OFFICIAL STATUS: CAPTURED

CASE SUMMARY: SEE ATTACHED

RATIONALE FOR SELECTION: Mr. Erskine was reported to be alive and well in captivity as much as three months after he was captured. There is no information which would constitute evidence of death.

REFNO: 1321 20 Apr 76

CASE SUMMARY

1. (U) At about 1500 hours on 13 November 1968 Mr. .Jack D. Erskine, a survey party Foreman, and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam a Vietnamese driver, both employed by the Geotronics Company, were traveling on National Highway #1 when they were ambushed by the Viet Cong near the Ca Na crossroads in the vicinity of grid coordinates (GC) BN 688 552. Mr. Rolando Leyson, a Filipino who was a passenger in the jeep, was injured in the incident but escaped capture. Mr. Erskine and his driver were captured and led across a railroad into the jungle. (Ref 1)

2. Documents captured at (GC) AN 779 434 by a US unit on 18 February 1970 contained three pictures drawn by an individual for an unspecified unit. These pictures depicted two Viet Cong guerrillas escorting "Jack", a US serviceman who was captured in Ca Na District, Ninh Thuan Province, South Vietnam. (Ref 2)

3. Two South Vietnamese sources independently reported observing a US civilian POW at commo-liaison station F-3, (vicinity of coordinates AN 870 340), in northwestern Binh Thuan Province in mid-January 1969. The Viet Cong, interpreter escorting him said the American was enroute to Hanoi. This American had been captured in Ninh Thuan Province about three months earlier. He was being taken north to be held until after a cease-fire, when he could be exchanged for North Vietnamese prisoners captured in South Vietnam. (Ref 3 & 4)

4. (U) On 9 January 1975 an element of the 212th Regional Force Battalion found Mr. Erskine's MACV identification/ privilege card, minus photograph in an abandoned house at (GC) ZT 205 215. (Ref 5)

5. (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 8 August 1973 with a request for any information which would assist in determining status and resolution. No response was Forthcoming. The Two-Party joint Military Commission was given details of this case. The collapse of the GVN in March April 1975 prevented further investigation of this case. Mr. Erskine is currently carried in the status of Captured.

REFERENCES USED

1. RPT (U), Advisory Team 45, 18 Nov 68.

2. RPT (C), CDEC Bulletin 30, 080, Mar 70.

3. IIR (C), CAS RPT NO CS-311/07642-70, 21 Sep 70.

4. IIR (C), CMIC, RPT NO 6 029 1117 71 13 Dec 71.

5. MSG (U), PROV REP BINTH THUAN, 09082OZ Jan 75.