VIET CONG REACTION TO THE ACCELERATED PACIFICATION PROGRAM AND THE PHOENIX PROGRAM.

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05015420
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2021
• Case Number: F-2019-01120
• Publication Date: May 12, 1969

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DIRECTORATE OF
PLANS
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States wi,nin Hu. meaning of the Espionage Laws, T
transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prahiboed by law.
Intelligence Information Cable
STATE/INR WA NMCC/MC (SECDEF JCS ARMY NAVY AIR)
CIA/ NMCC
� ROUTINE
IN TELEPOUCH
PAGE 1 OF 8 PAGES
NIC NSA SDO ONE CRS OER FBIS DCS
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COUNTRY
DOI
sUBJECT
THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUAT
ENTIAL 1222 1 z y CITE
SOUTH VIETNAM
NOVEMBER 196S � MARCH 1969
IRS AID USIA
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the
GROUP I
I Cacluded From a Iv...la
el eatar cl:aladlap and avalkekal
TELLIGENCE
oisT 12 MAY 1969
VIET CONG REACTION TO THE'ACCELERATED
Pivezem>to
PACIFICATION PROGRAM AND THE PHOENIX PROGRAM.
ACQ VIETNAM. SAIGON /23 APRIL 1969/ FIELD NO.
SOURCE THIS IS AN ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE INFORMATION
ON 1HE SUBJECT PREPARED IN THE FIELD BY A
CAS RE�iARCH UNIT. IT IS NOT FULLY EVALUATED
INTELLIGENCE,
SUMMARY. DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE AS WELL AS SPECIFIC
ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY IAE VIET 'GONG FROM LATE NOVEMBER 196S
,70 LATE MARCH 1969 INDICATE THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM AWN/
PACIFICATION AND PHOENIX PROGRAMS HAVE SEEN MAJOR COMMUNIST TARGETS.
WHILE THE POST�TET OFFENSIVE HAS $ET SACK THE PACIFICATION
. EFFORT IN CERTAIN PROVLiCES. ITS OVERALL EFFECT ON SUCH EFFORTS
rf THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN SLIGHT. THE FAILURE TO MAKE A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE GVN EFFORTS WOULD APPEAR TO CONSTITUTE
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� YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF VC WEAKNESS AND INABILITY TO MATCH ACTIONS
wIIH PLANS, EVEN AGAINST A RELATIVELY VULNERABLE TARGET, END
SuMMARY.
� 1. THE VIET CONG REACTION TO THE ACCELERATED PACIFICATION
PROGRAM AND ITS COMPONENT, PHUNG HOANG DONG TIEN, /STEPPED-UP
eHoENIX PROGRAM/ HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED BY A RELATIVELY WIDE GAP
BETWEEN CALLS FOR COUNTERACTION AND ACTUAL MEASURES TAKEN AGAINST
THE PROGRAMS. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE INAUGURATION OF
THE ACCELERATED PACIFICATION CAMPAIGN ON 1 NOVEMBER 1966 REFEREaCES
TO IT APPEARED IN CAPTURED VC DOCUMENTS, /FIELD COMMENT. THE TERM
"ACCELERATED PACIFICATION PROGRAM" IS NOW PREFERRED TO THE
INITIAL TITLE "ACCELERATED PACIFICATION CAMPAIGN," INITIATED
P
J3 20 OCTOBER 1963, THE PHUNG HOANG BONG TIEN WAS INCORPORATED
eAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE INCREASED PACIFICATION EFFORT./
DURING THE NovEmBER 1963-JANUARY 1969 PERIOD, SEVERAL COMPREHENSIVE
�VC DIRECTIVES WERE PROMULGATED AND INCLUDED COUNTERMEASURES
TO THE GOVERNmENT OF VIETNAM /GVN/ PROGRAM, AN ORDER OF THE
PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMED FORCES DATED 25 NOVEMBER WAS BROADCAST
OVER THE VC LIBERATION RADIO THREE DAYS LATER. A CIRCULAR,
5 APPARENTLY ISSUED BY VC SUBREGION 3 /SR-3/ ON 26 NOVEMBER AND BY 5
4 � 4
3 SUBREGION 5 /SR-5/ ON 10 DECEMBER, DESCRIBED IN DETAIL THE 3
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PHOENIX STRUCTURE AND 'ACTIVITIES, A DOCUMENT PUBLISHED BY SR-5
ON 12 DECEMBER. ALSO DESCRIBED IN DETAIL THE ACCELERATED PACIFICATION
PROGRAM. DOCUNEWIS PICKED UP Id VC NILITARY REGION 2 /1R-2/
AND APPARENTLY PUBLIHED THROuGHOUT THIS NOVEMBER-JANUARY PERIOD
MENTIONED A.. VC ANII-PACIFICATION PROGRAM WHICH HAD TWO STAGES,
"RANG DONG 1 AND 2," SPECIAL EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON USING TACTICAL
MILITARY AND P YCHOLONiCtL WARFARE COUNTERMEASURES,
2. THE DOCUMENTS INDICATE FOUR GENERAL KINDS OF COUNTERMEASURES,
A. MILITARY ATIACKSt WITH AN EMPHASIS ON GUERRILLA
WARFARE TECHNIQUES, ON ALLIED UNITS CONDUCTING SWEEP OPERATIONS,
ON REGIONAL AND POPULAR FORCES /F-PF/ INVOLVED IN PACIFICATION
TAN, AND ON THE PACIFICATION TEAMS THEMSELVES.
I.iLf*:061:;;i AcIivITy, STRESSING ASSASSINATION OF GVN
fAMINISTRAIIVE PERSONNEL AND RETURNEES, PLUS THE DESTRUCTION OF
iACILITIES ASSOCIATED tITH THE PACIFICATION EFFORT,
� O. CouNTERNNTELLIGENCE EFFORTS DIRECTED AT UNCOVERING
GVN INTELLIGENCE NETOFKS AND ELIMINATING THEIR MEMBERS, INSERTING
VC AGENTS INTO THE MNTWORKS AND INCREASING OTHER DEFENSIVE
SECURITY 0EASURES,
5L ipi. eROVAUANDA EFFORTS DIRECTED AT IMPROVING THE 5
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3; VC MORALE, RE-EDUCATING CAPTIVES RELEASED BY THE GUN, 3
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MOTIVATING THE MASSES TO CONDUCT POLITICAL STRUGGLE. ENCOURAGING
SOUTHERN REFUGEES TO RETURN TO THEIR NATIVE VILLAGES AND
ENCOURAGING THE DEFECTION OF GUN MILITARY PERSONNEL. PACIFICATION
CADRES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
3. THE DEFENSE CONSOLIDATION AND EXPANSION OF VC LIBERATED
AREAS WERE THE STATED OBJECTIVES OF VC COUNTERPACIFICATION
EFFORTS. WHILE DOCUMENTS REFER TO DAMAGE DONE BY THE PHOENIX AND
PACIFICATION PROGRAINS. CVN EFFORTS ARE DESCRIBED AS A FRENZIED
"LAST GASP." DOOMED TO FAILURE.
4. VC PROVINCIAL AND DISTRICT PLANS PROVIDE FURTHER INSIGHTS
INTO THE ANTI�.PACIFICATION PROGRAM. GUERRILLAS IN QUE SON
DITaicr OF QUANG NAM PROVINCE REPORTEDLY WERE ORDERED IN JANUARY
i9C9 TO CONCENTRATE ON SNIPING AND THE USE OF MINES IN THWARTING
THE PACIFICATION PROGLAM. THE VG IN XHANH HOA PROVINCE WERE
DIRECTED IN EARLY FEBRUARY TO NIUE ASSASSINATION LISTS OF GVN
VILLAGE AND HANLE' CADRES, PROVINCIAL RECONNAISSANCE UNIT MEMBERS
AND REVOLUTIONARY DaLLUPOENI /RD/ FEH:;ONWEL. REPORTS FROM THAN
JN1 DISTRICT, VINH LONG PROVINCE, INDICATED THAT THE VC WERE
ARRANGING TO BRIBE HAMLET AND OUTPOST CHIEFS, AND LOW�LEVEL
GUN SECURITY PERSONNEL AS OF DECEMBER I96B.
PRIOR TO LAUNCHING THE POSITET OFFENSIVE ON 22 FEBRUARY
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1969, THE VC APPEAR TO HAVE BEGUN IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THEIR ANTI..
- PACIFICATION PLANS, THE PHOENIX 1968 YEAREND REPORT NOTED A
GENERAL INCREASE IN VC COUNTERINTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES*
ASSASSINATIONS AND INCIDENTS DIRECTED AGAINST THE CIVILIAN
POPULATION SHOWED A STEADY INCREASE BETWEEN LATE NOVEMBER 1966
AND LAIE'FEBRUARY 1969* THESE ACTIVITIES DEVELOPED UNEVENLY,
HOWEVER, AND APPEAR NOT TO HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED ON THE SCALE PLANNED,'
WHICH PRESUMABLY 4W; niE RESULT OF VC WEAKNESS. THERE WAS,
HOWEVER, A NOTABLE INCREASE OF TERRORISM IN QUANG NAM PROVINCE,
ESPECIALLY DIRECTED ACAINST LOW..LEVEL CNN OFFICIALS, DURING.
DECEMBER AND JANUARY* A SHARP INCREASE IN TERRORISM OCCURRED IN
III CORPS IN EARLY FEBRUARY!, PARTICULARLY AGAINST uz PHUOC THUY
PACIFICATION PROGRAM, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN ATTACKS ON RD
TEAMS IN THUA THIEN4 VINH LONG AND BA XUYEN PROVINCES JUST PRIOR
TO THE POST�+TEI OFFENSIVE, AND MORE THREATS OF ASSASSINATION AGAINST
PEOPLE'S SELF-DEFENSE CADRES, GVN OFFICIALS AND RF/PF MEMBERS
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY DURING THE DECEMBER...FEBRUARY PERIOD, ONE
INNOVATION WAS THE ACTIVATION IN JANUARY 1969, OF A COUNTER+.
PACIFICATION COMMITTEE IN CHAU THANH DISTRICT IN VC SR.
1-(
5 :THE COMMITTEE INCLUDED PERSONNEL FROM YOUTH, WOMEN'S,/ IFINANCE..
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3 ECONOMY, SUPPLY COUNCIL, MILITARY AFFAIRS, MILITARY PROSELYTING, 3
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TRAINING AND PROPAGANDA AND SECURITY SECTIONS,
6. FOLLOWING THE ONSET OF THE POST..TET OFFENSIVE& LIBERATION,
RADIO BROADCASTS CLAIMED THAI SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS INFLICTED TO
THE GVN PROGRAM BY THE OFFENSIVE. COVERT REPORTING FROM BINH DINH
PROVINCE REFERS TO A CENTRAL OFFICE FOR SOUTH VIETNAM INSTRUCTION
WHICH STATED THAT THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF THE OFFENSIVE WAS TO
ATTACK THE PROGRAM, A NORTH VIETNAMESE DIPLOMAT IN VIENTIANE
ALLEGEDLY STATED IN EARLY MARCH THAI THE CHIEF/MISSION OF NORTH
VIETNAMESE TROOPS IN SOUTH VIETNAM WAS TO HELP DESTROY THE
ACCELERATED PACIFICATION PROGRAM. BUT A REVIEW OF THE TARGETS ACTUALfI21
HIT DURING THE OPENING STAGES OF THE OFFENSIVE AND DOCUMENTARY
EVIDENCE SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT THE GUN PACIFICATION EFFORT WAS NOT
INE IMMEDIATE OR MAJOR TARGET OF THE OFFENSIVE*
74, THE POST...TET OFFENSIVE DID HARM THE ACCELERATED
PACIFICATION PROGRAM TO SOME EXTENT, ALTHOUGH THE OVERALL EFFECT
WAS NOT GREAT AND THE DAMAGE WAS LOCALIZED* BY MARCH, THERE
WERE MORE ATTACKS ON THE PACIFICATION PROGRAM, INCLUDING AN
INCREASE IN TERRORIST INCIDENTS AGAINST ITS PERSONNEL. AS OF I
MARCH, CORDS REPORTED THAI, AS A RESULT OF THE OFFENSIVE, THE
mouNrum OF PACIFICATION HAD SLOWED IN QUANG NAM, THUA THIEN,
GIA DINH AND DINH TUONG PROVINCES AND THAT ITS MOMENTUM HAD BEEN
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HALTED IN THE RURAL AREAS OF (WANG TIN, KONIUM AND HAU NGHIA
PROVINCES., FURTHER, PACIFICATION HAD BEEN SET BACK IN PHUOC
THUY WHEN THE GVN SUFFERED MORE THAN A FIVE. PERCENT LOSS IN
POPULATION. CONTROL* THE GVN DEFENSE EFFORT APPEARED.TO HAVE
COLLAPSED IN THE PROVINCE AND WAS,ATTRIBUTED, IN PART, TO THE
r.LOWER CALIBER OF GVN LEADERSHIP THERE. AS A. RESULT, THE PHOENIX
PROGRAM WAS LARGELY SUSPENDED AND THE RD EFFORT REDUCED TO A
SECURITY ROLE*
BY MID-'MARCH, KONIUM PROVINCE HAP MOVED INTO THE
"PACIFICATION SETBACK" CATEGORY AND THERE WERE INDICATIONS
THAT THE SITUATION IN QUANG NGAI PROVINCE HAD DETERIORATED* CORDS
IN ITS EARLY MARCH TABULATION NOTED THAT QUANG NGAI PROVINCE HAD
MORE RD TEAMS WITHDRAWN FOR SECURITY REASONS THAN ANY OTHER
PROVINCE* AS THE MONTH PROGRESSED, PACIFICATION IN LONG KHANH
PROVINCE WAS DAMAGED SINCE THE ACCELERATED PACIFICATION PROGRAM
HAMLETS WERE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN HIT ESPECIALLY HARD BY THE VC*
9* THE HAMLET EVALUATION SYSTEM /HES/ STATISTICS FOR 51 MARCH.
'-'INDICATED THAT ThE FOLLOWING PROVINCES HAD SUFFERED OVER. ONE
PERCENT DECREASE IN "RELATIVELY SECURE, GVNI!CONTROLLED'
5 ;1.140PULATION DURING THE MONTH....�QUANG NGAI FROM 6242, TO 59e5 PERCENT,
4 F.
3 YEN FROM 69e4 TO ta PERCENT, KONIUM FROM 9244. TO 90,4 PERCENT
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PHUOC LONG FROM 90.1 TO 88.3 PERCENT AND QUANG NAM FROM 65.6 Ta 64.2
PERCENT, Pliu9C LONG AND KONIUM WHICH WERE HARDEST HIT AT THE ONSET
OF THE FEBRUARY OFFENSIVE CONTINUED TO DECLINE FROM A SECURITY
STANDPOINT, ALBEIT Al A LOWER RATE* IN QUANG NAM WHERE PACIFICATION
ENCOUNTERED TROUBLE SINCE DECEMBER 1968 AND IN QUANG NGAI WHERE
DIFFICULTIES BEGAN IN LATE FEBRUARY, THE SITUATION APPARENTLY
CONTINUES TO DECLINE, ACCORDING TO THE 31 MARCH STATISTICS
THE SITUATION HAS BEEN STABILIZED IN QUANG TIN, MU NGHIA, THUA THIEN,
,.GIA�DINH AND DINH TUONG PROVINCES INITIALLY AFFECTED BY THE POSTIET
OFFENSIVE AND IN LONG KHANH PROVINCE WHERE SIMILAR DIFFICULTIES HAD
BEEN HLPORTED DURING MARCH, II SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS SET OF HES
;TATISTICS SHOWS AN OVERALL INCREASE FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY IN THE
PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION IN THE "RELATIVELY SECURE, GVNN.CONTROLLED"
kAIEGORY ON 31 MARCH AS COMPARED To THE SITUATION ON 28 FEBRUARY* .
10* FIELD DISSEM. STATE USARV 7TH AIR FORCE USAID DIR/JUSPAO
/MR. NICKEL ONLY/ USARV NAVFORV CINCPAC ARPAC PACFLT PACAF /ALSO SENT
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