Documents / FOIA release

Intelligence and Security Operations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Ministry of National Defense

Central Intelligence Agency · 1979-12-01 · 120 pages · text from the file's own layer

This is a December 1979 Central Intelligence Agency study published by the Directorate of Operations Counterintelligence Staff. It describes the Enemy Proselytizing Department (Cuc Dich Van) of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Ministry of National Defense. The study traces the department's origins from 1941 through the French and Vietnam wars. It covers psychological warfare, fifth column penetration of ARVN and allied forces, the handling of US and allied prisoners of war, and the postwar reeducation of former ARVN personnel. It contains no material on UFOs.

  • p. 47 …In return, the SVNLA promised not to attack the units if they complied with the agreed…
  • p. 50 …These penetrations hampered the arrest of military proselytizing agents by providing them with advance warnings of…
  • p. 64 …Each category was given a three-day period, fixed in advance by the authorities, to report…
  • p. 90 …the MND Intermediate-Advanced Political School in Hanoi. Upon graduation, he was promoted to the rank…
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penetrating ARVN units in Kampuchea and with assisting the KPLA enemy
proselytizing branch in developing its capability against the Kampuchean
National Armed Forces (FANK) of Lon Nol. ‘
The CDV SVNLA Enemy Proselytizing Office and COSVN MPS forward
commands were tasked with establishing units under the political staffs of five
newly established PAVN/SVNLA military regions in Kampuchea. The CDV
forward commands drew personnel from subordinate field elements attached
to various regional and subregional party committees under their jurisdiction
in South Vietnam. Special training courses were organized to prepare selected
cadres for political, intelligence, security, and military proselytizing assign-
ments in Kampuchea. For example, between April 1971 and January 1972, the
Region 6 Party Committee* conducted two five-month tfaining courses for
Kampuchean operations attended by 100 trainees. Of this number, 35 cadres
were assigned as political cadres for Kampuchean operations, 22 as intelligence
cadres, and 81 as civilian and military proselytizing cadres. All were trained
within their specialty fields, as well as in the Khmer Language and customs.
An unknown number of Khmer-speaking cadres were similarly drawn from
other subordinate regional party committees. The activities of Khmer
proselytizing components of regional MPS in the Mekong delta area expanded
as they were tasked with operations against ethnic Khmer personnel of ARVN
throughout the COSVN/SVNLA area of jurisdiction.
Combined civilian and enemy military proselytizing sections (ban dan
dich van) were established under the political staffs of the five PAVN/SVNLA
military regions in Kampuchea. The sections were responsible for enlisting
local Khmer support for the KCP/KPLA, as well as for developing fifth
column penetration operations against ARVN and FANK forces in
Kampuchea. They also administered detention facilities for ARVN and FANK
POWs. Operations were also coordinated with their KPLA military region
counterparts.
The civilian and enemy military proselytizing sections had about 50
personnel, who were organized into a small headquarters staff, at least one
30-man detention camp for FANK, ARVN/Allied POWs, and one 15-man
armed propaganda team which had the mission of recruiting local Khmers to
support the KCP/KPLA and of distributing Vietnamese prepared psychologi-
cal warfare pamphlets and leaflets. The sections interrogated defectors,
deserters and POWs for military, political, and economic intelligence, and
prepared psychological warfare pamphlets and leaflets which were designed
to reduce the combat effectiveness of ARVN and FANK personnel by
inducing defections and desertions. The sections also engaged in fifth column
penetration operations against ARVN and FANK. The sections monitored the
activities of subordinate regimental-level three-man civilian and enemy
military proselytizing cells. About 400 civilian and enemy proselytizing
personnel were assigned to the five military regions in Kampuchea. Most were
withdrawn with their military region staffs to South Vietnam by August 1973
‘The Region 6 Party Committee of COSVN was responsible for civilian party and military operations
in Binh Thuan, Lam Dong. Ninh Thuan, and Tuyen Duc Provinces, South Vietnam.
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 120 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.