SPOT REPORT ON THE SITUATION IN THE KHE SANH AREA

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02962534
• Document Creation Date: January 28, 2019

Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 CO2962534
� t � %Pi
SC No. 07681/68
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
7 February 1968
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
Spot Report on the Situation in the Khe Sanh Area
1. Late reports indicate the North Vietnamese
.gained control of the Lang Vet Special Forces Camp
on the afternoon of the 7th.
, 2. The Camp's defenders commenced evacuation
�
from the area under cover of intensive friendly aerial
and artillery bombardment, Six of the 24 Americans
and over three-fourths of the 450 man Vietnamese gar-
rison have not yet been accounted for. Earlier in
the day, an estimated Communist company had controlled
the camp above ground while friendly personnel were
entrenched in underground bunkers,
3. Two relief columns were reportedly converging
on the scene late in the afternoon for a combined raid
on the camp. Neither had entered the camp-site at -
last report. One of the relief forces was composed
of Special Forces personnel helo-lif ted from Khe
San4; the ether was a local Laotian volunteer bat-
talion.
4.� The unit identity of the attacking Communist
..force is not yet clear.. The attack was possibly conducted
by elements from the 6Gth Regiment of the NVA 304th
Division. A senior non-commissioned officer who de-
fected one week ago, stated that when he left this
unit, it was near Lang Vet awaiting orders to attack
the camp. Radio direction finding has also fixed
elements of the 304th Division generally south of
KheSanh/Lang Vei in recent days.
It is also possible that elements of the 101D
Regiment of the NVA-325C-Division were involved, A
radio terminal possibly serving the headquarters of
CI�
EO
13526
3.3(h)(2)
EO
13526
3.5(c)
.. �
Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 CO2962534
Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 CO2962534
j OP SECRET
the 10ID was noted moving on 6 February to the south
of Lang Vei. On the same day, the 325C headquarters
moved to a position some six miles west of Lang Vel.
6. According to a report from the scene, the
Khe Sanh garrison was faced with potentially serious
complications on the night of 7 February when approxi-
mately 6,000 Laotian refugees moved from Lang Vei
to within one-quarter mile of Khe Sanh.
:The Khe Sanh base commander has been advised
o.deter_the refugees frOm moving closer. Officials
.n Saigon will ask the Laotian charge to fly to Khe
Sanh toiterrow to encourage the refugees to clear the
area.
S. Aside from the obvious political delicacy
of the situation, the mass of refugees poses tacti-
cal problems for the base defenders. Should the
enemy attack, the refugees could shield his approach
or cause confusion among friendly troops.
9. It is possible that very large numbers of.
refugees are in the area. Some of the dependents
of the Laotian defenders at Ban Houei Sane were in
.the vicinity of Lang Veil along with dependents of
the Lang Vei camp itself.
10. There have been no other significant de-
velopments reported by field elements on .the military
situation in South Vietnam, or with regard to DRV
aircraft.
- 2 -
Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 CO2962534