TESTIMONY BY ALFRED W. MCCOY ON THE HEROIN TRAFFIC IN SOUTHEAST ASIA BEFORE THE FOREIGN OPERATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE ON 2 JUNE 1972

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74B00415R000100030023-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 19, 2001
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: June 2, 1972
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2002/01/23 : CIA-RDP74B00415R000100030023-9
OLC 72-0669
2 June 1972
SUBJECT: Testimony by Alfred W. McCoy on the Heroin Traffic in
Southeast Asia before the Foreign Operations Subcommittee
of the Senate Appropriations Committee on 2 June 1972
1. In testimony before the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the
Senate Appropriations Committee, Alfred W. McCoy, a student in Southeast
Asian history at Yale University, made serious charges to the effect that
U. S. officials have been implicated in the drug traffic in Southeast Asia.
He stated that most of the opium traffic in northeastern Laos is controlled
by Vang Pao, who commands the CIA mercenary army. He said that CIA
has provided substantial military support to "right-wing rebels, and tribal
warlords who are actively engaged in the narcotics traffic. " He claimed
that "In northern Laos, Air America aircraft and helicopters chartered by
the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency and USAID have been transporting
opium harvested by the agency's tribal mercenaries. "
2. Following McCoy's testimony Senator Proxmire, Chairman of the
Subcommittee, stated that McCoy's charges were both serious and disturbing
and asked him to support the various allegations which he had made. McCoy
said he would provide this information for the record and added that his
allegations are documented in his book "The Politics of Heroin in Southeast
Asia" which is scheduled for publication this July. Senator McGee also
took McCoy to task and said that the generalizations made in his testimony
sharply contradicted information which was available to the Congress from
other sources. He noted that everyone recognized that illicit opium traffic
in Southeast Asia was a serious problem that changes have been made in the
U. S. approach to the situation and added that the situation was not as bleak
as McCoy suggested. Senator McGee also stated that a number of authorities
have specifically stated that CIA has played a key role in cracking down on
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narcotic traffic. He said that McCoy was giving the impression that CIA
was some kind of culprit and characterized McCoy's approach as being
similar to the practice of the late Senator Joe McCarthy. He said unless
Mr. Helms, the Secretary of Defense and the President are lying to the
Congress the situation is far different from that which McCoy described.
McGee also said he was aware of the fact that Air America has instituted
a hard-hitting program of searching passengers and policing cargos in an
effort to eliminate the transportation of illicit drugs on its flights.
3. McCoy said he resented the Senator's implication that he was
engaging in McCarthyism and said that obviously Senator McGee' s sources
of information were high-level officials. He said that the subordinates of
these officials, who were the people he had talked with, had indicated to
him that the U. S. Government was supporting persons in Southeast Asia
who were actually aiding and abetting the heroin traffic.
4. At the conclusion of the hearing Senator Proxmire commented
that Secretary Rogers and John Ingersoll, Director of the Bureau of Narcotics
and Dangerous Drugs, would be asked to comment on the charges which
McCoy has made but he agreed with McCoy that the problem of heroin traffic
in the United States also required action of the highest priority including the
conduct of the war in Southeast Asia.
5. At an informal press conference following his testimony McCoy
repeated many of the charges he had made in his testimony and also made
several additional statements including statements that Meo tribesmen, who
were engaged in the production of opium, were actually using Air America's
planes and helicopters to transport this material out of the Plaine des Jarres.
He also made reference to the fact that the U. S. had been supporting cross-
border operations by members of the Shan. He said these incursions into
Communist China began in the 1950's and were not terminated until late in
1971. When queried by members of the press as to his sources of information
McCoy made vague references to interviews with various Meo's and other
locals. When asked if he talked to U. S. officials in Southeast Asia, he said
he had not done this because he knew what people like Mac Godley would say.
6. We have contacted Mr. Rady Johnson, Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Congressional Relations, concerning a request by Senator Proxmire
that Secretary Laird respond to McCoy's charges when he appears on Monday
and we have sent to Johnson a copy of the package which we prepared for
Senator McGee. 25X1A
Deputy Legislative Counsel
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Distribution:
Original - Subject
1-FE
1-OGC
1- Mr.
1 - OLC Chrono
OLC /GLC:mmc (5 June 1972)
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