The phoenix program and the vietnam war john prados. John prados, author of presidents secret wars this definitive account of the phoenix program, the us attempt to. By zalin grant i wrote this story about the phoenix program in honor of the forthcoming publication of vietnam labyrinth by tran ngoc chau. Jun 26, 2008 another component of cords was the phoenix program. Bumgartner was also in charge of the phoenix program in that area. What was the phoenix program in the vietnam war and was it. In the works for 20 years, and cowritten with ken fermoyle, chaus book, i believe, will stand as the most important work by a vietnamese who participated. It is the story of a single operational unit that was part of the larger, countrywide action element of the phoenix program the provincial reconnaissance units prus. You mean the article that you posted but failed to give credit to its author. War in order to coordinate the attack on the political and military leadership of the. This study helps balance claims about the program s effectiveness against charges of its brutality and its political costs. In vietnam, in the 60s and 70s, the united states really got its concentration camp program in high gear. June 10, 2014back in print today is a book that, if youre interested in the phoenix program, is a must read.
Despite this growing interest, however, the phoenix program is not well understood out. Vietnam war era phoenix program patch page 2 army and. Jan 12, 2011 this feature is not available right now. Phoenix program the following are pertinent excerpts from william colbys nomination testimony july 2, 1973 on the phoenix program. The phoenix program in vietnam schiffer book for collectors ret. Here is an incountry made phoenix program patch from my collection. The wars in afghanistan and iraq have refocused attention on past u. The phoenix program in vietnam in many ways provides a blue print for our own times. The phoenix program, revisited abcs of american interrogation methods abcs of american interrogation methods by douglas valentine weekend edition may 1517, 2004 counterpunch contents the pics piccs inside a pic the militarys side of the story adapted from chapter 5. The violent geographies of the vietnam war and the rise of. The phoenix program, assassinating suspected vc sympathizers in a systematic manner, worked well during the vietnam war and is the blueprint for the current black op targeting thousands of loyal americans using state of the art microwave mw and radio frequency radiation rfr weapons.
Dec 01, 2017 between 1957 and 1972, the vietcong crippled the administration of the south vietnam saigon government by the systematic murder of an estimated 36,752 appointed village chiefs and other officials. There have been few books that zeroed in directly on this subject, and of them, douglas valentines the phoenix program is the only book based on extensive. The phoenix program was developed in order to bring some order into the fight between the subversion of the north vietnamese and the vietcong, and the government. The phoenix program in vietnam from his arrival in wartorn vietnam in 1968 to his reluctant departure twentyfive months later, john cook served as an advisor in the district of di an and took part in the systematic operations of the phoenix program to destroy the infrastructure, the political organization of the viet cong and. Coordination and exploitation and eventually phoenix. For valentine the hotel tacloban, lj 91584, the program epitomizes all that was wrong with the vietnam war. The biggest myth coming out of vietnam was that perpetrated by nonveterans of the phoenix program.
Extensive academic analysis of the phoenix program in vietnam. The program was designed to identify and neutralize. But phoenix went far beyond aspirations of winning in vietnam. Semantic scholar extracted view of the phoenix program by douglas. The phoenix program and the cias underworld youtube. The phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency. The program utilized a by any means necessary strategy to warfare that included the use of random assassination and the fabrication of enemy atrocities in order to rally the civilian population around u.
In the works for 20 years, and cowritten with ken fermoyle, chaus book, i believe, will stand as the most important work by a vietnamese who participated in the vietnam war. Whereas the earlier programs had been unabashedly american operations, the phoenix program actually attempted to involve. See phoenix, page be the mythical phung hosing bird, symbol of the vietnamese program paralleling phoenix. The cia designed and implemented the phoenix program during the vietnam.
Pics in the phoenix program, douglas valentine ny, wm. Designed to destroy the vietcong infrastructure and ostensibly run by the south vietnamese government, the phoenix program in fact directed by the united statesdeveloped a variety of counterinsurgency activities including, at its worst, torture and assassination. Any person who has the faintest knowledge of the pacification program would know what disasters have visited the vietnamese people as a result of such programs. Whereas the earlier programs had been unabashedly american operations, the phoenix program actually attempted to involve the south vietnamese in the planning and operations. Douglas valentine is the author of four books of historical nonfiction. Army special units set up a string of torture and death camps throughout south vietnam. This study helps balance claims about the programs effectiveness against charges of. The leading researcher into the phoenix program is douglas valentine, whom william casey sent to interview dozens of cia officers involved. Vietnam, 68 phoenix program statistics were phony a bust and a fake. Pics in the phoenix program, douglas valentine ny, wm morrow, 1990. Phoenix built on the work of the ciacreated network of over 100 provincial and district intelligence operation committees in south vietnam that collected and disseminated information. The phoenix program, american clandestine policing in vietnam and authoritarian state development in november, 1967, frank armbruster of the hudson institute drafted a policy brief which provided a blueprint for the phoenix operation, whose goal was to dismantle the. As a program constructed to fight the viet cong, the cia used an innovative approach which will be analyzed through a different perspective. The cia historian, contrary to neoorthodox arguments regarding progress in the vietnam war, concedes that u.
The secret history of americas war on drugs, and the strength of the pack. Cooper a former foreign service officer, cooper spent 18 months in vietnam, most of it as a phoenix adviser at cantho, in the mekong delta. Marks in the search for the manchurian candidate formats. Feb 06, 2017 the phoenix program and the cias underworld. During the war,you wouldnt want people wearing this showing up at your door,as you would probably never be seen again. Intelligence coordinating committees piccs in south vietnams 44. Vietnam, 67 phoenix program in fledgling stage conceived and implemented by cia. The phoenix program operated in south vietnam from 1968 to 1972.
Covert paramilitary operations by the cia in vietnam began early in the sixties, but it was not until 1965, that the u. I am constantly amazed at the number of postings in various forums describing the truth about phoenix. The basic essence of the program is a fully coordinated intelligence effort of all existing gvn and united states agencies targeted specifically on tr. In 1967 the cias far east division of clandestine services developed a program that came to be known as phoenix.
The phoenix program would become one of the most controversial aspects of americas war in vietnam. As the united states ends its third year of war in iraq, the military continues to search for ways to deal with an insurgency that shows no sign of waning. The phoenix program in vietnam schiffer book for collectors. This gem is a work of art, beautifully embroidered,probably the loveliest patch that i own. The phoenix program was a program designed, coordinated, and executed by the united states central intelligence agency cia, united states special operations forces, special forces operatives from the australian army training team vietnam aattv,1 and the republic of vietnams south vietnam security apparatus during the vietnam war. Rick destefanis, a veteran of the armys 82nd airborne division, dedicates the gomorrah principle more. A marine officers second tour in vietnam, 19681970.
The rise of phoenix program in vietnam the vietnam war. In this sense it is also a polemicalthough no way polemical in styleto learn the right lessons from the us invasion, occupation and genocidal war against the people of vietnam. The late richard holbrooke began his foreign service career at usaid in rural pacification in vietnam, spending his formative years in the phoenix program. Vietnam war era phoenix program patch army and usaaf u. Vietnam war collection opensource language english. Sometimes, entire villages and towns were targeted for extinction. The vietnamese program was called phung hoang, after an. Many of those who recognize our military mistakes in indochina fail to acknowledge the blunders of our quieter war for hearts and. Counterinsurgency lessons from vietnam for the future pdf.
The personalities, politics and espionage intrigues that shaped the dea. The phoenix program was a program designed, coordinated, and executed by the united states central intelligence agency cia, united states special operations forces, special forces operatives from the australian army training team vietnam aattv,1 and the republic of vietnam s south vietnam security apparatus during the vietnam war. Moreover, such vietnamera programs as igloo white remind us. Nov 23, 2014 phoenix program was an intelligence and counterinsurgency program designed to gather, analyze information and then neutralize via capture, infiltration, torture, terrorism, and assassination the infrastructure of the viet cong national liberation front in south vietnam. The americans would pro vide funds and advice for the creation. This page will also cover similar programs in southeast asia before or during the same time period as the phoenix program 19671975.
The phoenix, legendary animal that comes to symbolize what rises from the ashes. Phoenix program was an intelligence and counterinsurgency program designed to gather, analyze information and then neutralize via capture, infiltration, torture, terrorism, and assassination the infrastructure of the viet cong national liberation front in south vietnam. Available formats pdf please select a format to send. Assassinations and torture are the essence of the war. Designed to destroy the vietcong infrastructure and ostensibly run by the south vietnamese government, the phoenix programin fact directed by the united statesdeveloped a variety of counterinsurgency activities including, at its worst, torture and assassination. Vietnam, 69 program of 69 campaign called for elimination of vci. The cias phoenix assassination program lewrockwell. Everett bumgartner was colbys deputy and used to oversee pacification efforts in the central provinces of vietnam. Between 1957 and 1972, the vietcong crippled the administration of the south vietnam saigon government by the systematic murder of an estimated 36,752 appointed village chiefs and other officials. Please read the article that i posted here with the patch. The predecessors to the phoenix program included, pt4 and icex, both cia programs designed to coordinate and plan attacks on the vci. It should not surprise anyone therefore that he was assigned to help bring serbia to submission or that his last assignment was coordination of the us wars in south central asia. The phoenix program itself was created by the cia as a way to coordinate numerous counterinsurgency programs during the vietnam war, using methods of blanket surveillance, kidnapping and. The phoenix program was a program designed and coordinated by the united states central.
In the darkest days of the vietnam war, americas central intelligence agency secretly initiated a sweeping program of kidnap, torture, and assassination. The cia and the political defeat of the united states in vietnam. Civil operations and revolutionary development support. Many of these officers were comfortable talking with valentine, and spent hours or even days recounting their memories of the program. A vietnam fiasco seen from within qv oil by wayne l. The phoenix program is arguably the most misunderstood and controversial program undertaken by the governments of the united states and south vietnam during the vietnam war, according to a retrospective of the phoenix program by retired marine colonel andrew r. He is the author of the novel tdy, and a book of poems, a crows dream. The phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency rand. Cords civil operations and rural development support was a pacification program of the governments of south vietnam and the united states during the vietnam war. Phoenix program also called phung hoang of death squads and torture during the vietnam war. Support cords program provides useful insights into the. Shadow warriors the phoenix program, american clandestine. The hotel tacloban, the phoenix program, the strength of the wolf.
This shocking expose of the cia operation aimed at destroying the vietcong infrastructure thoroughly conveys the hideousness of the vietnam war publishers weekly. Jun 10, 2014 june 10, 2014back in print today is a book that, if youre interested in the phoenix program, is a must read. The phoenix program 2 was first published 24 years ago, fourteen years after the congressional investigations that exposed and swiftly washed it from public memory. The phoenix program remains one of the more controversial and understudied aspects of the american involvement in vietnam and cia operations generally. The cias counterinsurgency in vietnam was brutal and. I wrote this story about the phoenix program in honor of the forthcoming publication of vietnam labyrinth by tran ngoc chau. In total, he interviewed nearly 100 cia officers about the program. In the darkest days of the vietnam war, americas central intelligence agency secretly initiated a sweeping program of kidnap, torture, and assassination devised to destabilize the infrastructure of the national liberation. It may have been secret to the american people,at the timebut the vietnamese people were well aware of what was going on. Page 1 of 5 vietnam war era phoenix program patch posted in army and usaaf. There are a lot of facts about the organizations and structures but the author tends to use these to legitimize some sensational accounts. The program was created on 9 may 1967, and included military and civilian components of both governments.
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