(UNTITLED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01720R001100080013-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 12, 2004
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: July 19, 1971
• Content Type: STATEMENT

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NOT FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL RELEASED BY
TIIE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
ST'AT'EN NT FOR TIIE RECORI) ON TIM PHOENIX PROGRAM
AMBASSADOR WILLMM E. COLBY
DEPUTY TO COMIJSMACV FOR CIVIL OPERATIONS
AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT
1.9 July 1971
On July 15, the members of the Subcommittee devoted considerable
attention to the Phoenix program. I. have thus prepared the following
statement in an attempt to put this program in perspective. It supple-
ments the rather detailed and extensive testimony I provided on the
same subject to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in February 1970.
The Phoenix program of the Government of South Vietnam is designed
to protect the Vietnamese people from terrorism and.poli.tical., para-
military, economic and subversive pressure from the Communist clandes-
tine organization in. South Vietnam. The Viet Cong Infrastructure, or
VCI, is the leadership apparatus of'the Communist attempt to conquer the
Vietnamese people and Government. The VCI supports the military operations
of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army units by providing intelli-
gence, recruits or conscripts and logistics support. It also directs
and implements a systematic campaign of terrorism against Government
officials, locally elected loaders and the general population. The
result of this terrorism is as follows:
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Incidents
Killed
Wounded
Abducted
1969
10,526
6,097
15,074
6,097
1970
11,680
5,951
1.2,588
6,872
1971 (i~7a.y)
4,526
2P470
4,701
3,257
The Phoenix program i_s an integral part of the Vietnamese Government's
war effort to bring security to its people since the VCI is a key
element of the Communist war effort.
The Phoenix program includes an intelligence program to identify
the members of the VCI, an operational program to apprehend them, a
legal program to restrain them and a detention program to confine them.
INTELLIGENCE
The Phoenix program assembles intelligence on the VCI from all
sources. Thus the National Police, the People's Self-Defense Force,
the military and the village governments are charged with collaboration to
develop a full picture of the VCI at the various levels. This material
is drawn together primarily in District Intelligence and Operations
Centers. Special dossiers have been produced to assemble the informa-
tion in the most usable manner. The Phoenix program at each level
is under the direct supervision of the appropriate government official;
i.e., village chief, district chief, province chief, etc. The national
Phoenix staff has been made a part of the National Police Comnand.
OPERATIONS
Similar cooperation among all services is required in operations
against the VCI. Thus the National Police, the Regional and Popular
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forces, the People's Self-Defense Force and the Chicu iIoi program
conduct joint and independent operations against VCI individuals and units
as a part of the war effort. Goals have been established over the past
several years for the reduction of VCI strength. These goals have
been refined in order to focus the action on the higher level
and more significant VCI. The Phoenix program- is not a program of
assassination. In the course of normal military operations or police
actions to apprehend them, however, VCI are killed as members of military
units or while fighting off arrest. The Phoenix program has been widely
publicized in Vietnam is a program to protect the people against terrorism
and participation by local leadership and the population has been
encouraged. "Wanted" posters have been circulated to enlist public
assistance in the apprehension of VCI, although the posters point out
to the individual that he may rally under the Chieu Hoi program and be
free of any punishment. The following figures give the results of the
program over the past several years:
PHOENIX OPERATIONS AGAINST VCI
Captured Rallied Killed Total
1968 .11,288 2,229 2,559 15,776
1969 8,515 4,832 6,187 19,534
Sentenced
1970 6,405 7,745 8,191 22,341
1971 (May) 2,770 2,911 3,650 9,331
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LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
A VCI member is subject to formal trial by military court or to
an emergency detention procedure established by GVN legislation,. anala-
gous to the procedure used in many other countries in times of
emergency. This "An Tri." procedure authorizes the detention of an
individual after a review of his case by a Province Security Committee,
consisting of the Province Chief, the Public Prosecutor, the Chairman
or a member of the elected Province Council and other local security
officials. A variety of improvements in these procedures have been
made in the past three years, to include time limits on preparation of
cases, advising elected village leaders of all cases occurring in their
village for passage to families, a conditional release or parole system,
the assignment of public prosecutors to additional provinces to improve
the workings of the Province Security Committees and closer supervision
of the Committees. Further improvements are under consideration by the
Vietnamese Government.
DETENTION
Communist offenders are detained in National Police Detention Centers
or the Correction Centers of the Ministry of Interior. The Subcommittee
has previously been informed of the program to improve conditions in
these correction and detention centers. This has not only included
physical improvements to the facilities but also improvements in their
procedures.
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U.S. ROLE
The United States through CORDS has provided advice and. assistance
to the Phoenix program. This currently includes approximately 637 U.S.
military personnel working with the Phoenix centers at the district,
province, region and national. levels. It also includes a very few
U.S. civilian personnel. Of course advisors with the military units,
the National Police, the Chieu IIoi program, etc., advise and assist
their respective service in its normal role, which includes support
of the Phoenix program. Over the past three years, U.S. support has
been provided for the Phoenix program, principally for construction and
office equipment expenditures for the district centers:
U.S. SUPPORT OF PHOENIX
U.S. Counterpart
U.S. $$ Fcuival.ent
VN millions)
(i.13-lions
1968
179
1969
172
1970
45
1971 (May)
43
These figures do not include advisory personnel costs which have not
been quantified.
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CONCLUSION
The Phoenix program is an essential element of Vietnam's defense
against VCI subversion and terrorism. While some unjustifiable abuses
have occurred over the years, as they have in many countries, the
Vietnamese and U.S. Governments have worked to stop them, and to produce
instead professional and intelligent operations which will meet the
VCI attack with stern justice, with equal stress on both words.
Considerable evidence has appeared from enemy documents and from former
and even current members of the enemy side that, despite some weaknesses,
the program has reduced the power of the VCI and its hopes for conquest
over the people of South Vietnam. Phoenix is an essential part of the
GJN's defense as the VCI is to the Communist attack. U.S. support is
fully warranted.
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