Artifact Details
These instructions served as a roadmap for American forces evacuating Vietnam.
Even though the Vietnam War ended in defeat for the U.S. and its ally South Vietnam, many Americans distinguished themselves on the field of battle. Among them were the CIA officers and Corporation aviation crews of the CIA’s covert air arm, Air America.
By early March 1975, the U.S. had prepared for a possible evacuation from Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, then under threat from the North Vietnamese Army. The evacuation plan that emerged became known as FREQUENT WIND and was the last gasp of American involvement in the war. It is not well known that the CIA and Air America Corporation were fully integrated into the plan and that Air America, with its can-do spirit and willingness to take risks, played a pivotal role in the evacuation.
The CIA, U.S. military, and U.S. Department of State designated 14 assembly points in Saigon for the emergency evacuation of key personnel. This map identifies the locations of FREQUENT WIND assembly sites in Saigon. Pictured behind the map is the list of assembly points and evacuation instructions. U.S. personnel were instructed to monitor the American Radio Service for a message to report to their designated assembly points for evacuation from Saigon.
On 29 April 1975, the previously identified evacuation plans unraveled with the unannounced, pre-dawn arrival of the North Vietnamese Army into Saigon. Air America helicopter crews worked tirelessly around the clock lifting Americans, South Vietnamese refugees and orphans from rooftops across the city.
On 30 April 1975 in the early evening, the final helicopter evacuation left the rooftop of the U.S. Embassy Saigon. To learn more, check out the publication Air America: Upholding the Airmen’s Bond.