Tag Archives: Central Intelligence Agency

The World War II Years in Vietnam, 1940 – 1945

Hồ Chí Minh (right) with Vo Nguyen Giap (left)...

Image via Wikipedia

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>

The Binh Xuyen: Order and Opium in Saigon

Bảo Đại and his followers on accession

Image via Wikipedia

In 1950 the CIA’s Colonel Lansdale reported that:

“The Binh Xuyen were participating in one of the world’s major arteries of the dope traffic, helping move the prize opium crops out of Laos and South China. The profits were so huge that Bao Dai’s tiny cut was ample to keep him in yachts, villas, and other comforts in France.”More>>