9 June 1973 P1

Defector tells of Red sabotage

Saigon (AP) - A junior North Vietnamese officer who defected to South Vietnam said yesterday he was instructed to sabotage international peace keeping planes and convoys that were enroute to investigate alleged Communist cease- fire violations.

Nguyen Thanh Son, also known as Manh Du, 25, said in an interview he also believes the North Vietnamese are still holding some American prisoners, in effect as hostages to insure that all mines are removed from North Vietnamese waters. and that Hanoi receives United States reconstruction money.

"They want to keep U.S. prisoners because there are many problems to be settles with the U.S. government." he said. "They [word unreadable] to keep prisoners in case the U.S. government launches war again, they will have some prisoners."

Defense Department officials said they had no information from returned prisoners or any other sources to support the defector's claims concerning U.S. POW's.

Mr. Son refused to elaborate further.

Mr. Son a warrant officer said investigators for the International Commission for Control and Supervision came to Sa Huynh in Quang Ngai province where he was stationed. But he said there were no acts of sabotage against them though several battalions in his division received orders to lay mines, institute shelling and pretend to be village people when the commission came.

Mr. Son said the coastal port of Sa Huynh, 275 miles northeast of Saigon was seized by the Communists before the January 27 cease-fire but recaptured by government troops shortly after the peace agreement took effect.

The Viet Cong had hoped to use the location as one of their three ports of entry for replacement of armaments - and Mr. Son said immediate North Vietnamese plans in the northern coastal Quang Ngai region is "to try to take Sa Huynh as soon as possible."

Plans for captial

Mr. Son, who defected April 4, said the Viet Cong's Provisional Revolutionary Government plans to establish its capital in South Vietnam in Ba To district of Quang Ngai province, about 20 northwest of Sa Huynh.

If this proves true, Sa Huynh would be a critical piece of real-estate for the Viet Cong to capture, since it also is one of the few spots along South Vietnam's northern coast where Highway 1, a vital road link, runs close to the sea.

Mr. Son said the North Vietnamese do not plan to launch a general offensive until 1976 -- before the U.S. presidential elections.

"Right now, they don't want to launch an offensive. They're afraid of the reaction or world opinion as well as President Nixon," he said.