SUPER-SECRET MISSIONS - CIAS SPY TEAMS INSIDE RED CHINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73B00296R000300090009-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 17, 2001
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: September 4, 1970
• Content Type: NSPR

SAN '1:0CICO CRRt31ICfA
4 19-10
Approved For Release 2002/01/10 : CIA-RDP73'B00296R000300090009-1
Tribesmen
.On Roying
cu t; ayjn Unuu -..Y ++++ + c;d C h i n e s e functionaries
Yao living inside China, and World War lI. Ir the '50s he Ar,
ht in the
es
ur
p
g
in
some of the guerrillas have 11w
family connections there. Men thr Cultto ural ReVOhition in
and Lao Theung tribesmen China defected to a Nam
are also used for similar rea- L'I'h ,?c were
't'hey were brought team.
ht to Nam
sons. Lieu by the team. There they
_Patrols The teams are normally were well treated by the
flown to a sod airstrip known Americans for a time but
as "Site 93" or "M o u n g, c-Nicirtuaily turned over to the}
"
g
e
r
as
ec
v
ng
By Michael Morrow Moune
about 20 kilometersI Royal Laotian Government. .
Chronicle Foreign Service north of Nam Lieu, near the assistance from the CIA, and
Accordin f to sources close .
Mekong river where it forms rn other parts of Thailand
I-Iouci 511, Laos to the CIA the five w e r.e
a border with Burma. with other guerr_lla groups
his sleepy Melton 1'IV p thrown into, the Lao t i a a g
Sometimes they arc u t for a total of five years.
1er town is as Close as a down right on the banks of 1e q u i v a 1 e ri t of a "tiger's
cage,' a 12 by 12 by-12 foot He has been in and out of
jour ilalist with any rega~ d Mekong by helicopters. They pit exposed to the elemerrte'Laos since before the Geneva
for his safety can get to c a r r y mstantly inflatable and without 'sanitation facili. Accords of 1962, and was one
a secret CIA outpost rubber rafts to use crossing tics, and eventually execuled,of the' first Am,:!ricans in?
the M e k o n g into Burma. volved- in arming and train-
Which is the staging area From Burma they continue DIRECTED ing hill tribes p. r.:unilitary
for armed reconnaissance northwest, e n t e r i n g China Like most CIA open ationsgroups in Laos.
teams being inserted by about 50 kilometers from Site in Laos, the one at Nam Lieu. He refuses to ?h;.ve his pie-
the United States into `r3' T is directed from a super-ture taken, and once literally
China. 'l'ire teams from Naar Lieu I secret headquarters atUdornthrow a journalist's camera
are gone t h r e e to four airbase in Northeast Thai-'away for. taking a picture of
Sources close to the CIA months, maintaining contact land. There are four Ameri-
Zn pinpoint the stagin area by radio with Nam Lieu and him. He has refu:.ed to obey
p p b g cans at Nam Lieu, however,higher orders ccmmanding
at a small mountain valley with a i r p I a n e s which fly headed by a rough- him to commit his rraramili-
airstrip called Nam Lieu3close to the China border in and tumble veteran clandes-tart' guerrillas to large scale
(Nam Yu) 15 minutes' fly-order to pick up their broad- tine g u e r r i 11 a organizer ,a t t a c k s away from their
ing the north of. louei casts. named Anthony Poe. home area, and often disre-
Sai. According to the same On at least one occasion an In addition to activities in- gards. radio procedures.
"highly reliable sources, a i r p 1 a n e has been almost side China, Poe and his teani'? Those who know him say
into his drinking stems from the
China." ." is always a team in shot
China. down During July straying 1968, an also work with hill tribesmen
"porter" in the area, organizing, train- dangerous life he leads, par-
Air America sin q pp - t^
The teams are equipped. par-
ing, e ui in and resupply- tic the flyIn he does
with American small arms. a glc-engine plane with two
aboard crossed the Chinese ing them. g There is also a through the t r e a c It e r o u s
's p e e ia 1 three-pound radio frontier near the tri-borders joint operation between the mountains of northern Laos.
with a range of 400 miles, of Burma, Laos and China. "SGU" (special. guerrilla Poe is highly respected by
and other special gear. Their Parts of both wings were units) and Thai Army which some but hated by others in-
missions rare to tap Chinese blown away by anti-aircraft they direct at': Xieng Lom volved in secret operations in
telegraph lines, watch roads fire but the plane was able to south of Houei Sai. on the, Laos for his brusque and
and do other types of intelli Lao-Thai border. i stubborn manner. Ile is said.
gence gathering. Teams have limp back to base. Poe is a le endar figure to prefer working with the
.gone as far as 200 miles into several of the teams in- in Laos, known .best fohis'-hill tribes to working with
have been
Chi
d
na
into
China. sorte
dislike of journalists, disre- Americans and looks down
Each team is said to con- switched allegiances, return- gard for orders and radio on most American operations
list of about 15. men, most. lag to Nam Lieu as codes, capacity for Lao whis- because of their heavy reli~
of whom are Yao hill tribes- counterspies. ; key and expertisd at clandes- ante on American personnel.
tine guerrilla operations. Poe is said not to have
men. Yao are used because CHINESE
this tribe lives in large nrm- 'rhere has been at least one Ile is an ex-Marine non- been back to th,! U.S. in 15
bers along the mountainous occasion when a returning commissioned officer, wound- years. He is perhaps the only
frontiers of Laos, Burma, team brought Chinese backs ed in landing at 'Iwo Jima, American legally married to
Thailand and China. There