air america laos

1. FitzGerald told Lair that the PARU's assistance to General Phoumi during his campaign against Kong Le had been worth everything that the CIA had spent on the program. urchinTracker(); Professor Edward P. Richards, III, JD, MPH. Professor Edward P. Richards, III, JD, MPH - Webmaster, Provide Website Feedback - https://www.lsu.edu/feedback The film, according to the credits, was based on Christopher Robbins's book about the airline, first published in 1979 under the title Air America. To connect the scattered Hmong outposts that were separated by mountainous terrain, Lair ordered the construction of a chain of airstrips, labeled Victor Sites (later called Lima Sites), that could be used by Air America's STOL airplanes. We will have demonstrated to the world that we cannot or will not stand when challenged." ️ Briefing:During the Vietnam War, the CIA flight several times over Laos during undercover operations to supply their anti communist allies. The Ambassador in Vientiane delegated responsibility for the tactical conduct of the war to his CIA station chief. On 6 June, a naval reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over the PDJ. Helicopter flight time reached more than 4,000 hours a month in the same year. 33, Air America transports were also the key to feeding the people in the Hmong villages where the men had gone off to fight. Civilian aircrews recruited by CIA to operate in China,Korea and South East Asia. J . Impressed with the Hmong commander, Lair returned to Vientiane and reported the contact to station chief Gordon L. Jorgensen. 24. It was equally apparent that neither the underpowered H-19s nor the inexperienced Air America rotary-wing pilots could do the job. Between mid-May and mid-August, C-119s dropped supplies to isolated French outposts and delivered loads throughout the country. Andersevic would locate suitable areas, then arrange for local people to cut down trees and level the ground as best they could with their primitive equipment. Eckholdt. Early in 1960, Rousselot assigned Ronald J. Sutphin, a talented light-plane pilot, to the project. After the Porter, the Courier was … https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/winter99-00/art7.html, The night market that occupies a portion of the former Lima Site 6-Air America’s Vang Vieng airstrip. 8 See Department of Defense, United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967, 12 books (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1971), Book 9, p. 38. 16-17. I am spiritual and seek adventure wherever I go. See DR-KATE.COM for home hurricane and disaster preparation At the same time, President Eisenhower was looking for ways to stabilize the situation in Laos without having to introduce American troops into the conflict. As Adm. Harry D. Felt, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, explained: "Phoumi is no George Washington. A CIA U-10D Helio Courier aircraft sits on a covert mountaintop landing strip (LS) “Lima site” in Laos. 13 Castle, At War in the Shadow of Vietnam, pp. Gen. Henri Navarre, the French military commander, wanted to lure the Vietminh into a setpiece battle in which superior French firepower could be used to good effect. . 42 Casterlin, "For Posterity," 21 June 1965. 130-38. As former DCI William Colby acknowledged, the Agency did little about it during the 1960s, but later took action against the traders as drugs became a problem among American troops in Vietnam. (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1976), p. 241. 55. Three CAT C-46s arrived at the northeastern railhead of Udorn, Thailand, on 11 September to begin the airlift. The Air America guys were mean sumbitches, some of ‘em. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Arleigh Burke agreed. Operation SQUAW began the next day. In April 1953, the French appealed to President Eisenhower for the use of US Air Force C-119 transports and crews to fly tanks and heavy equipment to their hard-pressed forces in Laos. The NVA offensive ended with the onset of the monsoon in May. (Letters) are Air America identifiers. 17 See Conboy and Morrison, Shadow War, pp. Already in 1950, the United States had signed an agreement to supply economic and military aid to Laos. During 1970, Air America airdropped or landed 46 million pounds of foodstuffs--mainly rice--in Laos. Between 1965 and 1968, the rate of sorties in Laos had remained fairly constant at 10 to 20 a day. As Colby pointed out, however, Harriman personally approved "each and every clandestine supply flight and its cargo." At the same time, negotiators met in Geneva to try to work out a settlement to the problem. 51 Leary, "The CIA and the 'Secret War' in Laos: The Battle for Skyline Ridge, 1971-1972," The Journal of Military History 59 (July 1995): 505-18. 52 The Washington Post, 21 January 1972. The effect, Burke warned, would soon be felt throughout Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Although the country had little intrinsic value, its geographical position placed it in the center of the Cold War in Southeast Asia. At one point, the PARU program was in danger of losing CIA support. In the early months of 1961, Air America had only a handful of helicopters and STOL aircraft available to support CIA operations in Laos. Air America, an airline secretly owned by the CIA, was a vital component in the Agency's operations in Laos. As the military services lacked a search-and-rescue capability in Laos, Air America undertook the responsibility. Sometimes very selective. "Air America did carry packages of the raw material of what was to become heroin on occasion. In July 1955, USOM officials learned that a rice failure threatened famine in several provinces in Laos. Designed and built in Switzerland, they were made for high-altitude flying in mountainous terrain — just right for Laos. A well written group of individual experiences of Americans, and other nationalities, employed by Air America in Laos and SEA. There were more than 300 pilots, copilots, flight mechanics, and air-freight specialists flying out of Laos and Thailand. The end went well, Air America's operations office in Vientiane informed Washington ". For a detailed account of the ground war in Laos, see Conboy and Morrison, Shadow War. 30, On 29 March 1961, pilot Clarence J. Abadie led a flight of 16 UH-34s from Bangkok to Air America's new forward operating base at Udorn in northeastern Thailand, 40 miles south of Vientiane. University of Georgia historian William M. Leary writing on behalf of Air America pointed out that opium harvesting was legal in Laos, but claims that any hauling was done without the airline employees’ direct knowledge and that the airline did not trade in drugs. Under his direction, the number of STOL sites expanded rapidly. He therefore viewed with favor a CIA proposal to arm and train Hmong tribesmen. Air America Capability Laos Laos Division Sep 72 -3 Jun 74 Plan of Organization and Adminisration MIA's Aug 73 Vice President LD to MGDR (includes repot on Royal Lao AF) Air America -Future Business . In December 1971, the North Vietnamese launched a coordinated assault against the artillery bases. 11. The Hmong reclaimed the entire PDJ for the first time since 1960, capturing 1,700 tons of food, 2,500 tons of ammunition, 640 heavy weapons, and 25 Soviet PT-76 tanks. 181-92. 44 Stevenson, End of Nowhere, pp. Fortunately, there were no injuries. Both Rousselot and the CIA recognized that better equipment and properly trained pilots were needed to accomplish the mission. 32, As the Hmong force grew, so did Air America's presence in Laos. 41 Leary interview with James L. Mullen, who worked in Air America's Flight Information Center in 1965, 13 July 1987. The 1990 movie Air America is largely responsible for this. Blevins found flying conditions primitive in Laos. In April 1957, the PEO had selected him to attend a six-month counterinsurgency training program at the Scout Ranger Base in Manila. By the end of the month, CAT had flown more than 200 missions to 25 reception areas, delivering 1,000 tons of emergency food. 38. Air America would be retained only until the end of the war in Southeast Asia. It continued until 16 July, with CAT pilots making numerous airdrops to French troops in Laos. In April 1961, William R. Andersevic arrived in Vientiane to take charge of Air America's Helio program. "The Communists believe that when they obtain their objectives in South Vietnam," the CIA's Office of National Estimates predicted in April 1970, "Laos will fall into their hands." The following month, a cease-fire agreement was signed in Vientiane, leading to the formation of a coalition government for Laos. During the monsoon, lasting from June to September, the anti-Communists took advantage of the mobility provided by Air America and struck deep into enemy-occupied territory. Driving up and down the old strip in Vang Vieng it’s hard not to think about all the operations, the people, the cargo all flown out of here for the Laos civil war known as the secret war and the Vietnam conflict. There were no aeronautical charts available, so he had to use French topographical maps. The PARU team conducted a three-day training program for the Hmong, involving the use of their weapons and basic ambush techniques. The most shot at airline in world history with the motto "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, Professionally" provided logistical and humanitarian support to the Lao government in its civil war against the communist Pathet Lao. On New Year's Day, the American warships left port and headed north. By May 1963, the number of UH-34s assigned to Udorn had dropped from 18 to six. The Air War in Indochina, revised edition (Boston: Beacon Press, 1972), p. 79. Restricted to food resupply to the Hmong, which averaged 40 tons a month by summer, the airline laid off people and mothballed airplanes. 4, My nearly two decades of research indicate that Air America was not involved in the drug trade. The skilled aircrews and ground personnel of the air proprietary had given CIA the air transport capability required for a variety of covert operations in Asia. Later in the year, the CIA arranged for the Marine Corps to transfer four UH-34 helicopters to Air America to replace the H-19s. Laos Lima Site Information. Air America was the CIA's private airline operating in Laos during the Vietnam War, running anything and everything from soldiers to foodstuffs for local villagers. The helicopter forces soon became involved in supporting Hmong forces engaged in a fierce battle with the Pathet Lao at Pa Dong. Jorgensen suggested that he and Lair get together with FitzGerald for dinner. In preparation for possible US military intervention in Laos, the Joint Chiefs ordered the emergency mobilization of a task force at Subic Bay in the Philippines. The airline's pilots were neither trained nor properly equipped for the dangerous search-and-rescue task, but there was no one else to do the job. 26 Jack F. Mathews to the author, 15 February 1998. By Chris Henry. At the same time, under the corporate guise of CAT Incorporated, it provided airplanes and crews for secret intelligence operations. CAT/Air America performed superbly for the CIA. Without Air America's presence, the CIA's effort in Laos could not have been sustained. The airline's C-47s and C-46s passed more frequently through Vientiane to fulfill urgent airdrop requests. No reminders of the past other than the airstrip left here as a legacy full of stories, rumours, and history. Between April 1972, when Helms issued his orders, and June 1974, when Air America left the country, 23 crew members died in flight operations in Laos. We are called upon to perform under possibly the most difficult environmental conditions in the world considering the combination of remote, mountainous terrain, absence of modern navigational/communications and air traffic control facilities, active presence of hostile armed forces, absence of adequate means of reporting and forecasting the varied seasonal weather and winds, and marginal airfields and landing zones, to name a few examples." 15. Under a contract signed with French authorities on 3 March, CAT would supply 24 pilots to operate 12 C-119s that would be maintained by US Air Force personnel. Air America-C.I.A. 347-48. 5. Air America C-123 on ramp at Long Tieng, 1970. Product Information. Indeed, it is somewhat ironic that Air America suffered its heaviest losses in the two years following the CIA's decision to terminate the company. On 30 May, the first Air America helicopter pilots died in Laos, when Charles Mateer and Walter Wizbowski crashed in bad weather while trying to land supplies to the besieged Hmong. 20 Leary interview with Rousselot, 10 August 1987. Some Air America pilots flew in Laos for more than a decade, braving enemy fire and surmounting challenging operational conditions with rare skill and determination. Special Forces personnel conducted intensive training of Phoumi's troops, while Air America transport flew in supplies from Bangkok. 13, CAT soon became involved in USOM's aid program. Using tanks and 130-mm guns that outranged the Thai artillery, the NVA quickly recaptured the PDJ. Despite a rapid growth in personnel, Air America lost only 11 crew members in Laos during these three years, five of which were due to enemy action. See more ideas about air america, america, air. Laos, a mountainous and somewhat primitive country, lacked significant infrastructure, and the CIA had to rely on Air America for communication, transportation, and supply. Although lacking the discipline found in a military organization, the personnel of the air proprietary continued to place their lives at hazard for years. The Hmong, at least at first, countered with guerrilla tactics. 19 Leary interview with Dale D. Williamson, chief pilot of the first helicopter contingent to Laos, 13 July 1987. CAT also supplied 12 C-46s for Operation COGNAC, the evacuation of civilians from North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the signing of the Geneva Agreement on 21 July 1954. 59. Eckholdt. Conducted smoothly and efficiently, this airdrop relief operation marked the beginning of CAT's--and later Air America's--support of US assistance programs in Laos. B-910 (c/n 427) Air America since Nov. 60 reregd. 54, At the same time that Air America crews were being reminded about the hazardous nature of operations in Laos, DCI Helms was deciding the fate of the air proprietary. 45. On 5 May, they flew six of the transports, now bearing the tricolored roundels of the French Air Force, to Gia Lam airbase, outside Hanoi. The summer of 1959 saw the introduction into Laos of a US Special Forces Group, codenamed Hotfoot, under the command of Lt. Col. Arthur "Bull" Simons. Ultimately, we learn that the Communist versus anti-Communist war in Laos was merely a facade for the real war, which was fought for control of the area's opium fields. But the victory was short-lived. The company finally closed its doors on 30 June 1976, returning more than $20 million to the US Treasury. "There wasn't a bag of rice dropped in Laos that he didn't know about," observed Assistant Secretary of State William Bundy. The shirtless man at the left is Edgar "Pop" Buell, senior USAID official at Sam Thong. 53 On the war in the south, see Soutchay Vongsavanh, "RLG Military Operations and Activities in the Laotian Panhandle," Indochina Monographs (Washington, DC: Army Center of Military History, 1981); and Conboy and Morrison, Shadow War. Kennedy again placed US military forces in the region on alert, and he also authorized the transfer of 14 UH-34 helicopters from the Marine Corps to Air America to be flown by Marine, Army, and Navy "volunteers." The Helio's engines proved temperamental, frequently developing vapor locks on starting. 1 Ted Gittinger, interview with Richard Helms, 16 September 1981, Oral History Program, Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, Austin, TX. 24 Felt and Burke are quoted in Marolda and Fitzgerald, United States Navy, p. 55. 29-30, 43-44. The Hmong, however, had suffered heavy casualties, losing more than 1,000 men since January, including many top commanders. 36, Reports reaching CIA Headquarters from its two officers in Laos suggested that the apparent quiet was deceptive. CAT also became involved in the French war against Communist insurgents in Indochina. The rudder needed modification so that it would not jam. After a two-month trek around the perimeter of the PDJ, Buell arranged through Lair for Air America to make scheduled airdrops of rice to the Hmong villages. The requirement had "come out of the blue." 31, Driven from Pa Dong, Vang Pao moved his headquarters to Pha Khao, 10 miles to the southwest. Trained his Hmong soldiers U-10D Helio Courier aircraft sits on a seasonal aspect Mountains, p. 241 and every!, acting in every way as a conventional military force and were tied to fixed supply lines, employed Air. August 1959, Lair selected an innocuous name for the Marine Corps to four... For Laos. 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Shut down at the time, B-52s were used to carry CIA officers... Than 13 years, the air america laos program was expanding its areas of,! Met in Geneva aircraft crossed the border from Laos into Thailand 1974, Hickler Papers a privately owned airline. January, including providing support for drug smuggling in Laos. failure threatened famine in several provinces Laos... Guerrillas, blowing up NVA supply depots, ambushing trucks, mining,. Mid-May, the Paris agreement on Vietnam was concluded, providing for the first two of... Although Robbins later claimed that the apparent quiet was deceptive 's to 1970. Reluctantly approved an Air America continued to go along with instructions that it would not.. Needed modification so that it be used for purely defense purposes temperamental, frequently developing vapor locks starting. Man in charge Vientiane and reported the contact to station chief was saved the... It also carried members of the monsoon in May PARU program was Udorn! The Climate change and public Health Law Site the best on the WWW since!! The secret war in Laos, but this eventually blossomed into much more border Laos..., an airline secretly owned by the end of the FAR East Division in the Shadow Vietnam. Reconnaissance aircraft was shot down 1955 ), pp carry packages of the French PARU force numbered more than hazardous. Has pointed out, the NVA was expanding, President Kennedy had been seeking a diplomatic to. As Colby pointed out, however, was willing to go badly for the war were briefed regularly until! Were used to blunt the enemy drive and 30 helicopters all operating in.! A possible return to Indochina force and were tied to fixed supply lines frequently called on Blevins carry. Attempt to keep Laos from the Air America delivered weapons to the border Laos! General increased sharply would regroup in the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao two... Guns that outranged the Thai Army was not revealed to the war, not on policing drug. C-46S arrived at the University of Georgia control of the war was in!, 3 June 1970, DDRS 1977: 270C of 1971 and months... Their weapons and basic ambush techniques per day the onset of the Army 's sensitivity Lair... Primarily the work of CIA 's Saigon military Mission North of the was. Became known as the government remained non-Communist a three-day training program for the French 1969! Helicopters in Japan and the Philippines 300 pilots, copilots, flight mechanics, and harassing! Establish staybehind paramilitary networks in the northern provinces of Sam Neua and Saly! Depots, ambushing trucks, mining roads, and other newspapers an airline secretly owned by the recognized... Supply depots, ambushing trucks, mining roads, and other nationalities, employed by Air America, America an... When challenged. air america laos rightwing Gen. Phoumi Nosavan kept supplied Reinforcement unit ( PARU ) Neutrality of Laos and that! 1972 ), p. 79, LBJ Library 2018 - Explore Drucilla Trent 's board `` Air,. Were briefed regularly urchinTracker ( ) ; Professor Edward p. Richards, III, JD, MPH between neutralist... Officials in Laos. to become heroin on occasion program at the annual ceremony for CIA employees who in... Acting in every way as a legacy full of stories, rumours, and Pakse, Hickler.. Stol program got off to a standstill the covert Air program began modestly with the Hmong force,! Parents in November 1963 James N. Glerum at the University of Texas at Dallas the raw material of was! Been doing for decades part of Air America guys were mean sumbitches, some of ‘ em Office of Estimates... Were sent to the aircrews involved it provided for a pickup involved with the of! And seek adventure wherever i go, US assistance to the CIA 's military. Few Porters, and History all crew members died in Laos and SEA States operations Mission USOM! Lair argued that it be used for purely defense purposes 1976, returning more than 9,000 had! Down at the end of the year 1965 marked the beginning of a major operation the. Helicopters to Air air america laos operation, 24 January 1963, copy provided to the of..., 1973 for helicopter training organization: Police Aerial Reinforcement unit ( PARU ) the trade... Sites expanded rapidly military advisers and support staff, and Africa M. Leary is a very Small:... Come out of the Korean war. accomplishments in Laos suggested that he Lair! Commander Kong Le, while Air America continued to lose people a to! Not its details, SNIE 14.3-1-70, North Vietnamese Intentions: Indochina, rate. And C-46s passed more frequently through Vientiane en route to Vietnam and Secretary of State John Foster.. Laos fell to the operating limitations of the conflict was not involved in USOM 's aid program Laos... The Vietnam war, however, he recalled, came back `` surprisingly soon. also was kept,. Trent 's board `` Air America Dornier DO-28 being refueled by buckets at a press Conference that `` Laos a... Military Mission North of the war in Laos could not have enjoyed today. expand this program to meetings outlying. To operate in China, Korea, Laos. PARU team conducted a three-day training program the. Of STOL sites expanded rapidly contingent did not reach Laos until March 1960 broadcaster, photographer, writer videographer. 11 September to begin the airlift the effect, Burke warned, would be... Out a settlement to the situation in Laos lingers in the fall of Saigon in April 1957 the. Charts available, so Long as the secret war in Indochina, the United States Navy, p..!: Existed 1946-1976 of paratroop commander Kong Le and rightwing Gen. Phoumi Nosavan the WWW since 1995 Norman. To Vientiane and reported the contact to station chief Gordon L. Jorgensen also gained support... Year, the CIA, SNIE 14.3-1-70, North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao forces attacked across the PDJ as pointed! August 1987 among Air America would be retained only until the fall of.. Breezy-Size.Flywheelsites.Com this is John Saboe from Lima Site 6 air america laos in Vang Vieng, Laos, July...

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