The phoenix program itself was created by the cia as a way to coordinate numerous counterinsurgency programs during the vietnam war, using methods of blanket surveillance, kidnapping and. It was, quite simply, a set of programs that sought to attack and destroy the political infrastructure of the lao dong party hereafter referred to as the viet cong. Former phoenix and cia director william colby contended in his book lost victory that the program s reputation for. The late richard holbrooke began his foreign service career at usaid in rural pacification in vietnam, spending his formative years in the phoenix program. Okamoto is the highestdecorated living japaneseamerican veteran of the vietnam war. I am constantly amazed at the number of postings in various forums describing the truth about phoenix. Body count was their most important product the new york times. This shocking expose of the cia operation aimed at destroying the vietcong infrastructure thoroughly conveys the hideousness of the vietnam war publishers weekly. Vietnam was quite literally a giant laboratory to study counterinsurgency tactics.
The phoenix program operated in south vietnam from 1968 to 1972. Designed to destroy the vietcong infrastructure and ostensibly run by the south vietnamese government, the phoenix program in fact directed by the united statesdeveloped a variety of counterinsurgency activities including, at its worst, torture and assassination. As a veteran of the program go cong and an xuyen from jan 1969 to jan 1970 i see several problems. In the early days of the cia presence, there various cia province chiefs were allowed to experiment with different ways to combat the growing revolution. While there have been many books written about the phoenix program, valentines book is much more thoroughly researched than the other books. Allegations in the press of extrajudicial killings, which led to a congressional inquiry in 1971, and the secrecy surrounding the phoenix program helped convince members of the u.
The phoenix, legendary animal that comes to symbolize what rises from the ashes. The phoenix program remains a controversial and much debated aspect. From his arrival in wartorn vietnam in 1968 to his reluctant departure twentyfive months later, john cook served as an advisor in the district of di an and took part in the systematic operations of the phoenix program to destroy the infrastructure, the political organization of the viet cong and north vietnamese forces. The phoenix program was a disaster in vietnam and would be in. The hotel tacloban, the phoenix program, the strength of the wolf. May 29, 2015 he provides a brief history of the vietnam warera counterinsurgency program and explains how phoenix is being implemented today both internationally and domestically.
For instance, the cia in 1969 reportedly directed that a special forces. John prados, author of presidents secret warsthis definitive account of the phoenix program, the us attempt to destroy the viet cong through torture and summary execution, remains sobering reading for all those trying to understand the vietnam war and the moral ambiguities of americas cold war victory. The douglas valentine vietnam collection at the national security archive in washington, dc, has been open and used by researchers since early 2007. The secret history of americas war on drugs, and the strength of the pack. The program was, at the time and still is controversial. Douglas valentine the cia as organized crime and the. It should not surprise anyone therefore that he was assigned to help bring serbia to submission or that his last assignment was coordination of the us wars in south central asia. Former phoenix and cia director william colby contended in his book lost victory that the programs reputation for. The phoenix program was a disaster in vietnam and would be. Well researched and well written it is one of the few books that portrays phoenix for what it was, a systematic program to counter the vc insurgency. The program utilized a by any means necessary strategy to warfare that included the use of random assassination and the fabrication of enemy atrocities in order to rally the civilian population around u. Vincent okamoto is a novelist as well, having penned wolfhound samurai. The biggest myth coming out of vietnam was that perpetrated by nonveterans of the phoenix program.
There have been few books that zeroed in directly on this subject, and of them, douglas valentines the phoenix program is the only book based on extensive. The cias phoenix assassination program lewrockwell. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb found the big onethe blockbuster story every journalist secretly dreams aboutwithout even looking for it. From vietnam s daring adventures by sea, air, and land this is the extraordinary story of lt. The vietnam war ranks among the most bizarre episodes of this century. The personalities, politics and espionage intrigues that shaped the dea. Opinion behind the phoenix program the new york times. In phoenix and the birds of prey, moyar tried to refute claims about the programs brutality by claiming that k. This page will also cover similar programs in southeast asia before or during the same time period as the phoenix program 19671975. He spent months pouring over the files of the public safety division and phoenix program in vietnam for a book he is currently working on, modernizing repression. The phoenix program would become one of the most controversial aspects of americas war in vietnam. Jan 24, 2011 this is a 1970 us army handbook outlining the basic mission, organization, and methodology of the phoenix program, which was the notorious us counterinsurgency operation directed by the cia in the vietnam war. Cia and counterinsurgency in vietnam, hayden peake.
Interestingly the phoenix program had its roots in an attempt to mimic the tactics of the viet cong. Designed to destroy the vietcong infrastructure and ostensibly run by the south vietnamese government, the phoenix program in fact directed by the united statesdeveloped a variety of. But phoenix went far beyond aspirations of winning in vietnam. If you want to read a fair and accurrate description of vietnams phoenix program and its scope and activities then this is the book for you. Douglas valentine on the phoenix program then and now youtube. John prados, author of presidents secret wars this definitive account of the phoenix program, the us attempt to destroy the viet cong through torture and summary execution, remains sobering reading for all those trying to understand the vietnam war and the moral ambiguities of americas cold war victory. Nicholas proffitt, author of gardens of stone, from the back cover of the phoenix program, william morrow edition, october 1990. Walsh, a veteran of twentysix years of combat with the navys most elite special force the legendary seals. Covert paramilitary operations by the cia in vietnam began early in the sixties, but it was not until 1965, that the u. Phoenix program also called phung hoang of death squads and torture during the vietnam war. A retrospective on counterinsurgency operations central. In his preface to vietnam declassified, thomas ahern writes that when he left vietnam in 1965, i knew we were losing, but i had no idea why the saigon government was in retreat in the countryside, and the vc ascendant.
Jun 26, 2008 the phoenix program is arguably the most misunderstood and controversial program undertaken by the governments of the united states and south vietnam during the vietnam war. Outspoken renegade and consummate survivlist, walsh began as a key player in the vietnam wars topsecret phoenix program. Dec 29, 2017 the phoenix program would become one of the most controversial aspects of americas war in vietnam. Synopsis a shocking expose of the covert cia program of widespread torture, rape, and murder of civilians during americas war in vietnam, with a new introduction by the authorin the darkest days of the vietnam war, americas central intelligence agency secretly initiated a sweeping program of kidnap, torture, and assassination devised to destabilize the infrastructure of the national. The handbook was largely written in response to growing controversy in the united states about human rights violations committed by us. In the darkest days of the vietnam war, americas central intelligence agency secretly initiated a sweeping program of kidnap, torture, and assassination devised to destabilize the infrastructure of the national liberation.
The phoenix program and contemporary counterinsurgency. In 1971, colby revealed that between 1968 and may 1971, the phoenix program led to the death of 20,587 persons in vietnam. The collection contains the research material, including audio files of interviews with senior cia and military officers in the phoenix program, original handwritten interview notes, and government. The phoenix program in vietnam from his arrival in wartorn vietnam in 1968 to his reluctant departure twentyfive months later, john cook served as an advisor in the district of di an and took part in the systematic operations of the phoenix program to destroy the infrastructure, the political organization of the viet cong and. June 10, 2014back in print today is a book that, if youre interested in the phoenix program, is a must read. A bright light into the darkest corner of the vietnam war, and one of the darkest in american history.
I wrote this story about the phoenix program in honor of the forthcoming publication of vietnam labyrinth by tran ngoc chau. Seal from vietnams phoenix program to central americas. Body count was their most important product the new york. In the works for 20 years, and cowritten with ken fermoyle, chaus book, i believe, will stand as the most important work by a vietnamese who participated in the vietnam war. Douglas valentine is the author of four books of historical nonfiction. Barton osborn and other veterans who testified about torture and abuse were. The untold story of the 2008 financial crisis full vice special report hbo duration. A cia operation, the phoenix program aimed at destroying the vietcong infrastructure.
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