<SANITIZED> PAVN USE OF CW AGAINST HMONG RESISTANCE IN LATE 1978; INSTRUCTION ON 82MM MORTAR WITH CW CAPABILITY

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06156935
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2017
• Case Number: F-2012-01432
• Publication Date: July 10, 1980

Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935
e.les 70065--
DIRECTORATE OF
OPERATIONS
SVCRET
Intelligence Information Cable IN 4661740
FURTHER DISSEMINATION AND USE OF THIS INFORMATION SUBJECT i P0AGE 001 OF 005
CONTROLS STATED AT BEGINNING AND END OF REPORT.
loatTocl
STATE/INR JCS/mC(DIA) CIA/NMCC
SwS NSA TREAS SOO
or
� d
Offic
14�14.
THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE
REPORT CLASS S E1 RET/wNINTEL--NOFORN--NOCONTRACT--ORCON
COUNTRY LAOS/VIETNAM
' SUBJECT
.SOURCE
SUMMARY:
CITE
DIST 10 ,JUL 80
PAvN USE OF CM AGAINST
HmONG RESISTANCE IN LATE 1978; INSTRUCTION ON 82mM
MORTAR WITH CM CAPABILITY
IN LATE 1978 THE PEOPLE'S
ARMY OF VIETNAM USED "CHEMICAL B" TO ATTACK RESISTANCE ELEMENTS
HIDDEN IN A CAVE ON THE SIDE OF PHOU BIA MOUNTAIN IN LAOS. THE AGENT
WAS ALLEGEDLY DELIVERED BY A B-40 OR B-41 ROCKET. THE LPLA SOLDIER
DESCRIBED A CHEMICAL wARHEAD FOR THE 82mm
MORTAR
NEVER ACTUALLY SA w SUCH A ROUND AND DID NOT BELIkVE
IT WAS EVER EMPLOYED IN LAOS. END SUMMARY.
4871010
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935
Approved for Release: 2016/01/08 006156935
SECRET
\ TN tia.A.17t1ft
hARNING NOTICE PAGE 002 OF 005
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED
-FURTHER-DISSEYLN-ATION-AND-USE Of THIS INFORm*TION-SUBJECT TO
.CONTROLS STATED AT BEGINNING AND END OF REPORT
THE LPLA CON-
DUCTED JOINT SUPPRESSION OPERATIONS AGkINST LAO RESISTANCE wITH
PEOPLE'S ARMY OF VIETNAM (PAVN) FORCES.
PAVN BATTALION
405 WAS HEADQUARTERED IN AN AREA BETWEEN PNANG OM (UF1997 AND MUANG
CHA (TF9689), XIENG KHouANG PROVINCE. THIS PAVN BATTALION COMPRISED
SEVEN COMPANIES hi-4.)SE RESPONSIBILITY WAS TO CARRY OUT COMBAT MISSIONS
JOINTLY WITH LPLA FORCES. COMMENT:
IT hAS UNDERSTOOD THAT WHENEVER A JOINT OPERATION WAS CON-
DUCTED, THE MILITARY FORCE hHICH POSSESSED SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE
TARGET LOCATION WOULD LEAD THE OPERATION WHILE THE OTHER MILITARY
FORCE PROVIDED SUPPORT.
PAVN COMPANY 2 OF BATTALION
405 AND LPLA COMPANY 4 OF BATTALION 116 (UNIDENTIFIED)
MERE OFTEN JOINED IN SUCH OPERATIONS.)
2. IN LATE 1978, A 20-MAN PAVN INTELLIGENCE UNIT WAS DEPLOYED TO
A SITE ON PHOU BIA (UF0690) TO COLLECT INTELLIGENCE. THE PAVN
INTELLIGENCE UNIT AS SUBSEQUENTLY ATTACKED BY HmONG RESISTANCE
RESULTING IN 19 PAVN SOLDIERS KILLED AND ONE SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPING
TO REPORT THE ATTACK.
WAS TOLD BY
A PAVN NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER (NCO) THAT PAVN AUTHORITIES WERE
EXTREMELY BITTER OVER THE DEATH OF THEIR COMRADES AND ABOUT ONE-TWO
WEEKS AFTER THE INCIDENT LAUNCHED A COUNTER-OPERATION. THE PAVN NCO
SAID THEY HAD USED "CHEMICAL B" TO ATTACK RESISTANCE ELEMENTS HIDDEN
IN A CAVE ON THE SIDE OF PHOU BIA MOUNTAIN. (
COMMENT:
IT was UNDERSTOOD THAT THE PAVN ATTACK FORCE
SECRET
'(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
ODA )
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935
SECRET
IN 4661740
WARNING NOTICE PAGE 003 OF 005
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED
FURTHER DISSEMINATION AND USE OF THIS INFORMATION SUBJECT TO
CONTROLS STATED AT BEGINNING AND END OF REPORT
UTILIZED B-40 OR B-41 ROUNDS CONTAINING AN UNSPECIFIED POISON
CHEMICAL.) THE ATTACK ON THE HMONG HIDE-OUT KILLED A LARGE NUMBER
OF RESISTANCE PEOPLE AND THE PAvN WAS ABLE TO RETRIEVE WEAPONS AND
(b)(3)
RADIOS
GENCE
3.
INITIATED
EARLIER CAPTURED BY THE HmONG FROM THE 20-MAN PAVN
UNIT.
INTELLI-
THE LPLA
BETWEEN
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
THREE COMBAT OPERATIONS AGAINST HmONG RESISTANCE
DECEMBER 1976 AND MID-1977. THE FIRST WAS KNOWN AS COMBAT OPERATION
NUMBER ONE AND WAS LAUNCHED IN DECEMBER 1976 AT PHOU MI (TG6611)
IN THE VICINITY OF LONG TIENG (UG8113); THE SECOND WAS COMBAT OPERA-
TION NUMBER TwO AND WAS LAUNCHED IN JANUARY 1977 NEAR NAM NGON (NCA)
IN AN AREA BETWEEN LONG TIENG AND BAN XON (TF6094); AND THE THIRD
WAS COMBAT OPERATION NUMBER THREE AND
WAS LAUNCHED IN MID-1977 AT PHOU
HAE (TF9481) IN muANG ChA DISTRICT.
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
THE LPLA USED L-19 AIRCRAFT TC SUPPORT
GROUND TROOPS WITH ROCKETS.
THE L-19 AIRCRAFT
WAS USED OPERATIONALLY
FROM 1976 TO 1978 AND
USED ONLY "ORDINARY ROCKETS."
(b)(1)
THESE ROCKETS WERE OBSERVED
BEING FIRED
AT TARGETS FROM A DISTANCE
OF
(b)(3)
ABOUT THREE K1LOmETERS, AND PRODUCED ONLY
"WHITE SMOKE."
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
4, IN APRIL 1978,
A ONE-MONTH LONG TRAINING COURSE ON THE ADVANCED USE OF THE 82MM
SECRET
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935
SECRET
7N 466t740
wARNING NOTICE PAGE 004 OF
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED
FURTHER DISSEMINATION AND USE OF THIS INFORMATION SUBJECT TO
CONTROLS STATED AT BEGINNING AND END OF REPORT
MORTAR. THE COURSE wAS GIVEN AT THE XIENG KHOUANG PROVINCE TOWN
(UG0651) BY LPLA INSTRUCTOR PHOUVIENG (LNU). PHOUVIENG
EXPLAINED TO THE CLASS THAT THERE wERE FIVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
SOVIET 82Mm MORTAR ROUNDS WITH SPECIFIC CAPABILITIES. THERE WAS THE
ORDINARY FRAGMENTATION ROUND, A SMOKE ROUND USED TO SPOT LOCATIONS,
A LEAFLET DISTRIBUTION ROUND FOR DISSEMINATING WRITTEN MATTER TO
ENEMY LOCATIONS, A ROUND WHICH BLOWS DOwNwARD TO PRODUCE DEEP
CRATERS, AND A CHEMICAL ROUND wHICH KILLS BY EMITTING POISON.
COMMENT: PHOUVIENG SHOWED PICTURES OF EACH TYPE OF MORTAR
ROUND, WHICH WERE ANNOTATED IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE, BUT EXPLAINED
THEIR FUNCTION AND CHARACTERISTICS IN THE LAO LANGUAGE.) PHOUVIENG
TOLD THE STUDENTS THAT CHEMICAL ROUNDS WERE EFFECTIVE WHEN FIRED
WITHIN ONE KILOMETER OF THE ENEMY'S LOCATION BECAUSE THE SMOKE FROM
THE ROUND WAS TOXIC AND WOULD KILL THEM. THIS TYPE OF ROUND WAS TO
BE USED ONLY WHEN THE ENEMY WAS MUCH STRONGER AND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE
TO CAPTURE THE ENEMY'S POSITION USING CONVENTIONAL MILITARY TACTICS,
PHOUVIENG COMMENTED THAT THE PATHET LAO HAD USED CHEMICAL ROUNDS
AGAINST "SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNITS" (SGU) DURING THE WAR (LATE 1960'S
AND EARLY 1970'S). HE SAID THAT THE EFFECT OF THE CHEMCIAL CAUSED
DEATH INSTANTANEOUSLY AND DESCRIBED IT AS BEING ABLE TO KILL A MAN
WHILE HE SAT AND STILL LEAVE HIV HOLDING HIS WEAPON.
005
COMMENT:
THE CHEMICAL USED
AGAINST THE LAO RESISTANCE WAS THE SAME KIND CONTAINED IN THE 82MM
MORTAR ROUNDS, IN APPEARANCE, THE CHEMICAL MORTAR ROUND AND THE
SECRET
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935
SECRET IN 4661740
WARNING NOTICE PAGE 005 OF 005
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED
FURTHER DISSEmINATION AND USE OF THIS INFORMATION SUBJECT TO
CONTROLS STATED AT BEGINNING AND END OF REPORT
ROUND DESIGNED TO CREATE CRATERS WERE APPROXIMATELY 1.50 METERS (SIC)
IN LENGTH; wHILE THE FRAGMENTATION, :WOKE, AND LEAFLET ROUNDS WERE
(b)(3)
SHORTER, ABOUT 30 CENTIMETERS IN
LENGTH.
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
OPINION THAT THE CHEMICAL ROUND WAE
NEVER EMPLOYED IN LAOS.)
5.
6.
REPUR7 CLASS SECRET/wARNING NOTICE-INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND
METHODS INVOLVED/NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS-NOT RELEASABLE
TO CONTRACTORS OR CONTRAcTOR/CONSuLTANTS-DISSEmINATION AND
EXTRACTION OF INFORVATION CONTROLLED BY ORIGINATOR
ALL PORTIONS (b)(3)
CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND CONTROLS OF OVERALL DOCUMENT
SECRET
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006156935