Documents / FOIA release
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.
“Headquarters”33 pages
u; s Lair‘ .,_ M, -~ " . ,1 . . _ . m.¢l.rv.s-:4 ..0»I'ii..*Zi-1".11.w ...~# ==-:~»~»- - ~ ~- i- - - - - \ ,,-.,-..-up-_. .. SECRET NOFORN Introduction " The Enemy Proselytizing Department (Cuc Dich Van/CDV) of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Ministry of National Defense (MND) General Political Department is the psychological warfare, fifth column penetration, and military prisoner of war (POW) indoctrination and handling arm of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). It provides access to POWs to the MND General Staff, Department's Research (Military Intelligence) Department (Cuc Nghien Cuu/CNC) in coordinated action with the MND General Political Department’s Military Security Department, (Cuc Bao Ve Ouan Doi/CBV). All POW affairs are coordinated with the Ministry of Interior (Bo Noi Vu/BNV) General Research Service, which monitors the exploitation of POWs for the Premier's Office headed by Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) Politburo me_mber Pham Van Dong. The VCP Politburo has confidence in the CDV and has entrusted it with primary responsibilities for the psychological exploitation of enemy military forces, the subversion of enemy military forces through fifth column and psychological warfare means, and for the psychological exploitation of enemy military POWs. The CDV plays a key role in administering the detention and “reeducation" of former Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) POWs. During the Vietnam War years, it was deeply involved in the interrogation, indoctrination, and handling of US and Allied POWs, and was the responsible PAVN service in charge of supervising the activities of military POWs who cooperated with Hanoi in the preparation of psychological warfare pamphlets, leaflets, and radio broadcasts. The CDV was the responsible PAVN service in charge of fifth column agent operations in the ARVN, as well as in US and Allied forces. Fifth column penetrations of US and Allied forces focused on the recruitment of locally employed Vietnamese interpreter/translators. With the assistance of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the CDV developed a capability against Republic of Korea (ROK) forces. The CDV also directed its operations against Australian, Filipino, New Zealand, and Thai Government (RTG) combat units in South Vietnam. I The CDV had considerable success in penetrating former Republic of Vietnam (RVN), ARVN, Regional Forces (RF), Popular Forces (PF), People's Self-Defense Forces (PSDF), Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRU), Rural Development (RD) Teams, the Open Arms (Chieu Hoi) program, the National Police Command, the Central Intelligence Organization (C_IO), the ARVN Military Security Service (MSS), the RVN Presidential Office, and other'RVN and ARVN agenciesfl-Ieavy emphasis was placed on the recruitment of fifth columnists in "grassroots" district and village-level RF/ PF and PSDF units. In 1974 alone, CDV fifth column assets assisted PAVN forces in overrunning 2,800 outposts and in seizing over 600 hamlets in the Mekong Delta area. At the time of the April 1975 Communist takeover of South Vietnam, CDV field All information in this study is classified Secret Noforn. I SECRET 1 ‘ r »-=--. ---. ..._ _ _ _ _ \ 1 ‘ mm unmii ..-___ 7 rm - , . ,. . .£’_..h ._‘:_,. 1 . I4 .‘~L‘;?P 11'1"’: J . .,.» .- r ‘\ I 0 -D "v 1 A Y J 9 ¢_ r r‘ . . I‘
Not linked to a story yet.
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.