AP ARTICLE: HOW DEEPLY IS THE UNITED STATES INVOLVED IN LAOS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP72-00337R000300010004-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 2, 2002
• Sequence Number: 4
• Content Type: CABLE

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OSD Ass Ociated Press
IFST- 5 Laos
Approved For Release 2002/01/22 : CIA-RDP72-00337R0003600-
Press Item for the DCI
STATI NTL
Attached is another effort (ty AP!! George
about the US involvement in Laos. .he writes
Agency. Goodwin has a copy.
Date:. 30 Mar
Item: No.
R No.
twe take,
W iter
AP ? How
total 990
r) to tell it
a r_,;ood bit aboutje
deep34 is'Ills. j:7411.2144tuziay41.
wh icial sources saw American civilian pilote,7.,f30 Jnilitary
mea at tachei ann. vid-C'Erftfiati Aife flLJ
In some *degree' to' plea edr?fdreiriviretIt-rowdi agetfolt. etc
GOOD D lzv the CernMUXI1B t Pathet Lao.
In addition swarms of U.S. warplanes bomb and strafe in suppo
of Laotian forces or ailack the Ho Chi Minh trail that the
North Vietnamese Us e ill eastern Laos to flannel supplies and
troopc to South Vietnam. The planes fly from bases outside
Laos.
The American civilians bps ea. here perform what amount to military
Dinctions under auspice3 of the U.S. Ibbassy? the Agency for
International Decredopmmt and two oompanie3 under charter
to AID-Air America and Centixieatea Air Service, Inc., the
informants report.
They say more than 200 Air Pores and .Ars, attaches, regular
military officers, a erre as ad,vis ere in t e field and an aerial:
observers and spotters for bombing or artillery missions.
Two Air Force attaches were missing this weekend after their
light obs ervation plane crashed in ?antral Laos while on an
Q. ?rational miss ion.
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1.44411C uy operating in the blew% is provided with a story,,P
rxplaim one ?curve in the know. 'IlThew are not on any lint.
2. Newsman encounters a civilian in the field and
asks him Who do you work foil' Rh would say the Defense DEsiartmcrity
or that he Is an employe of some civilian firm."
D o
on a er etri It
,rculdont Vixen in
/lumbar, of Americart
Pres 1,1 en t 'Nixon in
number of Arnaricene
a statement larch 8 rgorteds 4iThe,total
directly employld ty e government
a s,4ateveat March 6 teportedt "The total
dircotlw em9
These comments represent the initial and tentative reaction of the Office d'
of Current Intelligence to t te attached item from the news services
mo???....?Approvpri For Release 2002/01/22 : CIA-RDP72-00337R0003000100 4-1
Approved For Release 2002/01/22 : CIA-RDP72-00337R000300010004-1
II AN
Presidq,,, Nixon in a statement ?larch 6 reported: "The total
number oE .Americans directly employed by the government
Laos is 616. In addition, there are 424 Americans empl oy ed
on contract to the government or contractors.
1410f these 1,040 Americans. the total number. r litary and
civilian, erigeg ed in a military advis ory or iit r inin8
ce,Paciti numbens 320. Logistics support numbers 323."
The U.S. mission here refuses to go bond Nixon's statement
bu t...-Iffrovfirdairoulralfrai:Tvirtutirirr bwfl?
--19fore-tliali-rotriovernma."11.11Mt17--amploy ea by the government
are Arm and. Air Porce attaches.
-.Up to 100 civilians are CIA agents., most of them former Marines
and. Arm Green Berets.
-31316 Americans are directly employed by. the U.S. GOVEMINETIT?
PRMUMABLY MOSTLY 72r/11)438y and AID employes.
--Of the 424 Americans employed under government contracts,
200 are pilots for Air America and Ocntineatal Air Services.
Inc. Another 100 are ground employes of the two airliens.
Another contract group is International Voluntary Services,
which has about 60 American volunteers teaching and workire
Ii agriculture: community development, and PUblie health.
? 'ADD does acne things done by military missions in other
countries "one source s ays I, They move hardware guns and.
amtininition along, working behind, the Lao. We can't begin
to comment ail who suPPlies the cover.',
The source admitted that the idea is to skirt the 1962 Geneva
agreements on Leos wb IOW do '116tr" p ass' tanc e
commarA-Tor"Laces such as the U.S. Military .kis is tance Command
In Vietnam.
More
.71:12,:Pes March 30
72
itimmisemsomamomormormAPPramaci-Enr_Release 2002/01/22 : CIA-RDP72-00337R000300010004-1
Approved For Release 2002/01/22 : CIA-RDP72-00337R000300010004-1
Ar.,15
lloy lwyy f
VIENTrAlVE Take 2, LEICB ?1.T.5 Bit A213t Vietnam. 490i
a ?f ? CIA o erat ? .itento
whic, no u, k ary
hls requirements office was devised for moving ordnance,
and, most of the people are former military meal'', says the
sinirce.
The two airlines, while operating under civilian corporate
chez-texts, in effect form a military aid.. force baa ed. in Laos.
The total cost to the U.S. governmait for their aervioes
eetimated at about $15 mill on Per year.
"They Al]) call, we haul," said. one man in explaining that
missions are not questioned. Re acknowledged that many mIss ions
we of a clandea tine nature,. but declined to elaborate.
The U.S. Air Pore. provides military aircraft Ouch as 0123
rind Cl Caribou transports to Air America to ferry troops, war
mnteriela and. refugees in Laos and. to make rice d.rops at refugee
Pilots receive hazardouo -duty flying pay, like U.S. Air Force
men fly in,g in South Vietnam, because of the threat of enemy
gratin& fire.
Air America maintaire a major base in Udorn, Thailand, from
which it flies helicopters to Laos.
All told, the two airlines have fleet of '76 fixed-wing aircraft
of a half-dozen 1zipe3 and 31 helicopters. rach airline logs
5,000-6,000 flying hours a month.
if As Cunni :ham Jr., 52, o Chicago, be e manager for
LTA1r4 RAM MN% :117a1.4. It -Var-T11111- 1 ; . ?IL 1F
P
I ? 4 .4 ?
He declines o discus's Ezei eol'et operations.
t.
Cunningham was a Marine orps pilot in World. War II, and. meet,
Air Ain erica pilots have a mlitary background..
Their Halaries range from 24,0u0 to $30,000 per year for
senior :pilots and. from $20,000 to _$24,C)00 for pilots. Each
pilot is limited to 100 hours of flying a month.
Many of the pilot have their wives and children with them.
Most of the Continental pilots and. their :r1rnil.ier3 live in a
company compound, that resembles a California motel, replete
with a swimming pool and. gardens.
The Air America families are scattered. throughout Vientiane,
living in homes rented locally.
Air America euld, Continental do not fly at night, no most of
the pilots are home by dunk.
141310218 Mar. 30
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Approved For Release 2002/01/22 : CIA-RDP72-00337R000300010004-1