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In a scene reminiscent of General Walton ”Johnny” Walker at the Pusan Perimeter in Korea, Army Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann was reportedly shouting and pleading on the radio as he circled in the spotter plane above. He watched helplessly while Captain Ba’s M-113 APCs sat, parked, just short of the edge of the assault radius. But what could Vann really do? He had no real authority over any of the troops that he had staked his entire operation on. MORE>>
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The French underground in Indochina assisted in rescuing downed Allied pilots. A solid spy network had been constructed in Vietnam that was actively transmitting good intelligence on the Japanese. As time passed the OSS gained increasing access to the output of the underground. Pilots were rescued. Then suddenly in spring 1945 the flow of information ceased without warning. The Japanese had launched their coupe de main in Vietnam. Grasping for a new strategy, OSS colonel Paul Helliwell turned to Major Archimedes Patti… MORE>>
Posted in Asia, Essays, History, Spy, US Military, Vietnam, War
Tagged Indochina, Vietnam, Vietnam War
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Ho Chi Minh walked a distance of well over 100 miles, all while avoiding Japanese patrols. He met with various American intelligence officers upon arrival. Many first hand accounts of Ho in these days emphasize his ephemeral nature. Clearly he had to have been a fascinating character to these men steeped in spy-craft. <MORE>
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This was the moment the Vietminh 803rd Regiment had been waiting for and which was going to give them control of the plateau area before the armistice negotiations were terminated in Geneva; the battle, finally, which would wipe off the face of the earth the hated Korea Regiment which still wore on its sleeve the white star and Indian head of the 2nd US Infantry Division… MORE>>
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