duties of Chief, SEACA, at the end of that month. He was to serve in this capacity for four years. The growth which S-E=C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 . Noe S-E-C-R-E-T II 25).Lit1 25X1 25X1 25Xte 25)1 began during the 1955-1957 period accelerated during Mr. tenure. Although support of operations was dwarfed by SEACA's support elsewhere, the training of in particular was an extensive effort during this period. By 1961 several active operations requiring communi- cations support had been mounted and were in full swing. Early in 1959, the SEACA base facility was moved into its new modern , and the move came none too soon. plant at Traffic volume had soared. Operational activity in the area was? at an all-time high and the old facility was about to be inundated by a traffic load with which it could cope no longer. Gradually the in support of relay station circuits, both staff and clandestine, including those activity, were put under control of the A new era in rapid, secure communications had begun, but the volume continued to increase until even the new facility proved inadequate. Plans were drawn to expand the new facility almost before the concrete had hardened. 6. Office of Communications' Largest and Most Active Area When arrived on the scene to take over in July 1961, he assumed command of the 6 B-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 NS' 'NS 11 Office of Communications' (0C) largest and most active area., The old SEACA hands, who had founded the facilities of the area and then arrived year by year to plan and work on an ever- expanding activity, would scarcely recognize their old area, from 2511 its shining new headquarters office building 25X1 251 25X,a1 I 25X1 251 11 25X1 2511 to its many new facilities in the field, including newly engineered facilities at all the stations in what used rho area now stretched from by The observation made that "In a constant crisis station such we ? too frequently find ourselves involved in excessive TDY over an extended period of time to support an abnormal situation which becomes normal." This complaint is echoed by his predecessors and underscores the aptness of the old saying often mentioned to old SEACA hands S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 XI.' J. IMO* 25X1' 25X1 25)A 25X1' 25X1 ? B. DEVELOPMENTS UNDER SEAGA'S FIRST CHIEF, 1951-1953 I. Initial Efforts towards Establishment of SEAGA In 1950, discussions were held with representatives of the concerning the necessity for and the feasibility of establishing a radio network in Southeast Asia. In the fall of 1950, it was generally agreed that a radio network, patterned after the Middle East Communications Activity, would be created in Southeast Asia with headquarters Plans were made, personnel and equipment were selected. Before personnel and equipment could be moved to the field, however, an urgent requirement arose to provide a U.S. Government radio was selected for this circuil assignment. 25X1! 25X1L-: ILLEGIB Mai He took with him the necessary communications equipment, including receivers and transmitters, in order to establish a radio circuit. communications operations At the same time, officer, was sent to borrowec equipment 'and established a radio circuit with S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified Ti 25X1 25X"13 25x191 25X1 2571 25X1 25X1 253 25X1 25X1 25X1 in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 "41.# la '? XI."' V- Beginning in December 1950, additional personnel and equipment were flown to small radio base station was established ir A manual radio circuit months until the and a was operated for about three opened a relatively large radio teletype station in the outskirts of . Because of this, coupled with the political situation, Mr. 25X1 25*1 25*IL. 6'14 2511 25;1 and his equipment were moved lished a manual radio circuit to 2. 11.2. The where he estab- radio base. Radio Circuit circuit was a very dependable, high quality wireless communications (CW) circuit. The Agency radio stations provided a transmission facility Agent radio , gear, ciphers, and procedure documents were shipped in 1952. (However, vl,ras of the opinion that these sets were not used operationally.) Radiophones had been installed in December 1950, but these voice circuits were never completely satisfactory, primarily because of the quality of the receiver component. However, they were availa- ble for purposes. 8 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 New' -E- L:- - .Nftri 25X1 29(141 , frims 2541 ;(1ir 25:1,111i 25X1 C.. CONTINUED GROWTH OF SEACA -- 1953-1955 . 1. Reopening of a Wireless Communications Station In. March 1953, SEACA had an active CW station at the working into th base station. The station was manned by a communications technician/cryptography/radio (CT / C/R). 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Radio backup equipment was stored Headquarters staff numbere 25X1 25Xt1 Five RS-1 the northern The SEACA persons assigned as follows: Two projects had been activated. packed by the SEACA staff, were in or Twenty RSK agent sets obtained from the Asian Communications Activity (ASCA) and supporting equipment were shipped During the remainder of 1953, operations accounted for or use with a parallel operation. approximately 80% of SEACA's operational activity. In October 1953, a CW station was again activatO TDY from It was manned by a CT/R assigned as was the station S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 S-E-C-R-E-T " 25X1 2. Opening of a CW Station In January 1954, packaged CW stations were shipped to 25).141 At the same time, 25X1 251 CT/R's were processed stand-by status. A PCS for TDY to these posts and placed in a CT/R arrived in 3 25X1 25X1 254 25X1 2511 ILLEGIB 25X1 ? le5. February. The SEAGA base transmitting and receiving facilities were improved and enlarged during the period January through ?- April. At the same time, the increased signal planning activity required that the photo lab be tripled in size. By May 1954, the tempo of activity increased greatly. The ,..] had CW station,had been activated part time. An additional CT/R was assigned TDY CW link was activated. The lateral ase A station began to operate 24-hours a day. SEACA's traffic for May totaled 730,000 groups, an increase of 100% over the previous May. The base was working/monitoring several agent plans in addition to test training, and broadcast schedules. and a second packet station were prepared and The TDY support given the area, ?? - ? ? 10 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 NO" 25X1 and increased activity at the base station, required the assignment of four TDY CT/R's to the base station. These men were supplied by ASC.A. The period from June through August 1954 was charac- terized by a steady increase in activity A number of agents were equipped and mounted. Even larger numbers were being trained. Equipment to augment the field radio stations was shipped and installed. In addition to the normal emergency communi? cations plan for each station, Mackay voice transceivers had been installed use if air evacuation became necessary. All military or agency 25X14 attributable radio equipment 25X11 25X1': ? ' NN/as replaced with commercial ?units. In addition, all sensitive Commo, FE, and PM material 'was removed from the station. 11 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Noe 211 25X1 25X1 3 25X1 25X1 1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25i1 6 25X1 - - - tt - - T In October 1954, a package CW station was activated in It was initially staffed by period, additional RS- 1 shippec the enlargement of the was laid out in the CT/R's. During this were prepared and The increasing operational activity required communications station. A station then under construction. within the area. In September, the SEACA traffic totaled 1, 028, 000 groups. total of 231,000 groups equalled that of`the entire area 20 months earlier. In November the station opened with a group count of 6, 500 for the first month. 12 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 ftr? 3 1111 25X40 25X11 25X1 3 25M1 25X1 25)1 25n 4 25X1 -25X11 3 3 The year ended in a flurry of training, signal planning, and preparations radio operators for duty ir 4. Domination of Indo-China Staff and Agent Communications operation was to furnish By January 1955, the staff and agent communi- cations dominated the base station. The normal weekend and Sunday lulls in traffic had disappeared. traffic reached ? 85,000 groups (outgoing) and a second CT/R and teletype equip- was serviced stations ment were sent in. A package statior by a TDY operator wheri necessary. Each of and the base had been enlarged at least once in the previous year. It was necessary to again enlarge the base transmitter facility by 50%. This was completed in March. personnel were on TDY (W/T's) were being trained Seven CT/R's and training Agent wireless technicians 13 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25)(1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 j4 25X1 25X1 25X1 33 25,(13 25X1 13 25X1 257 25X1 33 ILLEGIB ILLEGIB 31 33 1] Declassified emphasis was then transferrec been opened in April full time. were sent The operational its CW station having Additional CT/R's and equipment in June after the May traffic had totaled 106,000 groups. July traffic for the area was 1,350,000 groups; about half concerned 5. Personnel Statistics In July 1955, SEACA Headquarters staff numbere augmented by one to two TDY CT/R's. spent approximately seven man years TDY staff personnel had during 1953 and 1955; Headquarters communications personnel had spent approximately two and a half man years TDY and ASCA and Headquarters personnel had spent approximately four ? ? man years TDY at SEACA Headquarters. 14 S-E-C-R-E-T 25X1 in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 j. *ftoi ,ftse D. SEACA'S RAPID EXPANSION - 1955 TO 1957 25X1 (SEAGA. CHIEF, 1. Emergence of Difficulties and Problems in Mid-1955 In June 1955, SEACA's responsibility was to provide 25X1 25) 25)1 251 25X1 25)1 25X1 25X11 25X1 communications support was staffed by about As mentioned above, SEACA Headquarters people: ocated in the an T/R's an CT/C's in the the and the signal center. : of where they manned the radio receivers The HT-4, 300-watt transmitters were located at the receiving location They were controlled from the via landlines leased from the In these early days, operations were constantly plagued by breakdowns. The transmitters were located in a quonset hut; temperature and humidity were constant enemies. These were the days, prior to the use of air conditioning throughout Southeast Asia, when temperatures exceeding 1200 with humidities in the 90% range caused innumerable breakdowns? 15 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 %ft, b-.P.;?? 'Nur' 25Xil Er 25;1' i' Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Landline control circuits were another source of worry, shorting out whenever there was a heavy rainfall. Antenna facilities were extremely restricted. Nine radio circuits were being operated throughout Southeast Asia with antennas limited to about a 200 foot square area. 2. Problems Leading to Recommendation to Move Station Facilities The fact that transmitting facilities were located in a became of increasing concern xnd the increasing probability of interference with this service: These factors coupled with the rapid growth of communications require- ments within the area, led to the preparation of a staff study in July 1956 recommending that the station facilities, both trans- This , =lifting and receiving, be moved recommendation was approved by Headquarters and construction of the new facility was begun in January 1959. " ? 3. Problems in Transporting Communications Equipment Transportation of communications supplies to support others in the area was a continuing problem. 16 8-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 ji S-E-C-R-E-T 2533 The "supply" facility 253 half of the 3 1 , 25X1 1 i- ., ILLEGIB ILLEGIB 4 consisted originally of about one quonset housing the transmitters. With no career supply officer or assistant available, one of the technical personnel had to be assigned to handle these duties. ' As a result, the supply system was conducted on a hand-to-mouth basis. Area supplies were obtained primarily from Headquarters with an occasional assist from ASCA. While efforts were made to antici- pate area requirements, more often than not these efforts failed and it became necessary to "make do" by substituting or modifying equipment that was available. Small parts, pouched channel, arrived within four or five days. When a major item of equipment was involved, however, such as an HT-4 transmitter, it had to be shipped by sea and usually required a minimum of three to four weeks, if all went well. In consequence, even when there was a major breakdown of equipment an electronic technician with repair parts was sent in the hope that he Could make the repair and bring about a resumption of operations to last until the spare Unitarrived quite a while later. 17 S-E-C-R-E-T 'Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 S-E-C-R-E-T '44gaoi 25X1 L OA I 4. Gradual Improvements M Supply Situation During 1956 the problems of supply were gradually being solved: Headquarters assigned a supply officer to SEACA; stock control records were established; and ordering supplies from Head- quarters and ASCA was accomplished in a planned manner. With the inception of financial property accounting (FPA) procedures in the middle of 1957, SEACA supply became an orderly and efficient operation. . 5. Transportation Problems Intra-area transportation problems had improved very little during this period and were still a cause of concern. Senior 'about eight to nine times a year. SEACA personnel It was difficult to make a complete tour of SEACA sub-base stations because of the transportation problems. A complete tour required over three weeks on the road, spending the minimum possible time at each of the stations. As a consequence, senior personnel usually visited a few stations per trip, quite often at the request of the Chief of Station (COS), to aid in some common problem or crisis. On one ocCasion it was necessary to summarily, relieve one of our operators and fly out a relief man from . 18 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25Xi 251 25X-1 2550 2511 25X1 25X1 25X_%9 25X1 25a1 25)i 25X.21, 25AI 6. Extent of Operations in Mid-1955 In mid-1955 SEACA operated a CW, Morse circuit to as well as CW circuits to at this time, was being serviced by quarters were couriered to Cables frorr or transmission to Liaison operators were supplied from ASCA Head- In the latter part of 19559 SEACA's first radioteletype circuit was established between The receiving end of the circuit This and transmitting facilities at the were leased from circuit supplanted use of The only direct circuit to the "outside world" was an unclassified teletype circuit via landline, backed up by VHF radio, There it entered the for HF radio transmission to Agency Headquarters in Washington. In addition to these "active" circuits, CW stations were installed in certain 19 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 1.7 ?IS *411111 25).(dil 25X1 251 25]1 3 25).]1 25X1 25U1 25X.:4 3 hensitive countries In this case, although it required about seven days to get an answer to a message filed via commercial facilities regardless of priority, the v?ras not permitted to be operated except for short test periods for reasons of security. 7. Personnel, Housing, and Morale The personnel situation in SEAGA during this period was most interesting. With the exception to the complex. married personnel were assigned only,, and the other sub-base stations,, were manned by a combination of Angle CT/R, CT/C's. Living conditions and housing varied from good in to very poor in the majority shared an old of the sub-bases. In 1955 the operators house but by 1957 they had moved into fairly modern private apartments. Probably the worst conditions existec liere the operators actually lived in a bush house and used a 5-KW generator for light and Cooking. Under these conditions, field, personnel *ere prone to sickness which all too often required 20 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 S-ENIS NIS 25X-141 25X1' 25)(1 ii 25X1 medical evacuation to or elsewhere for treatment. When this occurred a relief operator had to be sent out TDY and while the original estimate might have been for 15 to 20 days, it most often extended from 45 to 60 days. These extended TDY's resulted in many comments by the wives left behind comments which were not often complimentary. Nevertheless, morale remained surprisingly high and the training and experience gained by the personnel proved to be invaluable in later years. Many of these people were to form the nucleus of experienced personnel so necessary to the expansion in the coming years of the communications facilities throughout the world. 21 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified 25X1 ii 25)11 25X1 25, in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 9. Space ProblemE In mid-1955 communications station, CW Radio and Signal Center, was located in a small room on the main radio transmitter, an HT-4, was located 25)L11 25)4 3 around the corner and controlled from The by a landline cable strung along the sides of buildings where it was exposed and subject to sabotage and breakdown. The transmitter itself was located in a broom closet where it repeatedly broke down because of the excessive heat. As a consequence, the low- powered RT-1B alternate transmitter located often used. was Emergency power was provided by two small gasoline generators, one at each location. The radio circuit operated about 1Z hours during week-days and as many hours as necessary to handle all traffic on Saturdays and Sundays. A long 25X1 struggle ensued 'embracing many discussions with 3 3 22 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified 11i 25X111 25X1 25X1 2411 1 , 260 in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 0 M., '" " ZS." Ms NES,' in an effort to get additional space in the proper for the HT-4 transmitter. Operators were handling called upon to handle but often were since these circuits were unreliable. The process of handling classified messages by CW was very tedious and time consuming. 10. Increase in Message Volume and New Equipment for By the middle of 1956, radio teletype equipment was 253 becoming available in SEACA and 253 1 25X1 3 25X1 ILLEGIB message volume had increased to the point where it could no longer be handled by CW. As a result ,icras scheduled to receive the new equipment at this time. Space for the equipment was still at a premium and after more discussion with the ? the operating room was enlarged to accommodate the new teletype and one-time- tape (OTT) encrypting equipment. Space for the two HT-4 trans- so they were mitters could not be found installed in the elevator machinery penthouse on the roof. An emergency power generator was installed adjacent to the elevator .shaft in the patio. 23 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 ?41?4; 14, %taiid 25X1 25X1 11 25X111 25X-1 17 3 25X1 11. Installation of Communications Equipment in the In late 1956, the had increased its staff to the point where it was necessary to set up a CW circuit using RT-1B transmitters and the old OTT encrypting system between The encryption and CW trans- 25,1 3 25X1 12. Office of Communications' Responsibility in Training of Agents Prior to 1950 all communications training in the Far was conducted according to individual station needs on site. While this method of training East for agente was satisfactory for a limited number of agents, it did have its drawbacks, especially from the security point of view. By the it was deemed advisable to establish a centralized Agency training site. .was selected for this purpose. The Office of Communi- cations/ASCA 'was given the responsibility of: 24 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20 : CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 iT 111 2511 11 25X1 11 25Xii 25X1 ILLEGIB ILLEGIB 3 3 a. Developing a training facility and course of instruction to meet the stated objectives of providing students with techniques and skills necessary to succeed as clandestine communications operators. Establishing a secure staff communications facility to provide an outlet to . other Agency stations through the ASCA relay station The basic course was established at 14 weeks and included: -sending and receiving Morse code, radio operating procedures, clandestine radio equipment operation and field maintenance, use of signal plans and cryptographic systems, and personal and communi- cations security. Tradecraft, while not a part of the basic course, was often an added item. The instruction was divided into three parts: classroom, reduced distance training during field exercises followed by graduate exercises involving long distance training in which OC base stations partici- pated. 25 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 5-E-C-R-E-T 25X11zW\ I 25X1 1 ? : 25X1 2511 25X111 25X1/1 station as . was assigned to training officer around the latter part of 1955 and handled clandestine training requirements prior to the establishment as a training base. Specific projects in support of clandestine training were: 25X1 (The original training of this agent was done by during 1956. )avj25X1 mastered the Morse code and learned to operate the RS-6 agent radio set, Morris set up a training circuit between his apartment and the safe house. Later on, as a more realistic training circuit was established between the safe house and the SEACA base station in Additional training was provided for this agent 251 during the period May/August 1957.) ' b? To assist the station in develop-. ment of U/W of the military assets to in time be used of hot in support war. 25)(1 (The initial tirafiling Under this project was done in early' 1957 and was limited to.the Chief and Deputy Chief of this 26 S-E-C-R-E-T 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 , ? - Noe 25X2 ILLEGIB "'14.1 !I 25X1 25X1 25X1 11 25X1 11 25X1 11 Later U/W organizers received the complete course. They were followed b operators.) To train agents in the skills necessary to enable them to act as covert WIT operators in support of the military in a hot war situation and to enable them to operate under varying terrain conditions from urban-delta to mountainous-remote. (This project was established in the latter part of 1957 and was radio essentially a continuation of the group of trained a operators in Morse code in during the latter part of 1958 and then accompanied them for additional training in February 1959. This group 1 June 1959. Another completed training and returned group o students graduated 20 April 1960.) 13. Summary Comments by The two years I spent as Chief, SEACA, from mid-1955 to mid4957 were stirhulating, challenging and instructive. This 27 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 *Itoi r; 25X1 25X1 25X1 was the period when we had a foothold on providing communications throughout the vast Southeast Asia (SEA) region. We had the opportunity not only to improve the existing facilities and services, but to lay the groundwork for the expansion that was bound to follow. Even in those days, we were never sure how long we would retain control over some of our sub-base stations. In the beginning we had to rely on the slow OTT, encryption system and the slow CW circuits between our sub-bases We grew, along with the 25X1 and base statior 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 throughout the area and improved both the speed and reli- ability of our circuits to meet the increasing volume and importance of the cables we were required to handle. We saw the communi- cations supply facility progress from a hit-or-miss type operation, to a smoothly running, well managed section. We saw plans made and approved for the expansion and modernization of our base station Most important of all, we saw ? improved relations and teamwork between ourselves colleagues. We had a continuing struggle to 'obtain operating space in the various 28 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 R Next 3 Page(s) In Document Denied Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 16.7 %.0 "" J:J N.0?' ?SMOIlf 2511 25)(1 25M 25X3 Upgrading of Facilities Concurrently with these clandestine activities, SEACA in the period 1957-1961, gave continuing attention to upgrading the OC facilities radio installations and t emergency power facilities were improved and expanded. The emergency voice network saw the single- sideband SSB-1 equipment installed to replace the venerable Mackay equipment. the local VHF voice emergency network was similarly improved. Every effort was made to stay ahead of or at least abreast of, increasing commo staff, training and operational workloads. itself did not always have full appreciation of the impact of its planning and operations upon communications, and consequently considerable TDY assistance to was a continuing routine. A during sizeable close supporrteam was added to this period also. 33 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 25X1 R Next 3 Page(s) In Document Denied Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 a A.- .1. alr 3 25X1 3 3 3 251;1 251i 5. Base Station Support There are two basic sub-categories involved here: (1) OC base station support and (2) base station support. Generally the more sensitive, difficult, sophisticated and usually long-range base support is provided by an OC installation. base support is characterized by less sophisticated but . far greater in number CW circuits in support of para-military ? activities,. Theie is0 of course, a proper place for both types of 38 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 21m- - 11 25X1 251 25X1 25X1 support and OC has successfully rendered to Caesar that which is Caesar's in these matters. As the record will reflect, OC can point with considerable pride to the astounding number of OTT groups handled by low-powered, inexpensive, and very simply configured At its heighth, the cornmuni- cations base was handling over 300,000 groups of OTT traffic monthly in support of approximately OC is proud of this base contribution and recalls that two years ago, it was faced with having a number of small bases supporting a handful of field teams or consolidating in one reasonably decent The decision to facility consolidate at that time has proven valid many times since. OC has provided better communications support at less expense and with fewer people than would ever have been possible with several smaller stations. Also, it is obvious that the built-in limitations of the OC staff would not have permitted the main.: 25X1 tainance of even a modicum of supervision over several . base set-ups. So long as the Agency participates in fairly large 39 S-E-C-R-E-T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 I I Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 umiti Nue 0 -.E.,- 1 25X1 25X1 scale para-military type programs, OC will have a requirement 6. Staff Communications In a constant crisis situation the Agency too often finds itself involved in excessive TDY over an extended period of time to support an abnormal situation which becomes normal. In other words, it is necessary to staff fully any communications station supporting high volumes of critically important traffic on a continuing basis. This has been the story and ? luckily, in fact, SEAGA built up its staff and retained it at a higher than normal level during the past two years. On the other hand, SEACA failed to staff fully at the same time with the result that there has been at least one man year of TDY help for over two years. 40 - Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4 - JCN. - 3 G. REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY 257.1 1. Debriefing Report -- AI 21 January 1964 25/1 2. Debriefing Report -- 25)71 31 January 1964 3. Debriefing Report -- 7 February 1964 25X1 4. Debriefing Report -- 7 February 1964 25X1 ILLEGIB . Debriefing Report - February 1964 41 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/20: CIA-RDP84-00499R000800100004-4