SAVA BLACK BOOK CONTRIBUTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01720R000700030001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 4, 2004
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 30, 1971
• Content Type: MF

Appre,For Release 2004/10/12 : CIA-RD'80FM720R000700030001-7
30 December 197
MEMORANDUM FOR THE DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: SAVA Black Book Contribution
1. Laos Air Sup3ort. As you know, the NVA offensive
northeast Laos (Military Region II) was :.aL,.nched on the night o.
December. As reported in Director 213933, we s ,,nuch o:
weekend of 18- 19 December working _n conjunction av Chiek, -- ,
FE/ and the Laos Operations Center to lobby for more ..i.r su,)port.
This involved calls to Laird's office, Admiral Moor er a4.
several conversations with the Duty General at the NMU CC. t,:s,-,
Sunda 19 December, we set up a direct teletype co"e'er ~a~i``' l
with Vientiane to get the sorrl: v!kat cc,~~
facts in the case sorted out. Several factors (beside ^-xev,_t...e
confusion of battlefield reporting) complicated the }ro;;gum,
the diversion of assets to Search and rescue (SR rn.ssions anc:
the nervousness of MACV and the 7th Air Force abou.. ..he incr, ,,ad
aggressiveness of North Vietnamese MIG activity. T.,e latter a.c
internal political overtones since MACV and 7th Air i~' orce wea- . nol
back their support sorties partly to force a Presidential decision
(ultimately granted) authorizing them to strike MIG bases in _Vor'vh
Vietnam. Our efforts may or may not have played much of a role,
but the level of air support furnished friendly forces in MR II did sta.
improving appreciably on 20 December.
2. General Haig. 'here have been no further conversations
with General Haig since our 23 December session reported ir. Direc-
2~3933. Our explicit agreement, however, was that sIL-ence on his
could correctly be construed as satisfaction wit ririer_cy c;?o t,ng z
coverage. Subsequent conversations with other members of the NSC
Staff indicated that the White House was indeed pleased with the way
events :.n Laos were being covered.
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3. Laird's Query. On Christmas night (25 December), General
Fursley called me at Secretary Laird's behest regarding a proposed
use of CH-53 helicopters to evacuate around 10, 000 civilian, non-
combatant refugees from Bouam Long (Site 32) -- the one north of the
PDJ commanded by Vang Pao's father-in-law. Pursley said Laird
had to rule on this matter by noon on 26 December and did not want to
make a decision until he had received my advice. I did some telephonic
the and met
checking with FE -colleagues, a cable was sent to Vientiane,
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brethren. The project was a Godley/USAID proposal in which we were
not directly involved. After a bidding review with my colleagues, I
called Pursley, explained that the Agency was not directly involved,
outlined the military and political factors involved, and noted that if the
7/ 13th AF feasibility and risk analysis was valid (and the 7/ 13th was in
the best position to judge), the political arguments for the operation
advanced by Ambassador Godley
views and relayed the Secretary's thanks.
himself most grateful for our
Subsequently, the evacuation was cancelled following a request from
Vang Pao to do so .
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5. The above paragraphs cover activities during the first ten
n
d
days after your departure. Fortunately nothing occurre o
watch while I was on leave and SAVA was very quiet.
George A. Carver, Jr.
Special Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs
1 - Black Book file
1 - GAC Chrono V
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