LAOS (LAMSON 719) CAMBODIA (TOAN THANG) 01/71

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-477-18-22-9
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: September 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: March 20, 1971
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/09/09: LOC-HAK-477-18-22-9
AT L'N1UKA1NUUA1
TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE
MEMORANDUM OF BRIEFING
PRESENT: Henry A. Kissinger
Colonel Kennedy
David R. Young (Note Taker)
SUBJECT: Laos (Lamson 719)
Cambodia (Town Thang) 01 /71
BRIEFER: Lt. Colonel Martin
DATE: March 17, 1971
Kissinger What I want to know about is the weather in the North.
Martin: It is still clouded in. 914 is cut, 234 is not motorable and
they have not upgraded it yet; 233, however, is open. If they proceed
with their plan they will. be able to cut them off.
March 20, 1971
LAOS
Martin: I have some good news.
Kissinger What do you mean the plan? Are they staying or moving out?
Martin: They are moving down in a'south/southeasterly direction from.
Tchepone.
Kissinger: Well, how lob.g will it take before they get out; how long will
the roads be cut?
Martin: Well, it will take them through the dry season, probably another
six to eight weeks.
Kissinger: That's what l want.
(Martin during this exchange a couple of times protested giving details
on the plan. He said that his boss wanted to brief Kissinger. Kissinger
said he realized that and that he had been briefed, he just wanted to know
TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/09/09 LOC-HAK-477-18-22-9
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/09/09: LOC-HAK-477-18-22-9
TOP SECRET /SENSITIVE
exactly what it meant and what Martin personally thought.
Martin: Some of the good news was the number of caches 2, 000 82mra
rounds were found in one particular place and body counts from 1 l to
17 in a number of other small contacts. One cache involved 232 barracks
and over 300 barrels of POL. These are on the edge of Binh Train 31.
As they are moving into this area they are picking up more and more
caches.
Kissinger: What is the sensor report?
Martin: Again, good news in that there is no traffic on 914-C. 914-B
has 81 southbound traffic, but this is primarily the internal traffic of
the Binh Tram.
Kissinger: What about the replacement troops?
Martin: A regiment is on standby. They are not going to replace man for
man per se, but are waiting until they are needed. I do not think there is
any need to get excited.
Kissinger: But, that means they are not really going in.
Martin: Well, I think it will depend on what the need is.
CAMI3 ODIA
Martin: Again good news here. They have made contact with the enemy
in the Chup Plantation, there were 39 enemy KIA. There are also gunships
north of Chup that have gotten a number of enemy. On Snoul, they have
finally moved out a bit. However, they are moving out between the three
enemy units that were beginning to surround them but at least they were
moving out.
Kissinger: How fast did Tri move? I had the impression that he was moving
faster than these guys. Was I right or wrong?
Martin: You were right, Tri moved faster than these fellows.
Kissin er: Haw did he manage to get them to move so much faster?
TOP SECRET /SENSITIVE
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/09/09: LOC-HAK-477-18-22-9
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/09/09: LOC-HAK-477-18-22-9
TOP SECR..ET/SENSITIVE, 3/17
Martin: l:l:e told them what the objective wa,s and gave them a time
in which they had to get to it. But there is a certain balance to be
achieved here between going too fast and not doing a thorough job and
going too slow and not making contact with the enemy. At least they
have made contact with, the enemy in the Chup.
Kennedy: It may well be the strategy of the enemy to avoid contact
and that is why they are scurrying out of the wary.
Kissinger: That does seem to be the case.
End of Briefing.
.TOP SECRET /SENSITIVE
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/09/09: LOC-HAK-477-18-22-9