Vietnam Declassified: The CIA and Counterinsurgency

476 Pages·2009·3.63 MB·English

by  Thomas L Ahern Jr.

Vietnam Declassified

Vietnam
DeclassifieD
The CIA and
Counterinsurgency
T l. a J .
homas hern r
Foreword by donald P. GreGG
T U P K
he niversiTy ress of enTUcKy
Copyright © 2010 by The University Press of Kentucky
Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky
University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society,
Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern
Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of
Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
All rights reserved.
Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008
www.kentuckypress.com

All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this study are those of the author.
They do not necessarily reflect official positions or views of the Central Intelligence Agency
or any other U.S. government entity, past or present. Nothing in the contents should be
construed as asserting or implying U.S. government endorsement of the book’s actual
statements and interpretations.
14 13 12 11 10 5 4 3 2 1
Maps originally produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency for internal use.
Photographs courtesy of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency unless otherwise noted.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ahern, Thomas L., 1932–
Vietnam declassified : the CIA and counterinsurgency / Thomas L. Ahern, Jr. ; foreword
by Donald P. Gregg.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8131-2561-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Underground movements. 2. Counterinsurgency—
Vietnam—History—20th century. 3. United States. Central Intelligence Agency—
History—20th century. 4. Rural development—Vietnam, Southern—History—20th
century. 5. Vietnam, Southern—Rural conditions. I. Title.
DS558.92.A35 2010
959.704'38—dc22 2009029013
This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting the requirements of the American
National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Member of the Association of
American University Presses
For John O’Reilly, whose wit and wisdom
leavened a deeply personal
engagement with the fate of South Vietnam

Contents
List of Maps and Illustrations ix
Foreword by Donald P. Gregg xi
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xix
Abbreviations xxi
Introduction: To Build a Nation 1
1. “The Effort Must Be Made” 7
2. “Get Them before They Get Us” 21
3. Counterinsurgency in the Central Highlands 39
4. Sea Swallows and Strategic Hamlets 71
5. Operation Switchback 91
6. Experiments in the Lowlands 111
7. The Kien Hoa Incubator 127
8. The People’s Action Team 149
9. Another Chance in the Countryside 169
10. Growing Pains 191
11. CORDS 221
12. Phoenix 255
13. The 1968 Tet Offensive and Accelerated Pacification 281
14. Disengagement 309
15. A Matter of Running City Hall 343
Conclusion: The Limits of Pragmatism 357
Notes 377
Selected Bibliography 433
Index 437
Maps and Illustrations
Maps
South Vietnam, 1967 3
Population of Vietnam, 1960–1965 40
Ethnic groups of South Vietnam 41
Insurgency and counterinsurgency in South Vietnam, early 1963 94
U.S. Army Special Forces, April 1963 100
Kien Hoa 128
Areas of communist and government territorial control, 1965 160
Vinh Binh 205
Areas of communist and government territorial control, 1967 223
Quang Nam and Da Nang Municipality 245
Major locations attacked during the Tet Offensive 286
Illustrations
Village of Buon Enao 49
Buon Enao watchtower 50
Heavy lifting 50
Buon Enao village defender 51
Improvised weapons concealment 52
Dental care, without benefit of anesthetic 53
Sergeant Campbell, USSF medic 53
U.S. Special Forces team quarters at the Khe Sanh CIDG camp 103
CIDG classroom at Khe Sanh 104
CIDG Strike Force barracks at Khe Sanh 105
Census-Grievance program “suggestion boxes” in Da Nang 129
ix