OFFICIAL STATUS: CAPTURED

CASE SUMMARY: SEE ATTACHED

RATIONALE FOR SELECTION: PVT Garwood has been seen alive and in good health by both U.S. and Vietnamese sources on many occasions and in various locations. There have been no correlated reports of death for this individual.

REFNO: 0155 26 Nov. 74

CASE SUMMARY

1. (C) Private Garwood disappeared from his HQ BN, 3rd Marine Division motor pool (AT 997 755) on 28 September 1965 at 1800 hours. Based on a statement allegedly made by PVT to another individual when he departed the motor pool, PVT reportedly had been dispatched to the G-2, 3rd MARDIV in a jeep. He was discovered missing at 2300 hours on 28 September 1965. Subsequent checks with the G-2 disclosed that no official request had been made for PVT to report to the G-2 at 1800 hours, however, he had made runs for the G-2 during the day. (Ref 1)

2. (C) On 30 September 1965, the 3rd MARDIV reported PVT as Missing- in Action. Vietnamese sources reported the capture of a male Caucasian in the southeast portion of the Da Nang tactical area of responsibility on 30 September 1965. Additionally, several VC documents dated in 1965 and 1966, which were found in 1968 and 1969, indicated that PVT was captured by local guerrillas and youth cadre in Cam Hai Village, Dien Ban District. (Ref 2 & 3)

3. (C) A VC rallier, (who rallied on 11 December 1965), stated that in late September 1965, while he was in the lowlands (vicinity of grid coordinates (GC) AT 810 670), he was met by a group of VC who were escorting three (3). U.S. PW's (all Caucasian) in a northwesterly direction. (.Ref 4)

4. (U) A leaflet entitled "Fellow Soldiers Appeal" was found on 3 December 1965 by elements of the 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division in the vicinity of (GC) AT 966 664. The leaflet was signed by PVT and was an anti-U.S.. propaganda statement to be used against U.S. Forces in Southeast Asia. Based on this leaflet,, the status of PVT was changed from Missing to. Captured. (Ref 5)

5. (C) Sometime in late October 1965 PVT Garwood arrived in the Regional Detention Camp (KHU) (BS 373 816), according to ARVN officers who were released from, Camp Khu on 27-28 December 1965 for the upcoming Vietnamese New Year holidays (TET). PVT had managed to pass four letters and one identification tag to the releasee; however, three of the four were confiscated during search. The one letter which did get through to friendly forces was addressed to PVT Garwood's mother and stated that he was in good condition but had had malaria and jungle fever since becoming prisoner. Another of the released ARVN' officers was able to remember the address of PVT Garwood's father. Still another of the ARVN releasees, who was not debriefed until 5-9 January 1967, provided one of PVT GArwood's identification tags. (Ref 6)

6. (C) A radio Hanoi Broadcast entitled "Appeal o' a Fellow Soldier" was made in English on 3 March 1966 The text was identical to the leaflet allegedly signed by PVT in October 1965. It was evident that the voice making the broadcast was not that of PVT Garwood however,, on 5 May 1966, another broadcast was made by Radio Hanoi which stated that the text was made by a U.S. Marine captured in a raid on Cam Hai Village, Quang Nam ProVince on 28 September 1965. (Ref 7)

7. (C) According to various debriefs of U.S. returnees, Garwood was offered his release in May 1967 from the regional detention camp, but declined and requested he be permitted to join the VC/NLF. It is indicated that at this time assumed the Vietnamese alias of Nguyen Chien Dau. In November 1967, , according to the debrief of a U.S. returnee, departed the regional camp for an assigned mission to work with the military proselytizing section in making propaganda broadcasts to American personnel. on 4 November 1967 signed propaganda statements,, which along with other documents, were found on 26 June 1969 (vicinity of (GC) AT 972 439).

8. (C) During a sweep operation in an attempt to recover MIA s on 9 Feb 68, a cave was discovered. Documents located in the cave included the following: 1. Letter dated 12 Dec, to [blank] from Aunt [blank.]. 2. Letter dated 25 Dec to from [blank] which was written on the back of the first letter; 3. Letter dated 12 Jan 68, to [blank] from Hung; 4. Letter dated 14 Jan 68, to Chan from [blank]; 5. Three propaganda statements signed by [blank]: 6. Two unsigned propaganda statements possibly written by Garwood. (Ref. 7)

9. (C) A VC production cell member, Zone A (Western Tam Ky), rallied on 28 February 1971- at Binh Doung..- He observed two American collaborators in Ngoc Nha Hamlet (BT 253 126). The Americans were accompanied by three unidentified province-level cadre from the Military Proselytizing Section. During- their stay at the hamlet they sang VC liberation songs to -the local residents. One of these individuals was identified as [blank]. The other individual was not identified. This source further heard that during 1969, [blank] was working for the Viet Cong, Quang Nam Force, retraining American PW's at an unknown location. (Ref 7)

10. (C) A VC captive who was a former member of the Military Proselytizing Section,, MR 5, provided the following information relating to In December 1968, While the VC captive was en route to a meeting conducted by the Quang Da Special Zone in the Tuong Son Mountains he met an American with a group of cadre from VC Region 5. He conversed with the American for about 15 minutes and gave a very good description of [blank}. In the conversation stated that he was usually known as [blank] but after he rallied to the VC side he adopted the nickname of [blank] and was called [blank] by his friends. Additional information was provided by another VC captive, who was the medical chief of Ky Long- Village (BT 235 1-60). In December 1968 he treated [blank] for malaria. [Blank] spoke Vietnamese very well and stated that he served as an advisor in Saigon in 1964 and that in 1965 he had gone to Da Nang where he drove out of the city and burned his jeep so he could join the guerrillas to fight for the revolution. Questioned in mid-1970, this VC captive was asked where [blank] was located at the time. time. He replied that [blank] had departed for North Vietnam. (Ref 7)

11 (C) A U.S. releasee, who first encountered [blank] when he was interrogated by him at Camp Bravo (location unknown) in March 1968, supplied the following information He last saw in October or November 1969 when Camp Charlie (location unknown) to travel as a propagandist (as stated by [blank] for the NVA and VC. In 1971,, (exact date unrecalled), the U.S. releasee heard from an unrecalled source that [blank] was going to North Vietnam to study. [Blank] was taught Vietnamese by other VC and NVA cadre and spoke it well. He was acting as an interpreter interrogator, guard, and informer on U.S. PW's. He carried an AK 47 assault rifle and/or automatic carbine. A high ranking VC cadre came to the camp in July 1968 and informed PW's that was a VC cadre and had been promoted to officer status in the NLF. He was believed to have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. [Blank] would brine, the PW's a radio so they could listen to Radio Hanoi, and on one occasion brought eggs and a chicken which he said he had stolen. He overheard two U.S. PW's talking about an escape attempt and reported them to the VC, causing one to be placed in stocks for three months and the other for six months. On one occasion told two U.S. PW's to carry rocks for a sidewalk and when they refused he had them stand at attention by the guard house for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. On another occasion, [blank] actually struck a POW. [Blank] acted as a guard over prisoners when they were on work details and he had free rein of the camp and surrounding area, and lived outside the camp confines with the VC interpreters. (Ref 8)

12. (C) In September 1969 [blank] told an American -PW that he was en route to Hanoi to get educated and to be married. (Ref. 9)

13. (C) In October 1969, was used as an interrogator, for the VC in a camp (location unknown) where another U.S. POW was detained in SVN. [Blank] was know to slap PW's during interrogations. [Blank] remained at this camp when other PW's were moved. (Ref 10)

14. (C) On 15 July 1968 the lst Force Reconnaissance Company made contact with and probably killed one male caucasian who was operating with the Viet Cong. Two members of the company, when shown Garwood's photo, stated that the Caucasian could have been Garwood. Four other members of the company identified the individual as [blank] (Note: Not Garwood. All who saw the Caucasian believed that he was dead. The fact that has been seen at dates later than this July 1969 contact negates the possibility that the individual was Garwood. (Ref 11)

15. (C) After his release in March 1974, a U.S. POW stated that he had not seen [blank] since the summer of 1971 when came to Plantation Gardens PW Camp, Hanoi, North Vietnam (NFI). (Ref 12)

16. (U) Details of this case together with information indicating enemy knowledge of the case were turned over to the Four-Party Joint Military Team on 17 April 1973 with a request for any information which would assist in determining status and resolution. No response was forthcoming.

17. (U) PVT Garwood is currently carried in the status of Captured.

(U) REFERENCES USED

1. RPT (C), 704th MI Det, 16 Nov 65.

2. MSG (U), 3rd MAR DIV, 3013!OZ Sep 65.

3. RPT (C), 704th MI Det, 8 Oct 65.

4. RPT (C), 11th CI Team, 22 Sep 71.

5. LTR (U), 3rd MAR DIV (FW-P), w/LTR Attached, 17 Dec 65.

6. RPT (C), III MAF, 21 Jan 67.

7. RPT (C), 11th CI Team,, 22 Sep 71.

8. RPT (C), USAINTC, Debrief of SSG Isian McMillian, 18 Apr 72.

9. RPT (C), 109th MI GP, Debrief of W01 Francis G. Anton, 30 Apr 73.

10.RPT (C), USMC INTC, Debrief of SSG John A. Deering, 9 May 74.

11.RPT (C), lst CIT 3rd MAF, 1 Aug 68.

12.RPT (C), USAINTC, Debrief of SSG John F. Pfister, 24 Apr 75.