PRELIMINARY INTERROGATION REPORT SOURCE

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00758645
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: April 27, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 30, 2019
• Publication Date: March 5, 1968

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SUBJECT
DATE OF INFO
DATE AND PLACE
OF ACQUISITION :
NORTH VIETNAM (NVN)
SOUTH VIETNAM (SVN)
CAMBODIA
Preliminary Interrogation Report
SOURCE:
1947 - 19 November 1967
December 1967 (B)
SAIGON, Vietnam
NIC REPORT NO :
NIC CASE NO :
DATE OF REPORT :
NO. OF PAGES :
�
257/68
174/11/67
5/3/6 8
5
REF: CIO Report 090/68
3.3(h)(2)
The purpose of this Preliminary Interrogation Report is to notify the SAIGON Intel-
.ligence Community of the arrival of a new Source at the National Interrogation .-
enter. This Source will undergo,furtNIFEEterrogation, to explore his potential
areas of knowledgeability. Adgtionalqeports forwarded, if Source provides
strategic information If, on the Vasid,-dfeti6-ieliminary report and future
- \\
interrogation reports, any/recipienholid have FTeolal\Fequirements for intelli-
gence to be levied againsdt this Sour�oheAs'kequested to submit his questions to
J-2, MACV, or to OSA, ericarkEpbassk?SAIGON-,k
7
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MAR 27 186e
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EXCLgi.
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None
11
NOTICE:1i THIS MATERIAL CONTAINS INFORMATION
AFFECT* THE NATIONAL �MN*: Of THE UNITE.
STATES WitHiN TH.: MEANING Of WIE ESTIONANt
LAWS. ThLE 104L.S.G. SECTFONS 103 AND ISO.
THE ,TRANSmilltieN ON REVELATION OF O'Neal
ANT WANNER TO AN muumuus. 4111110011
011411/11101110 * 44IV.
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4tEFEREMES:.,
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':.Series'L605, Sheet 11J1P Scale 4 S 1/100,000, Edition S.
'AMS Series L605, Sheet 119.4, Scale 1/100,000, Edition 4.
"ANS Series L605, Sheet 118E1: Scale 1/100,000, Edition 5.
AMB Series 1605, Sheet 1644 Scale 1/100,000, Edition S.
AMS 'Serie; L6050 Sheet 172E, Scale 1/100,000, Edition 3.
AMS Series L6051 Sheet 173E Scale 1/109,000, Edition S.
:CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF SOURCE'S SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES:
1947 - July 1954: Source lived with his parents at his native village.
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K I N NIC REPORT NO: 257/68
CONFIDENTIAL Page 2
"
.�
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May 1956 - March 1966: Sonrno nded orimar7 secondary school in
completed
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the NVN 7th form
his family with farm
3.3(h)(2)
his family with farm
to report to NGOC
(U.S. 9th grade).
work.
� 20 March 1966:
While attending school he also helped
20 September 1966:
He left school and contiuned to help
work..
30 October 1966: Source and 90 other youths were ordered
LY Village-and were then guided by the Village Unit leader to the District Unit
, for a pre-induction physical examination.
8 November 1966: About 50 young men from TAN YEN District, includingeight �
from S,urcels village, were ordered to report to the SEN HO Railway 'tation
in HOA BINH Village, VIET YEN District, HA BAC Province. These new draftees,
including Source, boarded a six-wheeled MOLOTOVA truck at 1900 hours. The
truck was camouflaged with canvas and moved down National Route 1.
12 November 1966: The trucks arrived at an NVA training camp located in a
heavily forested area about' one kilometer north of the SAU River in QUANG
PHONG Village, QUANG TRAM District, QUANG BINH province. Source's group
joined about 350 other draftees who had previously arrived.
_13 November 1966: The draftees began to set up a camp in preparation for
.training.
14 November 1966: Senior Captain KHANH, the Political Officer, spoke to the
assembled draftees and imformed them that they were part of a new battalion
designated 42; this battalion would eventually reinforce Agricultural Site
5(in PHU YEN Province, SVN, which was under strength tO meet the combat needs
of that area. The troops of Battalion 42 were therefore to be given intensive
political and military training prior to infiltration. There were about 400
men in the battalion, including veteran cadres, redraftees and new draftees;
the latter made up the majority of the strength of the battalion which was
organized into three companies under the leadership of Senior Captain LAI 3A
TRA, Battalion Commander. j
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15 November - 30 December 1966: The troops received basic military training,
as well as five days of political training on the situation in SVN; they were
also given practical pre-infiltration training.
1 - 31 January 1967: After completing their training the troops were issued
military clothing, equipment, dried food and salt; they were then permitted
to rest and all of the men were given promotions,.
2,February 1967: Senior Captain LAI BA TRA received a NFLSVN flag from
a representative of SVN Military Region (MR) IV and held a pre-infiltration
Ceremony. He announced that the battalion ahd been redesignated the TRUNG DUNG
Group. At 1900 hours on 2 February the group began the infiltration trip from
QUANG PRONG Village, QUANG TRACH District, QUANG SINH Province. Each company
travelled at a distance of 500 meters from each other. They crossed the GIANH
River at QUANG TIEN Village, QUANG TRACH District, using nine boats, each of
which could carry eight men.
3.3(h)(2)
3 February - 8 April 1967: The group moved in a southwesterly direction, restedin
a haMlet-in.QUAN0 BINH Pro7:!Ync..3 c741 on 4 February arrived at a bridge (coordin-
ates XE 483548) which had been destroyed by bombing. At this point they crossed
the TROC River in nine boats, each of which could carry 10 men. On 5 February
they arrived at National Route 1 at a point where it crossed the railroad. There
they crossed a shallow stream by a bridge located at approximately 0' slwits
On 6 February the group arrived at DUE Hamlet (XE 717234) where Assault Unit
42, composed of about 600 persons was quartered. On the night of 7 February
the group crossed the DAI GIANG River (XE 728157) on a floating rubber bridge.
On 8 February the group arrived at Hill 1000 (sic) where they stopned at
Station 10 for two days to receive additional supplies of rice, shrimp, sauce
and salt. On 11 February the group began to move during the day through the
jungleocross the TRUONG SON Mountain chain and into Zone 45 where Source observed
,a thatched house, about 6 x 10 meters in size, which was used as a repair
shop for motor vehicles; four Molotova trucks, two six-wheeled trucks and
two eight-wheeled truck were under repair at this time, and there were about
_ ,
.22 repairmen working in the shop. On on the night of 16 February the group
crossed a river at coordinates XD 302604 and stopped at a village of the THA
KONG tribe at coordinates XD 316464. From 17 to 23 February they divided into
three companies which began to move at 24 hour intervals from each other along
National Route 9 southwest of Laos; they travelled at night and rested during
the day. From 24 February to 7 pril they travelled about 600 meters from
,the Vietnamese-Laotian border; they received additional rice and other supplies
at stations along the route. During this period they passed through 12
stations.
-
8-201pri1 1967: The group arrived at Station 40 in KONTUM Province where
they rested for 12 days, During this time about 60 troops were ordered to
transport rice from Station 7A to Station 73, a distance of about nine kilo-
meters; both of these stations were located on Vietnamese territory in heavy
-jungle and were used as rice storage supply areas for Agricultural Site 1
in KONTUM Province.-
-21 April-29 June 1967: The entire group assembled, and each company began
to move at g----7�iete00-1F intervals within Cambodian territory about one kilometer
from the Cambodian-Vietnamese border. They then crossed the POKO River
-using two boats which could carry 24 persons each.
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30 June.. 31 August 1967: The group moved in a southeasterly direction,
passing National Route 19, and arrived at Commo-liaison Station C0.7 located
in a thick jungle about 19 kilometers from DUC CO Post. They then crossed
the u DRANG River on two boats with a capacity of 14 men each and arrived at
Commo-liaison Station 17 located in Cambodia at YA HLEO and YA LOP. The
group remained there for about two months to transport rice from Station CO.7
to CO.5.
1 September - 8 October 1967: Source and eight other men contracted RAVolnlie
cases of malaria andiwere eft at a dispensary
.9 - 14 October 1967: Al]. Of Regiment 33, composed of about 400 troops and the
-dispensary-, moved to a new location in the heavy jungle at approximate coor-
dinates BQ 246656 about 400 meters from CHU BRON, CHEO REO District, ZARIAC
Province. Battalion 3 moved directly to a ricefield close to EA TEAL Stream
about 400 meters from DUNG Village (BQ 345610), CHEO REO District, to plant
potatoes and manioc and prepare for the harvest.
'15 October - 5 November 1967: After recovering, from his illness Source and3.3(h)(2)
11 other men were ordered to go to a 'valley
where'they were to transport rice, cigarettes and food
, sold by the Cambodians; they were to bring these commodities back to Regiment
33, and each man had to carry about 20 kilograms.
6 November 1967:
Source waa.aasind the job of
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� 7 - 17 November 1967: The entire regiment moved to DUNG Hamlet and encamped
about two kilometers away-where they prepared to harvest the rice, manioc and
NtOiscrops to supply food for the regiment. Battalion 3 was. ordered to be ,
prepared to fight, since the U.S. troops had launched one sweep operation in
the area.
,17 - 19 November 1967: At about 1200 hours on 17 November U.S. troops launched
a-sweep operation at DUNG Village right where the encampment of the entire
regiment was located. The operatioh was launched when all of the men were
taking their mid-day rest period. Only Companies 1 and 2 of Battalion 1 were
ordered to engage the U.S. troops during this sudden attack. Regimental
Headquarters, Battalion 3 and four subordinate companies were ordered to
withdraw through the heavy jungle to the southeast of National Route 14.
One L19 reconnanaissance aircraft and twp F-105's appeared in time to bomb the
withdrawal route.
I/. CIRCUMSTANCES OF CAPTURE:
At about 1800 hours on 18 November 1967, the U.S. troops were still continuing
their sweep operation in DUNG Village, and U.S. planes had bombed the with-
drawal route. Source could not move with his unit and therefore remained
at EA TEAL Stream about 400 meters from DUNG Village. He left this place
at sunset and took shelter in a gun pit in the middle of a rice field about
one kilometer north of the stream. At 0900 hours the next morning he moved
to another rice field about one kilometer south and hid in another two-meter
deep gun pit which was camouflaged with grass and rice plants.
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CONFIDENTIAL
SUBJECTS FOR FUTURE INTERROGATIONS:
NIC REPORT NO: 257/68
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On the basis of preliminary interrogation,. the following topics will be the
subject for further interrogations, and reports with be published as these
interrogations are completed:
1. Experiences and casualties of the TRUNG DUNG Group during infiltration.
� Dispensary of Regiment 33 located at the YA HLE0 and YA LOP Rivers in
Cambodia.
Food and rice depots of Regiment 33 located at CHU BRON, CHEO REO
Astrict, DARLAC Province.
Organization and activities of Regiment 33.
U.S. pilots captured in BAC NINH Province.
Detailed information on Source's experiences in Cambodia.
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