The phoenix program

Notes:

i. Under Colonel Nicolas Carranza, who, according to the Center for National Security Studies, was recruited by the CIA in the late 1970's at a cost of ninety thousand dollars a year. [4]

ii. In 1983 Bush journeyed to El Salvador and arranged to have the most prominent death squad leaders sent to diplomatic posts abroad. By 1987 nine of eleven were back.

APPENDIX

Addendum 1: Psyops Comic Book: "Phung Hoang Campaign"

The cartoon book titled Gia dinh ong Ba va Chien Dich Phung Hoang (Mr, Ba's Family and the Phoenix Operation) reads as follows:

Caption 2. Summary: Mr. Ba and his family are presently living in Phong Thanh village. This village is actually part of the nationalist territory but is still infiltrated by a number of Communist elements; therefore, Phoenix leaders have taken military action against them. They received enthusiastic cooperation from the villagers. As a result of this, and through accurate information provided by local people, many Communist cadres have been arrested. These circumstances help you follow the story of Mr. Ba's family.

Caption 3. The cruel Communists kill innocent people again!

Caption 4. Following is the news: "This morning at nine A.M., a Lambretta was blown up by a Communist mine five kilometers outside Phung Hiep village. Two children were killed, three women wounded. The Communists continue to terrorize people!"

Caption 5 ."Hello, sister Tu!"

"Why are you so late?"

"Hello, brother and sister. I am sorry I am late. I left early this morning, but we had to stop at the bridge because it was destroyed by a Communist bomb. We had to wait for the bridge to be repaired by a military engineering unit."

Caption 6. "Mr. Ba, you are asked to pay farm tax to to the Liberation Front!"

Caption 7. "This year the crop is poor, but the Communists still collect taxes. It is a miserable situation. I have heard there is much security in Phung Phu village. There taxes are not collected by the Communists any more thanks to the Phoenix operation. I wonder why such an operation has not come to our village?" "Perhaps because nobody provides them with information! This afternoon the Phoenix operation agents posted a notice at the intersection. I will go and see it tomorrow."

Caption 8. "What is new, my friends?"

"There are two dangerous Communist cadres hiding in our village."

Caption 9. Here are the two Communist cadres sought by the Phoenix Operation. The wanted poster says: "Dear compatriots, If you know the hiding place of the two above named Communist cadres, please notify the national police or the armed forces. You will be rewarded, and your name will be kept secret."

Caption 10. The radio broadcast says, "Compatriots, please help your government by providing information indicating the hiding place of two Communists, Ba Luong and Hai Gon. You will be rewarded, and your name will be kept secret."

"Did you hear that on the radio?"

"I knew it already. It is exactly the same as it has been posted on the wall at the intersection of the village."

Caption 11. "See, there are so many leaflets!"

Caption 12. "Honey, what do they say in those leaflets?"

They are the same as those wall posters, as well as the announcements on the radio yesterday. The two Communists Ba Luong and Rai Gon are presently hiding in our village in order to collect taxes. I am determined to report to the Phoenix Operation Committee because I know their hiding place."

Caption 13. "Where are you going so early?"

"I am going to the district headquarters to report about what happened last night."

Caption 14. "Dear Sir, the two Communists you want are hiding in my village. They are hiding in the house number 80/2 by my village boundaries. They only go out at night. If you succeed in arresting them, please keep my name secret!"

"Thank you, Mr. Ba, your name will be kept secret." (The Phoenix Operation provides security and prosperity to the people.)

Caption 15. "Why are so many soldiers entering our village?"

"Perhaps they are conducting a military operation against the Communists in hiding."

Caption 16. "The two Communists are very dangerous. We can only have peace and security when they are captured."

Caption 17. "Ladies, do you know that the two Communists are captured? From now on our village will be secure. There will be no more assassinations or tax collectors. The Phoenix operation is very effective!"

Caption 18. "Mr. Ba, since the two Communists are captured, our village is at peace. Too bad they are in jail! If they returned to our side beforehand, it could have been better for them!"

"They are obstinate indeed. Had they returned like Mr. Thanh from Long Dien village, they certainly would have enjoyed the government's clemency. Mr. Thanh is now reunited with his family."

Caption 19. "Mr. Ba, you have some mail."

"I wonder who sends you this mail?"

"Wait and see!"

Caption 20. "What does the letter say?"

"Dear Mr. Ba, Since you have helped the government by providing information and undermining the local structures of the Communists, you will be rewarded accordingly. You are invited to attend the coming meeting of the Phoenix Operation Committee to receive your award. Sincerely yours."

Caption 21. Poster says: "Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, former guerrilla at Long Dien village, Gia Rai District, Bac Lieu Province, has returned to the national side. He therefore is allowed to be reunited with his family."

GLOSSARY

AA	Air America: subsidiary airline of the Central Intelligence Agency which was active in Asia during the Vietnam War
Agroville	(Khu Tru Mat): garrison community into which rural Vietnamese were forcefully relocated in order to isolate them from the Vietcong.
AID	Agency for International Development: branch of the U.S. State Department responsible for advising the government of Vietnam, including the National Police
AIK	Aid-in-Kind: nonmonetary aid
An Ninh	The Vietcong's internal security and propaganda service
APC	Accelerated pacification campaign: pacification program begun November 1968 to increase the number of villages rated "secure" under the Hamlet Evaluation System
APT	Armed propaganda team: platoon-size unit composed of soldiers with both a combat and psychological-warfare mission
ARVN	Army of the Republic of Vietnam
ASA	Army Security Agency: branch of the National Security Agency working with the U.S. Army to locate the Vietcong through its radio communications
Biet Kich	Commando
Cadre	Nucleus of trained personnel around which a larger organization can be built
CAP	Combined Action Patrol: platoon-size unit composed of U.S. Marines and Vietnamese Territorial Forces
CAS	Controlled American source: an employee of the CIA
CD	Civilian detainee: Vietnamese civilian detained by U.S. or Vietnamese military forces
CDEC	Combined Document Exploitation Center: formed October 1966 to support allied military operations primarily through the translation of captured enemy documents
CG	Census Grievance: CIA coven action program designed to obtain information on the VCI through static agents in villages, or mobile agents in armed propaganda teams
CI	Counterintelligence: that aspect of intelligence devoted to destroying the effectiveness of enemy intelligence activities
CICV	Combined Intelligence Center, Vietnam: created in 1965 to coordinate U.S. and South Vietnamese intelligence operations
CID	Criminal Investigation Division: branch of the U.S. Army charged with investigating crimes committed by American soldiers
CIDG	Civilian Irregular Defense Group: U.S. Special Forces-trained village and tribal security and reaction forces
CINCPAC	Commander in Chief, Pacific: the U.S. military headquarters in Hawaii to which the commander of MACV reported
CIO	Central Intelligence Organization: formed in 1961 to coordinate South Vietnamese foreign and domestic intelligence operations
CIS	Combined Intelligence Staff: formed in November 1966 to manage the attack against the VCI in Saigon and its environs
CMDC	Capital Military District Command: formed in June 1968 to coordinate military and pacification operations in Saigon and its environs
CMEC	Combined Materiel Exploitation Center: formed in 1965 to coordinate intelligence gained from the analysis of captured enemy materiel
CORDS	Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support: organization established in May 1967 under MACV, designed to coordinate U.S. military and civilian operations and advisory programs in South Vietnam
COSVN	Central Office of South Vietnam: mobile headquarters of the South Vietnamese insurgency, created in 1962
CPDC	Central Pacification and Development Council: formed in 1968 by William Colby, who was then chief of CORDS, as a liaison staff to the office of the prime minister of South Vietnam
CPHPO	Central Phung Hoang Permanent Office: formed in July 1968 to manage the South Vietnamese attack against the VCI
CSC	Combined Security Committee: formed in 1964 to protect U.S. government personnel and facilities in Saigon and its environs
CT	Counterterrorist: mercenary soldier employed by the CIA to kill, capture, and/or terrorize the VCI
CT IV	Cong Tac IV (also known as Counterterror IV): joint U.S.-South Vietnamese program begun in December 1966, designed to eliminate the VCI in Saigon and its environs
CTSC	Combined Tactical Screening Center: formed by the U.S. Army in 1967 to distinguish prisoners of war from civilian detainees
Cuc Nghien Cuu	Central Research Agency: North Vietnamese intelligence service
DAO	Defense Attaché Office: U.S. military headquarters that replaced MACV in 1973 after the cease-fire
DCI	Director of Central Intelligence: U.S. official in charge of managing the affairs of the CIA
DEPCORDS	Deputy to the MACV commander for Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support
DGNP	Director General of the National Police: Vietnamese official in charge of the South Vietnamese police
DIOCC	District Intelligence and Operations Coordination Center: office of the Phoenix adviser in each of South Vietnam's 250 districts
DMZ	Demilitarized zone: stretch of land along the seventeenth parallel, created in 1954 to separate North and South Vietnam
DSA	District senior adviser: senior CORDS official in each of South Vietnam's 250 districts
FI	Foreign Intelligence: branch of the CIA charged with inserting agents within foreign governments
Free Fire Zone:	Area in South Vietnam where U.S. military personnel had the authority to kill anyone they targeted
GAMO	Group administrative mobile organization: French-advised and -outfitted combat unit composed of South Vietnamese soldiers
GCMA	Composite airborne commando group: French-advised and -outfitted antiguerrilla unit composed mostly of Montagnards
GVN	Government of Vietnam
HES	Hamlet Evaluation System: computer system developed by the U.S. Defense Department in 1967 to measure trends in pacification
HIP	Hamlet Informant program: CIA-funded program managed by CIA officers in liaison with the Special Branch of the South Vietnamese National Police in which secret agents were paid to identify VCI in hamlets
hooch:	Dwelling occupied by rural Vietnamese
Hop Tac:	Pacification Intensive Capital Area program, begun July 1964 to bring security to Saigon and its environs
HVRP	High Values Rewards Program: bounty program proposed by the Phoenix Directorate in July 1971 to induce low- level VCI to turn in high-level VCI
ICEX	Intelligence coordination and exploitation: original name of the Phoenix program, formed in June 1967
IOCC	Intelligence Operations and Coordination Center
IPA	International Police Academy: school in the United States where the Agency for International Development through its Office of Public Safety trained policemen from foreign countries from 1963 to 1974
ISA	International Security Affairs: office within the U.S. Defense Department responsible for supervising security assistance programs such as Phoenix in foreign countries, excluding NATO
JAG	Judge Advocate General: chief prosecuting general within the U.S. armed forces
JGS	Joint General Staff: command organization of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces
JI	Personnel branch of the JGS or MACV
J2	Intelligence branch of the JGS or MACV
J3	Operations branch of the JGS or MACV
J4	Logistics branch of the JGS or MACV
JUSPAO	Joint U .S. Public Affairs Office: formed in May 1965 under the office of the U.S. Information Agency in South Vietnam, to manage MACV psychological warfare operations and public relations
KKK	Khmer Kampuchea Krom: Cambodian exiles trained by the CIA in South Vietnam
KMT	Kuomintang: official ruling party of the Republic of China (Taiwan), formed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1911
LLDB	Luc Luong Duc Biet: South Vietnamese Special Forces
LRRP	Long-range reconnaissance patrol: small team of U .S. soldiers sent to gather behind-the-lines intelligence on enemy troops
LST	Landing Ship Transport: naval vessel in which troops are often quartered
MACV	Military Assistance Command, Vietnam: arrived in Saigon in February 1962 as a unified command under the Commander in Chief, Pacific, managing the U.S. military effort in South Vietnam
MAAG	Military Assistance and Advisory Group: arrived in South Vietnam in November 1955 to provide support and training to the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces. Its function was absorbed by MACV in 1964.
MASA	Military Assistance Security Adviser: U.S. military officer who manages a security assistance program in a foreign country
MAT	Mobile advisory team: team of U.S. military personnel assigned to CORDS, charged with training and supporting the Territorial Security Forces of South Vietnam in a province or district
Mike Forces:	Mobile strike force commands: corps-level units under the command of the 5th Special Forces
MOI	Ministry of the Interior: branch of the GVN with authority over pacification, including Phung Hoang
MSS	Military Security Service: counterintelligence branch of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces
MSUG	Michigan State University Group: employees of Michigan State University contracted in 1954 to provide technical assistance to the GVN
NIC	National Interrogation Center: CIA facility built in 1964 inside CIO headquarters in the naval shipyard in Saigon
NLF	National Liberation Front: formed in 1960 by the various insurgent groups in South Vietnam
NPC	National Police Command: organized in June 1971 to incorporate Phung Hoang within the existing National Police structure
NPCIS	National Police Criminal Information System: computer system designed to track identified VCI
NPFF	National Police Field Force: paramilitary branch of the National Police
NPIASS	National Police Infrastructure Analysis Sub-Section: data bank containing biographical information on the VCI, used to plan countermeasures
NPIC	National Police Interrogation Center: located at National Police headquarters on Vo Tanh Street in Saigon
NVA	North Vietnamese Army
OCO	Office of Civil Operations: formed in Saigon in November 1966 to manage U.S. pacification programs in South Vietnam
OSA	Office of the Special Assistant: code name for the CIA station in Saigon
PA&E	Pacific Architects and Engineers: private company that did construction work for the GVN
PAAS	Pacification Attitude Analysis System: computer system designed to assess the political effects of CORDS pacification programs
PAT	People's action team: CIA version of the standard Vietcong armed propaganda team
PCOC	Phoenix Coordinators Orientation Course: begun November 1968 at Vung Tau's Seminary Camp to train Phoenix coordinators
PHMIS	Phung Hoang Management Information System: computer system containing biographical and organizational data on the VCI, created January 1969
PHREEX	Phung Hoang reexamination: study begun in 1971, designed to critique the Phoenix program
Phung Hoang:	The mythological Vietnamese bird of conjugal love that appears in times of peace, pictured holding a flute and representing virtue, grace, and harmony. Also the name given to the South Vietnamese version of Phoenix
PIC	Province Interrogation Center
PICC	Province Intelligence Coordination Committee: established by decree in November 1964 to serve as the senior intelligence agency in each province, but never put into effect
PIOCC	Province Intelligence and Operations Coordination Center: headquarters of the Phoenix adviser in each of South Vietnam's forty-four provinces
PIRL	Potential intelligence recruitment lead: VCI removed from the Phoenix blacklist and approached to become an agent of the CIA
PM	Paramilitary: branch of the CIA that obtains intelligence through unconventional warfare operations
POIC	Province officer in charge: senior CIA officer in a province, supervising both police liaison and paramilitary operations
PP	Political and Psychological: branch of the CIA that manages black propaganda and political liaison activities
PRG	Provisional Revolutionary Government: formed in June 1969 by the NLF to negotiate the reunification of North and South Vietnam
PRP	People's Revolutionary party: created in January 1962 as the southern branch of the Vietnamese Communist party
PRU	Provincial Reconnaissance Units: mercenary forces under the control of the CIA in South Vietnam
PSA	Province senior adviser: senior CORDS official in each of South Vietnam's forty-four provinces
PSC	Province Security Committee: nonjudicial body charged with the disposition of captured VCI
PSD	Public Safety Division: branch of CORDS responsible for advising the National Police
PSCD	Pacification Security Coordination Division: CIA component of CORDS
PSDF	People's self-defense forces: South Vietnamese civilian militia
psyops	Psychological operations
psywar	Psychological warfare
PTSD	Post traumatic stress disorder: stress that continues after the traumatic event that caused it
RD	Revolutionary Development: CIA program to build support for the GVN in the provinces of South Vietnam
RDC	Revolutionary development cadre: South Vietnamese trained by the CIA at Vung Tau to persuade the citizens of South Vietnam to support the central government
RDC/O	Revolutionary Development Cadre, Operations: CIA officer in charge of paramilitary operations in a province
RCD/P	Revolutionary Development Cadre, Plans: CIA officer in charge of liaison with the Special Branch in a province
RF/PF	Regional Forces and Popular Forces: a National Guard under the control of district and province chiefs
RMK/BRJ	Raymond Morrison Knudson, Brown Root Jorgansen: private company that did construction work for the GVN
ROIC	Region officer in charge: senior CIA officer in each of the four corps and Saigon
RVNAF	Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces
S2	Sector intelligence adviser: senior MACV intelligence adviser to the South Vietnamese forces in a province
SACSA	Special Assistant (to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) for Counterinsurgency and Special Activities: office within the Joint Chiefs with responsibility for Phoenix policy
SARC	Special airmobile resource control: method of interdicting VCI attempting to resupply armed Vietcong guerrillas
SAVA	Special Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs: office in the CIA reporting directly to the Director of Central Intelligence on developments in South Vietnam
SCAG	Saigon Capital Advisory Group
SEAL	Sea-Air-Land: the U.S. Navy's Special Forces
SES	Special Exploitation Service: formed in April 1964 as the JGS counterpart to SOG, renamed Strategic Technical Directorate in September 1987
SIDE	Screening, interrogation, and detention of the enemy: ICEX program begun in September 1967 to resolve the problem of separating genuine VCI from innocent civilian detainees
SIFU	Special Intelligence Force Units: small units formed in 1971 to replace PRU, composed of Special Branch and Field Police
SMIAT	Special Military Intelligence Advisory Team: formed in 1965 to mount sophisticated operations against the VCI
SMM	Saigon Military Mission: CIA office formed in 1954 to help the South Vietnamese conduct psychological warfare against the Vietminh
Snatch and snuff	Kidnap and kill
SOG	Special Operations Group: joint CIA-military organization formed in 1964 to conduct operations outside South Vietnam in support of MACV, but under the control of SACSA
SP	Special Police: term used in reference to the CIA-advised and -funded Special Branch of South Vietnamese National Police
Trung-doi biet kich Nham dou:	people's commando team, formed by Frank Scotton in 1964
USARV	United States Army Republic of Vietnam: created July 1965 at Long Binh to control all logistical and administrative units of the U.S. Army in Vietnam
USIS	United States Information Service: branch of the U.S. government responsible for conducting psychological operations overseas
TDY	Temporary duty
TRAC	Target Research and Analysis Section: created in January 1965 to develop targets for Strategic Air Command B-25s in support of MACV
VBI	Vietnamese Bureau of Investigation: precursor organization to the Special Branch, also known as the Cong An
VC	Vietcong: Vietnamese Communist
VCI	Vietcong infrastructure: all Communist party members and NLF officers, plus Vietcong and NVA saboteurs and terrorists
VCS	Vietcong suspect: Viemamese civilian suspected of being VCI
VIS	Vietnamese Information Service: branch of the GVN responsible for conducting psychological operations in South Vietnam
VNQDD	Vietnam Quoc Dan Dang: Vietnamese branch of the Kuomintang
VNTF	Vietnam Task Force: office within ISA responsible for Vietnam