ca sad 6 Mar~et 7 _Logo Marklit 8 Kracbampp Market
Lok Market I 8
9 6~ GVH middot tte~ae Establistuent of tbe Blockade
7bull tmpact of the Rice cOllection ~ign 9
10 8 Mechanics of c~e BlOckade ) 10
9 lffectivenesa
11 a MateriAl CoafiecatiOIl and Arrests 12 middot b Effect on the CoiDunists 13 e Effect on GVS Areae _
10 ~ Cone luaiona 1)
--- -----shy-shy
~ ~i
middot Attacb~Rimt t - ltC VCRVA Faok Areas of COD~rol Inside CaJDboltlia __MtAcilme~ B - y_cJJrA_~~e__l ~~ -~rc_i~J ~~tu ---middot-shy
- 2
seemmrJJfORN
t~~- middotmiddot ~~ middotmiddot ~~z~ltZ~middot fi liMMI
l Sulamlry
bulllbis J~e~t deSCtlbes aDd ll8110Bfl08 the (VS eCOGDIIiC blo(tcade of the Ca=])odian Gillbordel areae of Chau Doc Province Ha Tien middotDamptrict of Kian Clang Province and Boag NI_S District of Kion lbqng Pbullovtnce during the period SePtember 1 to ~-bar f- 1~73~ Wlth the exception of- Oiia PANK naval baea on the Mekot8 River the Vlet Coag middot (VC North Vletlllllllesa Army (NVA) and IQaQer Camniats
middot (ICC) occupy the entire area of cambodia aloll8 the IOIIIlerbullVietnampmeae border ~amp
stntcblitg -fnDmiddot tho OUlE of 11ailampM t~ the eastatn-~ry o-f tciea middotlhollg middotProVince lbia area fs directly linked to VCNVA a-reas in and near GVN MRJ ioutes through _thfB brder area are a conduit for rice and other goods purbull chased iQ the Delta To facilltA_te thla trade the VCNVA maintain a DUmber of opec atr llllllrlta~ an the bordar or just inetda CadtocUa vhieb an coDDQCtttd to GYN anaa by middotcoYett n-atls ltmlmiddot CfUJISla In ~1973 cbe 11c tBstituhd middot aeBIUres aimed at iaolating the VCNVA ampod pushing them ltJUt of Cambocliil The
XC far uaapl~ poundDna411- all tramplle beh88D cambodiADSmiddot - VCtlHa UL--rJ - unita precipitating rice ahorta11es among the latte-middotbullmiddot The VCWA reapon4ed by taking more rice fr0111 GVN ampteBB The GVM bull fampAcful itself of rice ahOTtagss bull and generally deelrous o keeping eseential ccxrltIIIOditfes out of VCNVA hands established an middotaconomie bl~kade of VCHVA ar~aa In connection with the sUbaequent GVN Rice Collection campaign t~e blockade was extended to cover all middot of Chau Igtoc Province and Ra Tieo anJ Hong Ngu Districts of iuenmiddot Clang and Kbm ftlong Prcvioees The blockade egtdcerbated the Mrlew~- food shortAge ampliKing local VC(MVA military uniU in August September aDd October and sigshynificantly reduced their cOIIIbat effectivenessmiddot In Hotg Ngu however bribea to local officials and GYM soldiers aad poor cOIIIIIlnd emphasis rendered the blockade lneffectve At_ least 600 tons of tice continue4 to mave illegally through Ko1J8 Ngu tltgt VJtNA lllllrketa each IIIDilth through Noember The blockade in Ha Tien vu equally (neffective but food- aad lliaterial moving across the
district border into cambodia was significantly less The blockade waa ~cb
more effective thoJ8h not middot totally so in Chau Doc Province Econoarlc d 1sshyrupt1one vhich occurred in CVN areas are not pt-operly attrlbutable to the blockAde but rather to the lice Collection campaign The two ve-re separate prograwJ but tended so to CJVerlap that _even CVN officiall often confused them
Z General Border Situation
Since the fall of the FANIC )2nd Brigade at Pbna~~ Den in Kay 1973middot the entire borcler 11rea inside Cll=bodia etrecching from the Gulf of Thailand at Ra T1eo to the eastern end of Roni Rgu D~dct (about 175 h) baa been without any FANK presence except a Hekoqg River 114Vlll base S Km fraa the SYN border (WI 200108) tbe rest of the border area at pwes stretchiqg 35 JCm deep ioto Cambodia is divided into areas occupied by the Khtoer and V~etnameae
COIIIIIIUiliat forcea (see IIIAp ~ Attscl=ent A) which lllllinCSln 11111jor BUJgtP~Y and rear serviee centers there The twomiddot moat significant of these centers as far as the -war in Vietnam is affected are (1) the base area for the lamiddott MVA Dlvision the 195th NVA Trtlnaportlition Group and the _200th Reu Support
SKelifiiOFltEN
t lgtiyenI MgtlORN -
Group fn thlt o MoUItain c~plex in s~uth~~middot T~keo ProviDe(middot ~ppostfe tfnh lien Dta~rlcl chau Doi liovtnce (VS 8070) and (2) the 2~7 tll middotNA BeglshyUl Jteeutply poiat corth of Hong Ngu Dlstrct at Ca Sach (WT 2904) (16 map - Att~cbaeut ll) thil border aTea ts abo t~ ertTIlle ~them temin~B fQr the Ho Cblllinh trail and ptorideaa~-~t llDfr middot batwe~ theDelta and V~NVA auas-~ithin (VM Jili arid along theMB3 CadgtOdiaa border middot Thus this trail eerves as a ciindult for rice and othermiddot-- --shygoocls middot procured la the Delta for NVA dtvtsiona and VCNVA-~pulated area11
further ~~tla Plla aupp_ly ays~e111 h linked to the GVII econ011Y by a aedes of cOvert COiillllerctal middotradtng routeamp used by botli ~Iera IUWmiddot vt sipply middotcadre and~ number of open Dilrket areas located 1na1d~ Cambodiamiddot On the South Vhtnaaes-e aide of the bo~der middoton the other hand theentire border area 1a gllrrleoned by the CVIII with tho except~o of a Viet Cong bllmlec iu
middot middot Boos Jiiumiddot DiBttttt n middot ca Sach middotmiddot
3 SUuation Within Cambodia in middot Early S~m~~~er 1973
By the ai4dL of ~973 ie was cl~r tBt KC poHc aiJIIed at iBolatfng the INA and VC and driving thea at middotmiddotleast out of areas of KC influence if not out of Calabodia fmtirely Perhapi the RIOampt important of various KC saeaaurea vas thamiddott prehibiting a lmoat all Casabod iao crade with middotMVA and VC un~ta FVA 4588 and FV4514 deacribe thie prohibition as extremely effecbull tive PVA 4500 middotdescribes a late J110e VC An G iang Province Coaziittee meeting middotat Olflich the part icipailts discussed a rice shortage In add it ion tGmiddot KC
~ establ1 ~ haent of a system of strict ecoo0111ic controls and the prohibitiou of rice sales to any vc middot or NVA unit the VC leaders gave cwo causes for thia shortage (a) the heavy bosbing in middotcambodiamiddot in tbe apring and summer blld caused 8QWle people to abandon normally-productive areas and (b) t~e KC policy of forced relocatlon resulted iD further abandoning of nearby rice middot lands Prisoners and ralliers in Cbau Doc Province in August and Sept-er also eonfi~ed this KC policy reporting that it precipitated a rice shortage amOng all HVA aadtC unita 1n lbe area They also said the ltC had forced large alllllbera of tlwgt people in southern Kampot Talteoo Jtandal and Prey Vsng Provinces to IIDVe to more secure areas (Many people were algtle to aIOid relocation and have taken refuge inmiddot CVN areas of South Yietnaagt Some of tbfse ethnic Ulllbod lan refuge a told CODCe11 officers they were fleeing the KC whom they described as Wchi more bTUtal than the HVA or VC under VhOIII they found life to be rEIatively e4SY ) FUghta along the border by CooGen officers ~onfirm that these KC areaa are almost co=pletely deVoid of population and ~atly uncultlvat~ This il particularly true of th IAIIIPQilamp lrach area DOtth of Ra Iien Reminh town no-rth of Cbau l)oc dty and KaQb rhom Igtistr1ct nortmiddothmiddot of An Phu Distrtit of Chau Doc Province VCNVA-occupi~ areas in Cambodia are iu ~ntrast more heavily populated and chere is a gre5t deal of JDOveiDent and comoerciill activity bull
4 The VCJA Respoose to the Rice Shortaampe
According middot to ARVN offtcers ill Cbau Poe COSVN reaiiZing it could rw longer pr~ure rice in CalllbQdia instituted a proaram for the second hillf of 1973 which origtnamplly was meant to procure rlCe but which later also aJaed at breaking the GVN eCOtiOIIIic blockade u middot lntlnded the
r
plfHOP(U _ r4B mo A-oo1
toltGvi~ provtstOilS ltLgt DiStr~t ~i pr~~~ level ~re wtiru tn bu7 dee iD the vUlaaes lld middotIIIOVe it to ~e loeatloos~ (l)- All Ues of cCCIIIIIJDieationa -re to be ett1ctlymiddot eouttolliJd to pxe+iillt yenC rtee from JaOYiAamp to GVR areas (3) Anied t~ were to irifUtrate GVH a~as and toiceably middotta~te r1ce (4) cadre ~re to ~ contacts in GYN vUlagea and arrange to buy rice the-re and have it delivered to vt areae (5) All adlitlaquo~ y and wlitical units -re to poundtod land aod begin to falll torith ~ 4111 ttNaN IJelf-suftcfency (6) iQIIIn a~ middot c~M~~n wre to be
middotmiddot orgiiiilampacl to4i7t~ GVH 11111rbt areas aiid buy ilcemiddot ID smalt amoWta areg middot bling it to VC areaB lllllking as lllliny tlips as possible
VCIllA 1A the border area bave relied 1Dillnly on P9lnts 4 aDi 6 above ald middot 011 titamp madat~ middot_Jazsipt to pt dec-middot IDmiddot additiaJIFUraquomiddot lltilizlngo~ middot
eavert supply systems~ middot they middot offered a hi8heT ~ice than las available iR middotmiddot
middotCVH middotareaa to ampAyoae V11lin8 tQ run the blocka~ ~ ~rina riee to their diatr-thnoa-middot ~ lb6bull foll~ft8 chart~ wbicb~prictta for_cmemiddot kilo opound rlce in GVlil aroas BD4 at middot~ Camp Sach YC arJltet u DQZtbera 1loQ8 Ngu District (W1 295043) at various ttmea over the past six months
In J~ pltar to tho GVN blockade a relatively alight price differshyential seemed aufflcient to attract rice to C4 Silch At the height of the blockade in Septcmber and early October U rice lrecame IDOre and more scarce in GvN areas the pmiddotrice middotapraad was increased The higber pricu probably reflect too tbe additional risks bome by suppliera to the VC market By the end of H~r bowever middot the VC price bad appuently begun Ugt fall backbull probably indicating thae the VCNVA had enough rice to carry them until middotthe ye4r-c1nd barvest of lQCSl floating rice
s COIIIIIIWiiampt SSJPb Routebull and Harlteta
~e maln vciNvAtllaffles ior OelUbullprocllr~ rice are at ca Sampch Logo (VT 975150) 1A lCaob lbom District of ltAndal Province KJaehap VLll4ge (VT 5317) in Kampong tiabek Disttfct of lrey V11ng Province and Lok
Bamlet (VS 389YHi) ill Ksmpong Trach District Kampot Province (see middot Att4chments A and B) All these mrkets are linked with avN areaamiddot by trails vbich are traver841d raguamprly by merchants smugglers and vc legal Cadre lhese leaks iA the CVN bloekampe accordixlg to all
inf~t~ IMLUable ex1se- because of laxmiddot Gv5 enforcemeat of the progrllllll aDdor beeauee local officials can be bribed into letting goodamp th~ough ftlew -QU- bull hwt deac~~ af each ~~t
ca Sacb Harlui t
LoCated in an exten~ion of one of the 15 Cqm~~Unilt areaa deacribtd in Can Tho A-116bull this is one of the prlneipal aupply points for VC HR2 aec0rdin8 to Gau middotDoC offielalamp middot These offtctals aa ueu aa Amertcan aources report that rice Pd medicine and dry soocts move from_Tan Cball DiStrict market acrose the Melwll8 River 1o lbu01l8 Tboi and Thuong Phuoc Vill48e~ in Hong Kgu (WS 2595 and 2995) and then up to ca ~h vta several lltll caaela wCrieh Nft dizeetly middotilorth frOA daMe vlllaaea acroaa an ~ SW8IIIp 4Dd open- padctle 1Vo ofmiddot dlomiddot -t ialportaJrt opound tbusa-- CU~DampolJl are the Ciong 0 (liS 3159tO) aDd the Thuong Thoi (WS 327962) lbere are no GVll middot - middot oatpaac ~-~1ftt1Pil~ ca4middot dae- c- area-c ac ~middot bull bGM leaves tbe middotvtllage headquarters area it is not subject to any further GVN control CcmGen officer overfllpts middotof tills area up to Decedgter 1 indicate uxtensive boat traffic on these canals back and forth ~tween the COIIIIIUnist area and the CVN area tn one lS-Minute aerial reconnaissance an officer obHrved at least 40 samp4ns -king this trip) From August ~ntU tile end of October smugslers ~DCVed at least 20000 kilos of rice from Hong Ngu to Ca Sach ea-cbmiddot day middotvia amphie route Thiamp figure c~il from the foxmer Chau Doc Military Se~uricy Service Chief (protect source) and was later conshyfinoed by FVA 4458 and other American source s This -ana at least 600 tona of r ke was shipped out of the Delta into VCNVA hampnbullh each month through this point alaue
The aboveCescribcd aelttion of Hong lgu b along vith Krachampp (aee be law the weakest link -in the border blockademiddot Dlllre supplies probably move middot through it than through any ocher Much of this traffic could not Occur vi~out the co=plicity of local RF and PF and VietQampmese naval officera Br1betaldng has been reported in YVA 4686 and FVS 32916 waa confinileltl by bolo other American sources and -bull brought into the open in the investigation of tbe October 28 theft ofUSAID rice at Tan Chau In that incident a naval NCO took a bribe to allow stolen rice to be shipped up the HekoQ8 ltiver middotand along a B~~aGllar ~ vbeTe a secood bribe we paid to an RF outppat caxmacder who then allowed the sampans to proceed to Ca Sach Several high-level Chau Doe Province officials adadtted ~at the Navy had been beavily involved in this kiDd of corruption for acme ttme The bioclCade ia also CitCUIIVBnted by amp Well-established group Of SIIIU88lera in Bong Ngu Obe of middot the ktagpiaa who operates legally vi thin the GVlf cOilliJIIIUti1~ aDd reportedly conducts a large amount of trade vith thfJ VC 1s Que Q1811 (Lame Qu4n) 1 who Uvu middotto the Long Thuan area of Hang Ngu (WS 330902 FVA 4686 refers to a llllln DampaJBd QuAo Quen (whom - believe to be the same person) vbo regularly aiovea rice from Pbu Lam and LOng Son Villages of tan Qwlu Diatr1ct (WS 3090) middot acroampa toLong Chanh middotIsland (WS 3194) a middotod then across the Mekong at night to Thuong
Thoi Village of Hong Ngu wheoce it liiOVes easily Ui1 to ca Sampch ~cording
to ooe aource ~ Qum 1a 11l middot 1~~e with Om tighmiddotr~iaamp GVH offic1ab1aclamp41JIamp the p~oua JIQug Np Dtatrtct Chief wbo mend 1D the profit Be is aho beliwed to hna been tha braiu behttU the October 28 theft of 4JSAID rice ad to hn11 aneagact ita deliPftY te the Vlt ac 4A $~ Accot41oamp to one CoaGn middotsource bee8WHI of~middotmiddot htsh c-ct1ona the
Accorcinamp to Chau Drx military officera tbe Lo-g marltet- h a aelUng poiot for gooda A~~Uled out of Cbcru Doc Province thIOU3h north~rrn AD lhlamp and Chau Pbu Dte tricta Theall ampOourCIIa contend however that the bl~ baa bean a~ampful l11 ~tlQamp off about 80L of thee VC supshytia md dnt~ rtebull middot-4 ~ aoodbull 4ft-~ ooaoly tomiddot ~ -umiddot IJJIIOQDte (1middot5 kilos) Conlten officers overflying the area ill middotOetobu ampDd ~v~ aaw litlll eroaamiddotbo-tr traffic the extreme northern tip of All fha middot Mlllrtet p~tdlq -die -oaly ~-middot Inmiddot ttttmiddotloceibull) ultt- fnllide Celbodia liYe about 200o people ~ IIIIOY8 relatively freely ttl lt-middotmiddot
and Ollt of VietnBIII Congen officers obaerved a number of ampsapana 1 ying goode from th18 area (If ] 111) to floating markets middot further inside Cabodia (vidnity wr 1610 and 7I 1513) These goods would ultimately be moved to Logo FVA 4674 conf1TUB the existence of aignificant cross-border trade at this location llld indicates the An Phu Dttrict Chief Chau Doc Province Ollaf -~nd oche- lc)cal offteUlbull recetvv brltvs to allow it to contlnue In addition GVN officials to Chau Doc hsve aclalovledged that An Phu Village level officiala subverted the blocltade by accepting bribee They chargtd too that wiveamp of CVN soldierr middot vith ~ iaamlty from the lav freely moved rice and other goods for a profitbull note 1Qwever that 1ve Chau Doc vtllqe poli~e chieh and three hamlet chiefs were remaved in October for abettlag smllgamplillamp Thia suggests the CVN 146 serious in its effort~t to stop illegal IDDVeatftts of goode frOID the area aortb of An Phu Moreover Chsu Doc sector forcea conducted frequent heUbome and ampter-borve lllillcary operatiollB in thla vicln1ty and these are believed seriously to h~ dtatiupted VC supply efforts
middotAccord1118 to other proviJKe officials VC legal cadre have move4 _uur 411110mU of goods to Logo frO= Chau Doe City These legal cadre live in Vinh Te Village Chau Phu District enmiddot the western aide of Sam ~utllill five kUomecera frora Cbsu Doc Ctly (iS 080795) They buy rice and other ~tlea in Chau ~ place the= il amall sealed nylon base which middot aaaall children drop off at prurranged hicUQS places aloq caDsle oa the north aide of the IIIOUlltaia Oclter VC cure came frOill Clmlbodill at niaht to plclt up the bqa retiLrtliyen11 to the Logo area rta the canal 1mich rullamp from tbe 1110mtaio io ws 0688 The volume of soodl vtdch crosaed ~be border it thiamp fashioc ia believed szull
ID 8UIR0 althouampb IIOIIall gooda couttnued to croas the border to Logo market after the begian1QS of the blockade 1110at ev1danlte suuasta that tbe 81l10111lt v aa lllillimal bull middot
JVA 47U clucnbaa bull VC settlemampllt 1DC1u4fQS allllrirAt ac4 c-fce =tll middot bullbullt middot ltracbap 9Ulaae lD ltsmpoog Tubelt -nturtct -of irey vcms hiwiace Gllllbo4ia about ahr ltU~cere oortb of tha Co1 cat- ana of lions HIJU Obtdct CCJGCea officn ~ted~~ JeCDImampiIBaoCa 1ft the ana 111 llidbullDecember eav this -rkat Tbay oleo obeervGd over a middot30-~aute periodbull bullt leulaquo middot 500 laqe eapana ~ns freely fror~~ Boll8 igu cross the border ~o tra Qep ~x reshUoa at ~adulp The trafilc level susaebullts the volume of gooda belaa 11110Ve4 le qidte high bull protabtymiddot at lvan middot equal middot to tlg going to ca Secb PVS 32999 states that thlamp trade exists becauae of aecomshy
111odaUon betveeG VC m4 111
middot P74tJOOOJ067
--shy __ __ __ ----_____ __------shy
IVA 4616 ~ eM HU MfotaiQ c open bull- t at Lolr BazDlet (W 389S46) bull IJmJpol Proviace where tine soap cyloa bull 101~ ffts a6dtrille-_ W ~ middot 1118rt1umdise ia traded Goocb ~tedly IQOYe to Lok from Ha 11en either be sea or ecroee middotthe rice paddies adjaeent to the ro8d No eatl-te of the volume 1s available
A aecoud trade route gteeveeD lla Tlae Dittrlet an4 llampot Proviace -1 be nu IIXIlC l~rtent It 1s cme of the -Jor middot supply routes for the lst HVA D1v111o~a locat~ in the aOUntalca of eou~ern lakeo Provt~ Pnmiddot vtoualy gooclmiddotampo1ug to the let Dlvh101l middot aa4 to the 19~th NVA transpartaUoa GIOIp ~DDVed fiOID Chau Doc Proviace through the vlllft$a of Ten Boa (VS 5565) and thn up to uk Meaa (VS -S25792l a -jar iVA base ana Io August towver vith the begicmfag of the eeonoanc bloekade Clau Doc RF troops (orbade all IA07811111Dt of gooda ioto tH ana S111ce tbat tlse all reportamp indicate that ao supplies have IIIOVed to the MVA through Tao Roo The HVA llaamp attempted to counter thil ARVH ploy by IHittiag up a nev tCNte thilgh Phu My Vtllaampe of Ha Tien DUtdct aceordtna to ARVll officera 111 Chau Doc and otber ABri~ sources tbe raute beg1~ em th11 Clq Thaah ~nal at either Tra Pbo Hamlet (VS S3SS) or llat Co Hamlet (VS S27S97) and then follow ae9eral ampEall canale to the Cs Tho croisroacl4 (VS 4)966S) Froa tbere tbe IWA IIIDVBJ supplies to Tak Keas by- truck or other vabiele for storqa FVA 4686 coufl~ that eneral hw1dred local residents use the route daily to brha to the flVA BIDampU amountbull of rice purchased ta the 84 tien marlult HQst are cambodians vho croali euily into V1eto8111 near Phu Hy CoaGaD officere in three separate visual recmlnaiaurubull flights coafind_t)e bullxiateaee of these 1012~e1 llu~ observed only a tew lone eDpaua We estimate OM to thre metrtc toe of middot rtce per day IIIOV1ft8 alODg thb route at maxiiiiUD
ampice reportedly DOt middotonly menu up tomiddot cambodia but c011111a cSOVQ as -u here 418 reports that shy rice c-bull down fro~~ CCIbo41a to be mlled at Fhu Hy -d thea returua to either tlwl 195th C~ovp or the 200tb NVA tear Support Croup alao 111 this aeoeral uea GaaoU~ ohortage1 411d rice
- 8 -
___ ___________~-- ----shy----shy-
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
ca sad 6 Mar~et 7 _Logo Marklit 8 Kracbampp Market
Lok Market I 8
9 6~ GVH middot tte~ae Establistuent of tbe Blockade
7bull tmpact of the Rice cOllection ~ign 9
10 8 Mechanics of c~e BlOckade ) 10
9 lffectivenesa
11 a MateriAl CoafiecatiOIl and Arrests 12 middot b Effect on the CoiDunists 13 e Effect on GVS Areae _
10 ~ Cone luaiona 1)
--- -----shy-shy
~ ~i
middot Attacb~Rimt t - ltC VCRVA Faok Areas of COD~rol Inside CaJDboltlia __MtAcilme~ B - y_cJJrA_~~e__l ~~ -~rc_i~J ~~tu ---middot-shy
- 2
seemmrJJfORN
t~~- middotmiddot ~~ middotmiddot ~~z~ltZ~middot fi liMMI
l Sulamlry
bulllbis J~e~t deSCtlbes aDd ll8110Bfl08 the (VS eCOGDIIiC blo(tcade of the Ca=])odian Gillbordel areae of Chau Doc Province Ha Tien middotDamptrict of Kian Clang Province and Boag NI_S District of Kion lbqng Pbullovtnce during the period SePtember 1 to ~-bar f- 1~73~ Wlth the exception of- Oiia PANK naval baea on the Mekot8 River the Vlet Coag middot (VC North Vletlllllllesa Army (NVA) and IQaQer Camniats
middot (ICC) occupy the entire area of cambodia aloll8 the IOIIIlerbullVietnampmeae border ~amp
stntcblitg -fnDmiddot tho OUlE of 11ailampM t~ the eastatn-~ry o-f tciea middotlhollg middotProVince lbia area fs directly linked to VCNVA a-reas in and near GVN MRJ ioutes through _thfB brder area are a conduit for rice and other goods purbull chased iQ the Delta To facilltA_te thla trade the VCNVA maintain a DUmber of opec atr llllllrlta~ an the bordar or just inetda CadtocUa vhieb an coDDQCtttd to GYN anaa by middotcoYett n-atls ltmlmiddot CfUJISla In ~1973 cbe 11c tBstituhd middot aeBIUres aimed at iaolating the VCNVA ampod pushing them ltJUt of Cambocliil The
XC far uaapl~ poundDna411- all tramplle beh88D cambodiADSmiddot - VCtlHa UL--rJ - unita precipitating rice ahorta11es among the latte-middotbullmiddot The VCWA reapon4ed by taking more rice fr0111 GVN ampteBB The GVM bull fampAcful itself of rice ahOTtagss bull and generally deelrous o keeping eseential ccxrltIIIOditfes out of VCNVA hands established an middotaconomie bl~kade of VCHVA ar~aa In connection with the sUbaequent GVN Rice Collection campaign t~e blockade was extended to cover all middot of Chau Igtoc Province and Ra Tieo anJ Hong Ngu Districts of iuenmiddot Clang and Kbm ftlong Prcvioees The blockade egtdcerbated the Mrlew~- food shortAge ampliKing local VC(MVA military uniU in August September aDd October and sigshynificantly reduced their cOIIIbat effectivenessmiddot In Hotg Ngu however bribea to local officials and GYM soldiers aad poor cOIIIIIlnd emphasis rendered the blockade lneffectve At_ least 600 tons of tice continue4 to mave illegally through Ko1J8 Ngu tltgt VJtNA lllllrketa each IIIDilth through Noember The blockade in Ha Tien vu equally (neffective but food- aad lliaterial moving across the
district border into cambodia was significantly less The blockade waa ~cb
more effective thoJ8h not middot totally so in Chau Doc Province Econoarlc d 1sshyrupt1one vhich occurred in CVN areas are not pt-operly attrlbutable to the blockAde but rather to the lice Collection campaign The two ve-re separate prograwJ but tended so to CJVerlap that _even CVN officiall often confused them
Z General Border Situation
Since the fall of the FANIC )2nd Brigade at Pbna~~ Den in Kay 1973middot the entire borcler 11rea inside Cll=bodia etrecching from the Gulf of Thailand at Ra T1eo to the eastern end of Roni Rgu D~dct (about 175 h) baa been without any FANK presence except a Hekoqg River 114Vlll base S Km fraa the SYN border (WI 200108) tbe rest of the border area at pwes stretchiqg 35 JCm deep ioto Cambodia is divided into areas occupied by the Khtoer and V~etnameae
COIIIIIIUiliat forcea (see IIIAp ~ Attscl=ent A) which lllllinCSln 11111jor BUJgtP~Y and rear serviee centers there The twomiddot moat significant of these centers as far as the -war in Vietnam is affected are (1) the base area for the lamiddott MVA Dlvision the 195th NVA Trtlnaportlition Group and the _200th Reu Support
SKelifiiOFltEN
t lgtiyenI MgtlORN -
Group fn thlt o MoUItain c~plex in s~uth~~middot T~keo ProviDe(middot ~ppostfe tfnh lien Dta~rlcl chau Doi liovtnce (VS 8070) and (2) the 2~7 tll middotNA BeglshyUl Jteeutply poiat corth of Hong Ngu Dlstrct at Ca Sach (WT 2904) (16 map - Att~cbaeut ll) thil border aTea ts abo t~ ertTIlle ~them temin~B fQr the Ho Cblllinh trail and ptorideaa~-~t llDfr middot batwe~ theDelta and V~NVA auas-~ithin (VM Jili arid along theMB3 CadgtOdiaa border middot Thus this trail eerves as a ciindult for rice and othermiddot-- --shygoocls middot procured la the Delta for NVA dtvtsiona and VCNVA-~pulated area11
further ~~tla Plla aupp_ly ays~e111 h linked to the GVII econ011Y by a aedes of cOvert COiillllerctal middotradtng routeamp used by botli ~Iera IUWmiddot vt sipply middotcadre and~ number of open Dilrket areas located 1na1d~ Cambodiamiddot On the South Vhtnaaes-e aide of the bo~der middoton the other hand theentire border area 1a gllrrleoned by the CVIII with tho except~o of a Viet Cong bllmlec iu
middot middot Boos Jiiumiddot DiBttttt n middot ca Sach middotmiddot
3 SUuation Within Cambodia in middot Early S~m~~~er 1973
By the ai4dL of ~973 ie was cl~r tBt KC poHc aiJIIed at iBolatfng the INA and VC and driving thea at middotmiddotleast out of areas of KC influence if not out of Calabodia fmtirely Perhapi the RIOampt important of various KC saeaaurea vas thamiddott prehibiting a lmoat all Casabod iao crade with middotMVA and VC un~ta FVA 4588 and FV4514 deacribe thie prohibition as extremely effecbull tive PVA 4500 middotdescribes a late J110e VC An G iang Province Coaziittee meeting middotat Olflich the part icipailts discussed a rice shortage In add it ion tGmiddot KC
~ establ1 ~ haent of a system of strict ecoo0111ic controls and the prohibitiou of rice sales to any vc middot or NVA unit the VC leaders gave cwo causes for thia shortage (a) the heavy bosbing in middotcambodiamiddot in tbe apring and summer blld caused 8QWle people to abandon normally-productive areas and (b) t~e KC policy of forced relocatlon resulted iD further abandoning of nearby rice middot lands Prisoners and ralliers in Cbau Doc Province in August and Sept-er also eonfi~ed this KC policy reporting that it precipitated a rice shortage amOng all HVA aadtC unita 1n lbe area They also said the ltC had forced large alllllbera of tlwgt people in southern Kampot Talteoo Jtandal and Prey Vsng Provinces to IIDVe to more secure areas (Many people were algtle to aIOid relocation and have taken refuge inmiddot CVN areas of South Yietnaagt Some of tbfse ethnic Ulllbod lan refuge a told CODCe11 officers they were fleeing the KC whom they described as Wchi more bTUtal than the HVA or VC under VhOIII they found life to be rEIatively e4SY ) FUghta along the border by CooGen officers ~onfirm that these KC areaa are almost co=pletely deVoid of population and ~atly uncultlvat~ This il particularly true of th IAIIIPQilamp lrach area DOtth of Ra Iien Reminh town no-rth of Cbau l)oc dty and KaQb rhom Igtistr1ct nortmiddothmiddot of An Phu Distrtit of Chau Doc Province VCNVA-occupi~ areas in Cambodia are iu ~ntrast more heavily populated and chere is a gre5t deal of JDOveiDent and comoerciill activity bull
4 The VCJA Respoose to the Rice Shortaampe
According middot to ARVN offtcers ill Cbau Poe COSVN reaiiZing it could rw longer pr~ure rice in CalllbQdia instituted a proaram for the second hillf of 1973 which origtnamplly was meant to procure rlCe but which later also aJaed at breaking the GVN eCOtiOIIIic blockade u middot lntlnded the
r
plfHOP(U _ r4B mo A-oo1
toltGvi~ provtstOilS ltLgt DiStr~t ~i pr~~~ level ~re wtiru tn bu7 dee iD the vUlaaes lld middotIIIOVe it to ~e loeatloos~ (l)- All Ues of cCCIIIIIJDieationa -re to be ett1ctlymiddot eouttolliJd to pxe+iillt yenC rtee from JaOYiAamp to GVR areas (3) Anied t~ were to irifUtrate GVH a~as and toiceably middotta~te r1ce (4) cadre ~re to ~ contacts in GYN vUlagea and arrange to buy rice the-re and have it delivered to vt areae (5) All adlitlaquo~ y and wlitical units -re to poundtod land aod begin to falll torith ~ 4111 ttNaN IJelf-suftcfency (6) iQIIIn a~ middot c~M~~n wre to be
middotmiddot orgiiiilampacl to4i7t~ GVH 11111rbt areas aiid buy ilcemiddot ID smalt amoWta areg middot bling it to VC areaB lllllking as lllliny tlips as possible
VCIllA 1A the border area bave relied 1Dillnly on P9lnts 4 aDi 6 above ald middot 011 titamp madat~ middot_Jazsipt to pt dec-middot IDmiddot additiaJIFUraquomiddot lltilizlngo~ middot
eavert supply systems~ middot they middot offered a hi8heT ~ice than las available iR middotmiddot
middotCVH middotareaa to ampAyoae V11lin8 tQ run the blocka~ ~ ~rina riee to their diatr-thnoa-middot ~ lb6bull foll~ft8 chart~ wbicb~prictta for_cmemiddot kilo opound rlce in GVlil aroas BD4 at middot~ Camp Sach YC arJltet u DQZtbera 1loQ8 Ngu District (W1 295043) at various ttmea over the past six months
In J~ pltar to tho GVN blockade a relatively alight price differshyential seemed aufflcient to attract rice to C4 Silch At the height of the blockade in Septcmber and early October U rice lrecame IDOre and more scarce in GvN areas the pmiddotrice middotapraad was increased The higber pricu probably reflect too tbe additional risks bome by suppliera to the VC market By the end of H~r bowever middot the VC price bad appuently begun Ugt fall backbull probably indicating thae the VCNVA had enough rice to carry them until middotthe ye4r-c1nd barvest of lQCSl floating rice
s COIIIIIIWiiampt SSJPb Routebull and Harlteta
~e maln vciNvAtllaffles ior OelUbullprocllr~ rice are at ca Sampch Logo (VT 975150) 1A lCaob lbom District of ltAndal Province KJaehap VLll4ge (VT 5317) in Kampong tiabek Disttfct of lrey V11ng Province and Lok
Bamlet (VS 389YHi) ill Ksmpong Trach District Kampot Province (see middot Att4chments A and B) All these mrkets are linked with avN areaamiddot by trails vbich are traver841d raguamprly by merchants smugglers and vc legal Cadre lhese leaks iA the CVN bloekampe accordixlg to all
inf~t~ IMLUable ex1se- because of laxmiddot Gv5 enforcemeat of the progrllllll aDdor beeauee local officials can be bribed into letting goodamp th~ough ftlew -QU- bull hwt deac~~ af each ~~t
ca Sacb Harlui t
LoCated in an exten~ion of one of the 15 Cqm~~Unilt areaa deacribtd in Can Tho A-116bull this is one of the prlneipal aupply points for VC HR2 aec0rdin8 to Gau middotDoC offielalamp middot These offtctals aa ueu aa Amertcan aources report that rice Pd medicine and dry soocts move from_Tan Cball DiStrict market acrose the Melwll8 River 1o lbu01l8 Tboi and Thuong Phuoc Vill48e~ in Hong Kgu (WS 2595 and 2995) and then up to ca ~h vta several lltll caaela wCrieh Nft dizeetly middotilorth frOA daMe vlllaaea acroaa an ~ SW8IIIp 4Dd open- padctle 1Vo ofmiddot dlomiddot -t ialportaJrt opound tbusa-- CU~DampolJl are the Ciong 0 (liS 3159tO) aDd the Thuong Thoi (WS 327962) lbere are no GVll middot - middot oatpaac ~-~1ftt1Pil~ ca4middot dae- c- area-c ac ~middot bull bGM leaves tbe middotvtllage headquarters area it is not subject to any further GVN control CcmGen officer overfllpts middotof tills area up to Decedgter 1 indicate uxtensive boat traffic on these canals back and forth ~tween the COIIIIIUnist area and the CVN area tn one lS-Minute aerial reconnaissance an officer obHrved at least 40 samp4ns -king this trip) From August ~ntU tile end of October smugslers ~DCVed at least 20000 kilos of rice from Hong Ngu to Ca Sach ea-cbmiddot day middotvia amphie route Thiamp figure c~il from the foxmer Chau Doc Military Se~uricy Service Chief (protect source) and was later conshyfinoed by FVA 4458 and other American source s This -ana at least 600 tona of r ke was shipped out of the Delta into VCNVA hampnbullh each month through this point alaue
The aboveCescribcd aelttion of Hong lgu b along vith Krachampp (aee be law the weakest link -in the border blockademiddot Dlllre supplies probably move middot through it than through any ocher Much of this traffic could not Occur vi~out the co=plicity of local RF and PF and VietQampmese naval officera Br1betaldng has been reported in YVA 4686 and FVS 32916 waa confinileltl by bolo other American sources and -bull brought into the open in the investigation of tbe October 28 theft ofUSAID rice at Tan Chau In that incident a naval NCO took a bribe to allow stolen rice to be shipped up the HekoQ8 ltiver middotand along a B~~aGllar ~ vbeTe a secood bribe we paid to an RF outppat caxmacder who then allowed the sampans to proceed to Ca Sach Several high-level Chau Doe Province officials adadtted ~at the Navy had been beavily involved in this kiDd of corruption for acme ttme The bioclCade ia also CitCUIIVBnted by amp Well-established group Of SIIIU88lera in Bong Ngu Obe of middot the ktagpiaa who operates legally vi thin the GVlf cOilliJIIIUti1~ aDd reportedly conducts a large amount of trade vith thfJ VC 1s Que Q1811 (Lame Qu4n) 1 who Uvu middotto the Long Thuan area of Hang Ngu (WS 330902 FVA 4686 refers to a llllln DampaJBd QuAo Quen (whom - believe to be the same person) vbo regularly aiovea rice from Pbu Lam and LOng Son Villages of tan Qwlu Diatr1ct (WS 3090) middot acroampa toLong Chanh middotIsland (WS 3194) a middotod then across the Mekong at night to Thuong
Thoi Village of Hong Ngu wheoce it liiOVes easily Ui1 to ca Sampch ~cording
to ooe aource ~ Qum 1a 11l middot 1~~e with Om tighmiddotr~iaamp GVH offic1ab1aclamp41JIamp the p~oua JIQug Np Dtatrtct Chief wbo mend 1D the profit Be is aho beliwed to hna been tha braiu behttU the October 28 theft of 4JSAID rice ad to hn11 aneagact ita deliPftY te the Vlt ac 4A $~ Accot41oamp to one CoaGn middotsource bee8WHI of~middotmiddot htsh c-ct1ona the
Accorcinamp to Chau Drx military officera tbe Lo-g marltet- h a aelUng poiot for gooda A~~Uled out of Cbcru Doc Province thIOU3h north~rrn AD lhlamp and Chau Pbu Dte tricta Theall ampOourCIIa contend however that the bl~ baa bean a~ampful l11 ~tlQamp off about 80L of thee VC supshytia md dnt~ rtebull middot-4 ~ aoodbull 4ft-~ ooaoly tomiddot ~ -umiddot IJJIIOQDte (1middot5 kilos) Conlten officers overflying the area ill middotOetobu ampDd ~v~ aaw litlll eroaamiddotbo-tr traffic the extreme northern tip of All fha middot Mlllrtet p~tdlq -die -oaly ~-middot Inmiddot ttttmiddotloceibull) ultt- fnllide Celbodia liYe about 200o people ~ IIIIOY8 relatively freely ttl lt-middotmiddot
and Ollt of VietnBIII Congen officers obaerved a number of ampsapana 1 ying goode from th18 area (If ] 111) to floating markets middot further inside Cabodia (vidnity wr 1610 and 7I 1513) These goods would ultimately be moved to Logo FVA 4674 conf1TUB the existence of aignificant cross-border trade at this location llld indicates the An Phu Dttrict Chief Chau Doc Province Ollaf -~nd oche- lc)cal offteUlbull recetvv brltvs to allow it to contlnue In addition GVN officials to Chau Doc hsve aclalovledged that An Phu Village level officiala subverted the blocltade by accepting bribee They chargtd too that wiveamp of CVN soldierr middot vith ~ iaamlty from the lav freely moved rice and other goods for a profitbull note 1Qwever that 1ve Chau Doc vtllqe poli~e chieh and three hamlet chiefs were remaved in October for abettlag smllgamplillamp Thia suggests the CVN 146 serious in its effort~t to stop illegal IDDVeatftts of goode frOID the area aortb of An Phu Moreover Chsu Doc sector forcea conducted frequent heUbome and ampter-borve lllillcary operatiollB in thla vicln1ty and these are believed seriously to h~ dtatiupted VC supply efforts
middotAccord1118 to other proviJKe officials VC legal cadre have move4 _uur 411110mU of goods to Logo frO= Chau Doe City These legal cadre live in Vinh Te Village Chau Phu District enmiddot the western aide of Sam ~utllill five kUomecera frora Cbsu Doc Ctly (iS 080795) They buy rice and other ~tlea in Chau ~ place the= il amall sealed nylon base which middot aaaall children drop off at prurranged hicUQS places aloq caDsle oa the north aide of the IIIOUlltaia Oclter VC cure came frOill Clmlbodill at niaht to plclt up the bqa retiLrtliyen11 to the Logo area rta the canal 1mich rullamp from tbe 1110mtaio io ws 0688 The volume of soodl vtdch crosaed ~be border it thiamp fashioc ia believed szull
ID 8UIR0 althouampb IIOIIall gooda couttnued to croas the border to Logo market after the begian1QS of the blockade 1110at ev1danlte suuasta that tbe 81l10111lt v aa lllillimal bull middot
JVA 47U clucnbaa bull VC settlemampllt 1DC1u4fQS allllrirAt ac4 c-fce =tll middot bullbullt middot ltracbap 9Ulaae lD ltsmpoog Tubelt -nturtct -of irey vcms hiwiace Gllllbo4ia about ahr ltU~cere oortb of tha Co1 cat- ana of lions HIJU Obtdct CCJGCea officn ~ted~~ JeCDImampiIBaoCa 1ft the ana 111 llidbullDecember eav this -rkat Tbay oleo obeervGd over a middot30-~aute periodbull bullt leulaquo middot 500 laqe eapana ~ns freely fror~~ Boll8 igu cross the border ~o tra Qep ~x reshUoa at ~adulp The trafilc level susaebullts the volume of gooda belaa 11110Ve4 le qidte high bull protabtymiddot at lvan middot equal middot to tlg going to ca Secb PVS 32999 states that thlamp trade exists becauae of aecomshy
111odaUon betveeG VC m4 111
middot P74tJOOOJ067
--shy __ __ __ ----_____ __------shy
IVA 4616 ~ eM HU MfotaiQ c open bull- t at Lolr BazDlet (W 389S46) bull IJmJpol Proviace where tine soap cyloa bull 101~ ffts a6dtrille-_ W ~ middot 1118rt1umdise ia traded Goocb ~tedly IQOYe to Lok from Ha 11en either be sea or ecroee middotthe rice paddies adjaeent to the ro8d No eatl-te of the volume 1s available
A aecoud trade route gteeveeD lla Tlae Dittrlet an4 llampot Proviace -1 be nu IIXIlC l~rtent It 1s cme of the -Jor middot supply routes for the lst HVA D1v111o~a locat~ in the aOUntalca of eou~ern lakeo Provt~ Pnmiddot vtoualy gooclmiddotampo1ug to the let Dlvh101l middot aa4 to the 19~th NVA transpartaUoa GIOIp ~DDVed fiOID Chau Doc Proviace through the vlllft$a of Ten Boa (VS 5565) and thn up to uk Meaa (VS -S25792l a -jar iVA base ana Io August towver vith the begicmfag of the eeonoanc bloekade Clau Doc RF troops (orbade all IA07811111Dt of gooda ioto tH ana S111ce tbat tlse all reportamp indicate that ao supplies have IIIOVed to the MVA through Tao Roo The HVA llaamp attempted to counter thil ARVH ploy by IHittiag up a nev tCNte thilgh Phu My Vtllaampe of Ha Tien DUtdct aceordtna to ARVll officera 111 Chau Doc and otber ABri~ sources tbe raute beg1~ em th11 Clq Thaah ~nal at either Tra Pbo Hamlet (VS S3SS) or llat Co Hamlet (VS S27S97) and then follow ae9eral ampEall canale to the Cs Tho croisroacl4 (VS 4)966S) Froa tbere tbe IWA IIIDVBJ supplies to Tak Keas by- truck or other vabiele for storqa FVA 4686 coufl~ that eneral hw1dred local residents use the route daily to brha to the flVA BIDampU amountbull of rice purchased ta the 84 tien marlult HQst are cambodians vho croali euily into V1eto8111 near Phu Hy CoaGaD officere in three separate visual recmlnaiaurubull flights coafind_t)e bullxiateaee of these 1012~e1 llu~ observed only a tew lone eDpaua We estimate OM to thre metrtc toe of middot rtce per day IIIOV1ft8 alODg thb route at maxiiiiUD
ampice reportedly DOt middotonly menu up tomiddot cambodia but c011111a cSOVQ as -u here 418 reports that shy rice c-bull down fro~~ CCIbo41a to be mlled at Fhu Hy -d thea returua to either tlwl 195th C~ovp or the 200tb NVA tear Support Croup alao 111 this aeoeral uea GaaoU~ ohortage1 411d rice
- 8 -
___ ___________~-- ----shy----shy-
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
l Sulamlry
bulllbis J~e~t deSCtlbes aDd ll8110Bfl08 the (VS eCOGDIIiC blo(tcade of the Ca=])odian Gillbordel areae of Chau Doc Province Ha Tien middotDamptrict of Kian Clang Province and Boag NI_S District of Kion lbqng Pbullovtnce during the period SePtember 1 to ~-bar f- 1~73~ Wlth the exception of- Oiia PANK naval baea on the Mekot8 River the Vlet Coag middot (VC North Vletlllllllesa Army (NVA) and IQaQer Camniats
middot (ICC) occupy the entire area of cambodia aloll8 the IOIIIlerbullVietnampmeae border ~amp
stntcblitg -fnDmiddot tho OUlE of 11ailampM t~ the eastatn-~ry o-f tciea middotlhollg middotProVince lbia area fs directly linked to VCNVA a-reas in and near GVN MRJ ioutes through _thfB brder area are a conduit for rice and other goods purbull chased iQ the Delta To facilltA_te thla trade the VCNVA maintain a DUmber of opec atr llllllrlta~ an the bordar or just inetda CadtocUa vhieb an coDDQCtttd to GYN anaa by middotcoYett n-atls ltmlmiddot CfUJISla In ~1973 cbe 11c tBstituhd middot aeBIUres aimed at iaolating the VCNVA ampod pushing them ltJUt of Cambocliil The
XC far uaapl~ poundDna411- all tramplle beh88D cambodiADSmiddot - VCtlHa UL--rJ - unita precipitating rice ahorta11es among the latte-middotbullmiddot The VCWA reapon4ed by taking more rice fr0111 GVN ampteBB The GVM bull fampAcful itself of rice ahOTtagss bull and generally deelrous o keeping eseential ccxrltIIIOditfes out of VCNVA hands established an middotaconomie bl~kade of VCHVA ar~aa In connection with the sUbaequent GVN Rice Collection campaign t~e blockade was extended to cover all middot of Chau Igtoc Province and Ra Tieo anJ Hong Ngu Districts of iuenmiddot Clang and Kbm ftlong Prcvioees The blockade egtdcerbated the Mrlew~- food shortAge ampliKing local VC(MVA military uniU in August September aDd October and sigshynificantly reduced their cOIIIbat effectivenessmiddot In Hotg Ngu however bribea to local officials and GYM soldiers aad poor cOIIIIIlnd emphasis rendered the blockade lneffectve At_ least 600 tons of tice continue4 to mave illegally through Ko1J8 Ngu tltgt VJtNA lllllrketa each IIIDilth through Noember The blockade in Ha Tien vu equally (neffective but food- aad lliaterial moving across the
district border into cambodia was significantly less The blockade waa ~cb
more effective thoJ8h not middot totally so in Chau Doc Province Econoarlc d 1sshyrupt1one vhich occurred in CVN areas are not pt-operly attrlbutable to the blockAde but rather to the lice Collection campaign The two ve-re separate prograwJ but tended so to CJVerlap that _even CVN officiall often confused them
Z General Border Situation
Since the fall of the FANIC )2nd Brigade at Pbna~~ Den in Kay 1973middot the entire borcler 11rea inside Cll=bodia etrecching from the Gulf of Thailand at Ra T1eo to the eastern end of Roni Rgu D~dct (about 175 h) baa been without any FANK presence except a Hekoqg River 114Vlll base S Km fraa the SYN border (WI 200108) tbe rest of the border area at pwes stretchiqg 35 JCm deep ioto Cambodia is divided into areas occupied by the Khtoer and V~etnameae
COIIIIIIUiliat forcea (see IIIAp ~ Attscl=ent A) which lllllinCSln 11111jor BUJgtP~Y and rear serviee centers there The twomiddot moat significant of these centers as far as the -war in Vietnam is affected are (1) the base area for the lamiddott MVA Dlvision the 195th NVA Trtlnaportlition Group and the _200th Reu Support
SKelifiiOFltEN
t lgtiyenI MgtlORN -
Group fn thlt o MoUItain c~plex in s~uth~~middot T~keo ProviDe(middot ~ppostfe tfnh lien Dta~rlcl chau Doi liovtnce (VS 8070) and (2) the 2~7 tll middotNA BeglshyUl Jteeutply poiat corth of Hong Ngu Dlstrct at Ca Sach (WT 2904) (16 map - Att~cbaeut ll) thil border aTea ts abo t~ ertTIlle ~them temin~B fQr the Ho Cblllinh trail and ptorideaa~-~t llDfr middot batwe~ theDelta and V~NVA auas-~ithin (VM Jili arid along theMB3 CadgtOdiaa border middot Thus this trail eerves as a ciindult for rice and othermiddot-- --shygoocls middot procured la the Delta for NVA dtvtsiona and VCNVA-~pulated area11
further ~~tla Plla aupp_ly ays~e111 h linked to the GVII econ011Y by a aedes of cOvert COiillllerctal middotradtng routeamp used by botli ~Iera IUWmiddot vt sipply middotcadre and~ number of open Dilrket areas located 1na1d~ Cambodiamiddot On the South Vhtnaaes-e aide of the bo~der middoton the other hand theentire border area 1a gllrrleoned by the CVIII with tho except~o of a Viet Cong bllmlec iu
middot middot Boos Jiiumiddot DiBttttt n middot ca Sach middotmiddot
3 SUuation Within Cambodia in middot Early S~m~~~er 1973
By the ai4dL of ~973 ie was cl~r tBt KC poHc aiJIIed at iBolatfng the INA and VC and driving thea at middotmiddotleast out of areas of KC influence if not out of Calabodia fmtirely Perhapi the RIOampt important of various KC saeaaurea vas thamiddott prehibiting a lmoat all Casabod iao crade with middotMVA and VC un~ta FVA 4588 and FV4514 deacribe thie prohibition as extremely effecbull tive PVA 4500 middotdescribes a late J110e VC An G iang Province Coaziittee meeting middotat Olflich the part icipailts discussed a rice shortage In add it ion tGmiddot KC
~ establ1 ~ haent of a system of strict ecoo0111ic controls and the prohibitiou of rice sales to any vc middot or NVA unit the VC leaders gave cwo causes for thia shortage (a) the heavy bosbing in middotcambodiamiddot in tbe apring and summer blld caused 8QWle people to abandon normally-productive areas and (b) t~e KC policy of forced relocatlon resulted iD further abandoning of nearby rice middot lands Prisoners and ralliers in Cbau Doc Province in August and Sept-er also eonfi~ed this KC policy reporting that it precipitated a rice shortage amOng all HVA aadtC unita 1n lbe area They also said the ltC had forced large alllllbera of tlwgt people in southern Kampot Talteoo Jtandal and Prey Vsng Provinces to IIDVe to more secure areas (Many people were algtle to aIOid relocation and have taken refuge inmiddot CVN areas of South Yietnaagt Some of tbfse ethnic Ulllbod lan refuge a told CODCe11 officers they were fleeing the KC whom they described as Wchi more bTUtal than the HVA or VC under VhOIII they found life to be rEIatively e4SY ) FUghta along the border by CooGen officers ~onfirm that these KC areaa are almost co=pletely deVoid of population and ~atly uncultlvat~ This il particularly true of th IAIIIPQilamp lrach area DOtth of Ra Iien Reminh town no-rth of Cbau l)oc dty and KaQb rhom Igtistr1ct nortmiddothmiddot of An Phu Distrtit of Chau Doc Province VCNVA-occupi~ areas in Cambodia are iu ~ntrast more heavily populated and chere is a gre5t deal of JDOveiDent and comoerciill activity bull
4 The VCJA Respoose to the Rice Shortaampe
According middot to ARVN offtcers ill Cbau Poe COSVN reaiiZing it could rw longer pr~ure rice in CalllbQdia instituted a proaram for the second hillf of 1973 which origtnamplly was meant to procure rlCe but which later also aJaed at breaking the GVN eCOtiOIIIic blockade u middot lntlnded the
r
plfHOP(U _ r4B mo A-oo1
toltGvi~ provtstOilS ltLgt DiStr~t ~i pr~~~ level ~re wtiru tn bu7 dee iD the vUlaaes lld middotIIIOVe it to ~e loeatloos~ (l)- All Ues of cCCIIIIIJDieationa -re to be ett1ctlymiddot eouttolliJd to pxe+iillt yenC rtee from JaOYiAamp to GVR areas (3) Anied t~ were to irifUtrate GVH a~as and toiceably middotta~te r1ce (4) cadre ~re to ~ contacts in GYN vUlagea and arrange to buy rice the-re and have it delivered to vt areae (5) All adlitlaquo~ y and wlitical units -re to poundtod land aod begin to falll torith ~ 4111 ttNaN IJelf-suftcfency (6) iQIIIn a~ middot c~M~~n wre to be
middotmiddot orgiiiilampacl to4i7t~ GVH 11111rbt areas aiid buy ilcemiddot ID smalt amoWta areg middot bling it to VC areaB lllllking as lllliny tlips as possible
VCIllA 1A the border area bave relied 1Dillnly on P9lnts 4 aDi 6 above ald middot 011 titamp madat~ middot_Jazsipt to pt dec-middot IDmiddot additiaJIFUraquomiddot lltilizlngo~ middot
eavert supply systems~ middot they middot offered a hi8heT ~ice than las available iR middotmiddot
middotCVH middotareaa to ampAyoae V11lin8 tQ run the blocka~ ~ ~rina riee to their diatr-thnoa-middot ~ lb6bull foll~ft8 chart~ wbicb~prictta for_cmemiddot kilo opound rlce in GVlil aroas BD4 at middot~ Camp Sach YC arJltet u DQZtbera 1loQ8 Ngu District (W1 295043) at various ttmea over the past six months
In J~ pltar to tho GVN blockade a relatively alight price differshyential seemed aufflcient to attract rice to C4 Silch At the height of the blockade in Septcmber and early October U rice lrecame IDOre and more scarce in GvN areas the pmiddotrice middotapraad was increased The higber pricu probably reflect too tbe additional risks bome by suppliera to the VC market By the end of H~r bowever middot the VC price bad appuently begun Ugt fall backbull probably indicating thae the VCNVA had enough rice to carry them until middotthe ye4r-c1nd barvest of lQCSl floating rice
s COIIIIIIWiiampt SSJPb Routebull and Harlteta
~e maln vciNvAtllaffles ior OelUbullprocllr~ rice are at ca Sampch Logo (VT 975150) 1A lCaob lbom District of ltAndal Province KJaehap VLll4ge (VT 5317) in Kampong tiabek Disttfct of lrey V11ng Province and Lok
Bamlet (VS 389YHi) ill Ksmpong Trach District Kampot Province (see middot Att4chments A and B) All these mrkets are linked with avN areaamiddot by trails vbich are traver841d raguamprly by merchants smugglers and vc legal Cadre lhese leaks iA the CVN bloekampe accordixlg to all
inf~t~ IMLUable ex1se- because of laxmiddot Gv5 enforcemeat of the progrllllll aDdor beeauee local officials can be bribed into letting goodamp th~ough ftlew -QU- bull hwt deac~~ af each ~~t
ca Sacb Harlui t
LoCated in an exten~ion of one of the 15 Cqm~~Unilt areaa deacribtd in Can Tho A-116bull this is one of the prlneipal aupply points for VC HR2 aec0rdin8 to Gau middotDoC offielalamp middot These offtctals aa ueu aa Amertcan aources report that rice Pd medicine and dry soocts move from_Tan Cball DiStrict market acrose the Melwll8 River 1o lbu01l8 Tboi and Thuong Phuoc Vill48e~ in Hong Kgu (WS 2595 and 2995) and then up to ca ~h vta several lltll caaela wCrieh Nft dizeetly middotilorth frOA daMe vlllaaea acroaa an ~ SW8IIIp 4Dd open- padctle 1Vo ofmiddot dlomiddot -t ialportaJrt opound tbusa-- CU~DampolJl are the Ciong 0 (liS 3159tO) aDd the Thuong Thoi (WS 327962) lbere are no GVll middot - middot oatpaac ~-~1ftt1Pil~ ca4middot dae- c- area-c ac ~middot bull bGM leaves tbe middotvtllage headquarters area it is not subject to any further GVN control CcmGen officer overfllpts middotof tills area up to Decedgter 1 indicate uxtensive boat traffic on these canals back and forth ~tween the COIIIIIUnist area and the CVN area tn one lS-Minute aerial reconnaissance an officer obHrved at least 40 samp4ns -king this trip) From August ~ntU tile end of October smugslers ~DCVed at least 20000 kilos of rice from Hong Ngu to Ca Sach ea-cbmiddot day middotvia amphie route Thiamp figure c~il from the foxmer Chau Doc Military Se~uricy Service Chief (protect source) and was later conshyfinoed by FVA 4458 and other American source s This -ana at least 600 tona of r ke was shipped out of the Delta into VCNVA hampnbullh each month through this point alaue
The aboveCescribcd aelttion of Hong lgu b along vith Krachampp (aee be law the weakest link -in the border blockademiddot Dlllre supplies probably move middot through it than through any ocher Much of this traffic could not Occur vi~out the co=plicity of local RF and PF and VietQampmese naval officera Br1betaldng has been reported in YVA 4686 and FVS 32916 waa confinileltl by bolo other American sources and -bull brought into the open in the investigation of tbe October 28 theft ofUSAID rice at Tan Chau In that incident a naval NCO took a bribe to allow stolen rice to be shipped up the HekoQ8 ltiver middotand along a B~~aGllar ~ vbeTe a secood bribe we paid to an RF outppat caxmacder who then allowed the sampans to proceed to Ca Sach Several high-level Chau Doe Province officials adadtted ~at the Navy had been beavily involved in this kiDd of corruption for acme ttme The bioclCade ia also CitCUIIVBnted by amp Well-established group Of SIIIU88lera in Bong Ngu Obe of middot the ktagpiaa who operates legally vi thin the GVlf cOilliJIIIUti1~ aDd reportedly conducts a large amount of trade vith thfJ VC 1s Que Q1811 (Lame Qu4n) 1 who Uvu middotto the Long Thuan area of Hang Ngu (WS 330902 FVA 4686 refers to a llllln DampaJBd QuAo Quen (whom - believe to be the same person) vbo regularly aiovea rice from Pbu Lam and LOng Son Villages of tan Qwlu Diatr1ct (WS 3090) middot acroampa toLong Chanh middotIsland (WS 3194) a middotod then across the Mekong at night to Thuong
Thoi Village of Hong Ngu wheoce it liiOVes easily Ui1 to ca Sampch ~cording
to ooe aource ~ Qum 1a 11l middot 1~~e with Om tighmiddotr~iaamp GVH offic1ab1aclamp41JIamp the p~oua JIQug Np Dtatrtct Chief wbo mend 1D the profit Be is aho beliwed to hna been tha braiu behttU the October 28 theft of 4JSAID rice ad to hn11 aneagact ita deliPftY te the Vlt ac 4A $~ Accot41oamp to one CoaGn middotsource bee8WHI of~middotmiddot htsh c-ct1ona the
Accorcinamp to Chau Drx military officera tbe Lo-g marltet- h a aelUng poiot for gooda A~~Uled out of Cbcru Doc Province thIOU3h north~rrn AD lhlamp and Chau Pbu Dte tricta Theall ampOourCIIa contend however that the bl~ baa bean a~ampful l11 ~tlQamp off about 80L of thee VC supshytia md dnt~ rtebull middot-4 ~ aoodbull 4ft-~ ooaoly tomiddot ~ -umiddot IJJIIOQDte (1middot5 kilos) Conlten officers overflying the area ill middotOetobu ampDd ~v~ aaw litlll eroaamiddotbo-tr traffic the extreme northern tip of All fha middot Mlllrtet p~tdlq -die -oaly ~-middot Inmiddot ttttmiddotloceibull) ultt- fnllide Celbodia liYe about 200o people ~ IIIIOY8 relatively freely ttl lt-middotmiddot
and Ollt of VietnBIII Congen officers obaerved a number of ampsapana 1 ying goode from th18 area (If ] 111) to floating markets middot further inside Cabodia (vidnity wr 1610 and 7I 1513) These goods would ultimately be moved to Logo FVA 4674 conf1TUB the existence of aignificant cross-border trade at this location llld indicates the An Phu Dttrict Chief Chau Doc Province Ollaf -~nd oche- lc)cal offteUlbull recetvv brltvs to allow it to contlnue In addition GVN officials to Chau Doc hsve aclalovledged that An Phu Village level officiala subverted the blocltade by accepting bribee They chargtd too that wiveamp of CVN soldierr middot vith ~ iaamlty from the lav freely moved rice and other goods for a profitbull note 1Qwever that 1ve Chau Doc vtllqe poli~e chieh and three hamlet chiefs were remaved in October for abettlag smllgamplillamp Thia suggests the CVN 146 serious in its effort~t to stop illegal IDDVeatftts of goode frOID the area aortb of An Phu Moreover Chsu Doc sector forcea conducted frequent heUbome and ampter-borve lllillcary operatiollB in thla vicln1ty and these are believed seriously to h~ dtatiupted VC supply efforts
middotAccord1118 to other proviJKe officials VC legal cadre have move4 _uur 411110mU of goods to Logo frO= Chau Doe City These legal cadre live in Vinh Te Village Chau Phu District enmiddot the western aide of Sam ~utllill five kUomecera frora Cbsu Doc Ctly (iS 080795) They buy rice and other ~tlea in Chau ~ place the= il amall sealed nylon base which middot aaaall children drop off at prurranged hicUQS places aloq caDsle oa the north aide of the IIIOUlltaia Oclter VC cure came frOill Clmlbodill at niaht to plclt up the bqa retiLrtliyen11 to the Logo area rta the canal 1mich rullamp from tbe 1110mtaio io ws 0688 The volume of soodl vtdch crosaed ~be border it thiamp fashioc ia believed szull
ID 8UIR0 althouampb IIOIIall gooda couttnued to croas the border to Logo market after the begian1QS of the blockade 1110at ev1danlte suuasta that tbe 81l10111lt v aa lllillimal bull middot
JVA 47U clucnbaa bull VC settlemampllt 1DC1u4fQS allllrirAt ac4 c-fce =tll middot bullbullt middot ltracbap 9Ulaae lD ltsmpoog Tubelt -nturtct -of irey vcms hiwiace Gllllbo4ia about ahr ltU~cere oortb of tha Co1 cat- ana of lions HIJU Obtdct CCJGCea officn ~ted~~ JeCDImampiIBaoCa 1ft the ana 111 llidbullDecember eav this -rkat Tbay oleo obeervGd over a middot30-~aute periodbull bullt leulaquo middot 500 laqe eapana ~ns freely fror~~ Boll8 igu cross the border ~o tra Qep ~x reshUoa at ~adulp The trafilc level susaebullts the volume of gooda belaa 11110Ve4 le qidte high bull protabtymiddot at lvan middot equal middot to tlg going to ca Secb PVS 32999 states that thlamp trade exists becauae of aecomshy
111odaUon betveeG VC m4 111
middot P74tJOOOJ067
--shy __ __ __ ----_____ __------shy
IVA 4616 ~ eM HU MfotaiQ c open bull- t at Lolr BazDlet (W 389S46) bull IJmJpol Proviace where tine soap cyloa bull 101~ ffts a6dtrille-_ W ~ middot 1118rt1umdise ia traded Goocb ~tedly IQOYe to Lok from Ha 11en either be sea or ecroee middotthe rice paddies adjaeent to the ro8d No eatl-te of the volume 1s available
A aecoud trade route gteeveeD lla Tlae Dittrlet an4 llampot Proviace -1 be nu IIXIlC l~rtent It 1s cme of the -Jor middot supply routes for the lst HVA D1v111o~a locat~ in the aOUntalca of eou~ern lakeo Provt~ Pnmiddot vtoualy gooclmiddotampo1ug to the let Dlvh101l middot aa4 to the 19~th NVA transpartaUoa GIOIp ~DDVed fiOID Chau Doc Proviace through the vlllft$a of Ten Boa (VS 5565) and thn up to uk Meaa (VS -S25792l a -jar iVA base ana Io August towver vith the begicmfag of the eeonoanc bloekade Clau Doc RF troops (orbade all IA07811111Dt of gooda ioto tH ana S111ce tbat tlse all reportamp indicate that ao supplies have IIIOVed to the MVA through Tao Roo The HVA llaamp attempted to counter thil ARVH ploy by IHittiag up a nev tCNte thilgh Phu My Vtllaampe of Ha Tien DUtdct aceordtna to ARVll officera 111 Chau Doc and otber ABri~ sources tbe raute beg1~ em th11 Clq Thaah ~nal at either Tra Pbo Hamlet (VS S3SS) or llat Co Hamlet (VS S27S97) and then follow ae9eral ampEall canale to the Cs Tho croisroacl4 (VS 4)966S) Froa tbere tbe IWA IIIDVBJ supplies to Tak Keas by- truck or other vabiele for storqa FVA 4686 coufl~ that eneral hw1dred local residents use the route daily to brha to the flVA BIDampU amountbull of rice purchased ta the 84 tien marlult HQst are cambodians vho croali euily into V1eto8111 near Phu Hy CoaGaD officere in three separate visual recmlnaiaurubull flights coafind_t)e bullxiateaee of these 1012~e1 llu~ observed only a tew lone eDpaua We estimate OM to thre metrtc toe of middot rtce per day IIIOV1ft8 alODg thb route at maxiiiiUD
ampice reportedly DOt middotonly menu up tomiddot cambodia but c011111a cSOVQ as -u here 418 reports that shy rice c-bull down fro~~ CCIbo41a to be mlled at Fhu Hy -d thea returua to either tlwl 195th C~ovp or the 200tb NVA tear Support Croup alao 111 this aeoeral uea GaaoU~ ohortage1 411d rice
- 8 -
___ ___________~-- ----shy----shy-
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
t lgtiyenI MgtlORN -
Group fn thlt o MoUItain c~plex in s~uth~~middot T~keo ProviDe(middot ~ppostfe tfnh lien Dta~rlcl chau Doi liovtnce (VS 8070) and (2) the 2~7 tll middotNA BeglshyUl Jteeutply poiat corth of Hong Ngu Dlstrct at Ca Sach (WT 2904) (16 map - Att~cbaeut ll) thil border aTea ts abo t~ ertTIlle ~them temin~B fQr the Ho Cblllinh trail and ptorideaa~-~t llDfr middot batwe~ theDelta and V~NVA auas-~ithin (VM Jili arid along theMB3 CadgtOdiaa border middot Thus this trail eerves as a ciindult for rice and othermiddot-- --shygoocls middot procured la the Delta for NVA dtvtsiona and VCNVA-~pulated area11
further ~~tla Plla aupp_ly ays~e111 h linked to the GVII econ011Y by a aedes of cOvert COiillllerctal middotradtng routeamp used by botli ~Iera IUWmiddot vt sipply middotcadre and~ number of open Dilrket areas located 1na1d~ Cambodiamiddot On the South Vhtnaaes-e aide of the bo~der middoton the other hand theentire border area 1a gllrrleoned by the CVIII with tho except~o of a Viet Cong bllmlec iu
middot middot Boos Jiiumiddot DiBttttt n middot ca Sach middotmiddot
3 SUuation Within Cambodia in middot Early S~m~~~er 1973
By the ai4dL of ~973 ie was cl~r tBt KC poHc aiJIIed at iBolatfng the INA and VC and driving thea at middotmiddotleast out of areas of KC influence if not out of Calabodia fmtirely Perhapi the RIOampt important of various KC saeaaurea vas thamiddott prehibiting a lmoat all Casabod iao crade with middotMVA and VC un~ta FVA 4588 and FV4514 deacribe thie prohibition as extremely effecbull tive PVA 4500 middotdescribes a late J110e VC An G iang Province Coaziittee meeting middotat Olflich the part icipailts discussed a rice shortage In add it ion tGmiddot KC
~ establ1 ~ haent of a system of strict ecoo0111ic controls and the prohibitiou of rice sales to any vc middot or NVA unit the VC leaders gave cwo causes for thia shortage (a) the heavy bosbing in middotcambodiamiddot in tbe apring and summer blld caused 8QWle people to abandon normally-productive areas and (b) t~e KC policy of forced relocatlon resulted iD further abandoning of nearby rice middot lands Prisoners and ralliers in Cbau Doc Province in August and Sept-er also eonfi~ed this KC policy reporting that it precipitated a rice shortage amOng all HVA aadtC unita 1n lbe area They also said the ltC had forced large alllllbera of tlwgt people in southern Kampot Talteoo Jtandal and Prey Vsng Provinces to IIDVe to more secure areas (Many people were algtle to aIOid relocation and have taken refuge inmiddot CVN areas of South Yietnaagt Some of tbfse ethnic Ulllbod lan refuge a told CODCe11 officers they were fleeing the KC whom they described as Wchi more bTUtal than the HVA or VC under VhOIII they found life to be rEIatively e4SY ) FUghta along the border by CooGen officers ~onfirm that these KC areaa are almost co=pletely deVoid of population and ~atly uncultlvat~ This il particularly true of th IAIIIPQilamp lrach area DOtth of Ra Iien Reminh town no-rth of Cbau l)oc dty and KaQb rhom Igtistr1ct nortmiddothmiddot of An Phu Distrtit of Chau Doc Province VCNVA-occupi~ areas in Cambodia are iu ~ntrast more heavily populated and chere is a gre5t deal of JDOveiDent and comoerciill activity bull
4 The VCJA Respoose to the Rice Shortaampe
According middot to ARVN offtcers ill Cbau Poe COSVN reaiiZing it could rw longer pr~ure rice in CalllbQdia instituted a proaram for the second hillf of 1973 which origtnamplly was meant to procure rlCe but which later also aJaed at breaking the GVN eCOtiOIIIic blockade u middot lntlnded the
r
plfHOP(U _ r4B mo A-oo1
toltGvi~ provtstOilS ltLgt DiStr~t ~i pr~~~ level ~re wtiru tn bu7 dee iD the vUlaaes lld middotIIIOVe it to ~e loeatloos~ (l)- All Ues of cCCIIIIIJDieationa -re to be ett1ctlymiddot eouttolliJd to pxe+iillt yenC rtee from JaOYiAamp to GVR areas (3) Anied t~ were to irifUtrate GVH a~as and toiceably middotta~te r1ce (4) cadre ~re to ~ contacts in GYN vUlagea and arrange to buy rice the-re and have it delivered to vt areae (5) All adlitlaquo~ y and wlitical units -re to poundtod land aod begin to falll torith ~ 4111 ttNaN IJelf-suftcfency (6) iQIIIn a~ middot c~M~~n wre to be
middotmiddot orgiiiilampacl to4i7t~ GVH 11111rbt areas aiid buy ilcemiddot ID smalt amoWta areg middot bling it to VC areaB lllllking as lllliny tlips as possible
VCIllA 1A the border area bave relied 1Dillnly on P9lnts 4 aDi 6 above ald middot 011 titamp madat~ middot_Jazsipt to pt dec-middot IDmiddot additiaJIFUraquomiddot lltilizlngo~ middot
eavert supply systems~ middot they middot offered a hi8heT ~ice than las available iR middotmiddot
middotCVH middotareaa to ampAyoae V11lin8 tQ run the blocka~ ~ ~rina riee to their diatr-thnoa-middot ~ lb6bull foll~ft8 chart~ wbicb~prictta for_cmemiddot kilo opound rlce in GVlil aroas BD4 at middot~ Camp Sach YC arJltet u DQZtbera 1loQ8 Ngu District (W1 295043) at various ttmea over the past six months
In J~ pltar to tho GVN blockade a relatively alight price differshyential seemed aufflcient to attract rice to C4 Silch At the height of the blockade in Septcmber and early October U rice lrecame IDOre and more scarce in GvN areas the pmiddotrice middotapraad was increased The higber pricu probably reflect too tbe additional risks bome by suppliera to the VC market By the end of H~r bowever middot the VC price bad appuently begun Ugt fall backbull probably indicating thae the VCNVA had enough rice to carry them until middotthe ye4r-c1nd barvest of lQCSl floating rice
s COIIIIIIWiiampt SSJPb Routebull and Harlteta
~e maln vciNvAtllaffles ior OelUbullprocllr~ rice are at ca Sampch Logo (VT 975150) 1A lCaob lbom District of ltAndal Province KJaehap VLll4ge (VT 5317) in Kampong tiabek Disttfct of lrey V11ng Province and Lok
Bamlet (VS 389YHi) ill Ksmpong Trach District Kampot Province (see middot Att4chments A and B) All these mrkets are linked with avN areaamiddot by trails vbich are traver841d raguamprly by merchants smugglers and vc legal Cadre lhese leaks iA the CVN bloekampe accordixlg to all
inf~t~ IMLUable ex1se- because of laxmiddot Gv5 enforcemeat of the progrllllll aDdor beeauee local officials can be bribed into letting goodamp th~ough ftlew -QU- bull hwt deac~~ af each ~~t
ca Sacb Harlui t
LoCated in an exten~ion of one of the 15 Cqm~~Unilt areaa deacribtd in Can Tho A-116bull this is one of the prlneipal aupply points for VC HR2 aec0rdin8 to Gau middotDoC offielalamp middot These offtctals aa ueu aa Amertcan aources report that rice Pd medicine and dry soocts move from_Tan Cball DiStrict market acrose the Melwll8 River 1o lbu01l8 Tboi and Thuong Phuoc Vill48e~ in Hong Kgu (WS 2595 and 2995) and then up to ca ~h vta several lltll caaela wCrieh Nft dizeetly middotilorth frOA daMe vlllaaea acroaa an ~ SW8IIIp 4Dd open- padctle 1Vo ofmiddot dlomiddot -t ialportaJrt opound tbusa-- CU~DampolJl are the Ciong 0 (liS 3159tO) aDd the Thuong Thoi (WS 327962) lbere are no GVll middot - middot oatpaac ~-~1ftt1Pil~ ca4middot dae- c- area-c ac ~middot bull bGM leaves tbe middotvtllage headquarters area it is not subject to any further GVN control CcmGen officer overfllpts middotof tills area up to Decedgter 1 indicate uxtensive boat traffic on these canals back and forth ~tween the COIIIIIUnist area and the CVN area tn one lS-Minute aerial reconnaissance an officer obHrved at least 40 samp4ns -king this trip) From August ~ntU tile end of October smugslers ~DCVed at least 20000 kilos of rice from Hong Ngu to Ca Sach ea-cbmiddot day middotvia amphie route Thiamp figure c~il from the foxmer Chau Doc Military Se~uricy Service Chief (protect source) and was later conshyfinoed by FVA 4458 and other American source s This -ana at least 600 tona of r ke was shipped out of the Delta into VCNVA hampnbullh each month through this point alaue
The aboveCescribcd aelttion of Hong lgu b along vith Krachampp (aee be law the weakest link -in the border blockademiddot Dlllre supplies probably move middot through it than through any ocher Much of this traffic could not Occur vi~out the co=plicity of local RF and PF and VietQampmese naval officera Br1betaldng has been reported in YVA 4686 and FVS 32916 waa confinileltl by bolo other American sources and -bull brought into the open in the investigation of tbe October 28 theft ofUSAID rice at Tan Chau In that incident a naval NCO took a bribe to allow stolen rice to be shipped up the HekoQ8 ltiver middotand along a B~~aGllar ~ vbeTe a secood bribe we paid to an RF outppat caxmacder who then allowed the sampans to proceed to Ca Sach Several high-level Chau Doe Province officials adadtted ~at the Navy had been beavily involved in this kiDd of corruption for acme ttme The bioclCade ia also CitCUIIVBnted by amp Well-established group Of SIIIU88lera in Bong Ngu Obe of middot the ktagpiaa who operates legally vi thin the GVlf cOilliJIIIUti1~ aDd reportedly conducts a large amount of trade vith thfJ VC 1s Que Q1811 (Lame Qu4n) 1 who Uvu middotto the Long Thuan area of Hang Ngu (WS 330902 FVA 4686 refers to a llllln DampaJBd QuAo Quen (whom - believe to be the same person) vbo regularly aiovea rice from Pbu Lam and LOng Son Villages of tan Qwlu Diatr1ct (WS 3090) middot acroampa toLong Chanh middotIsland (WS 3194) a middotod then across the Mekong at night to Thuong
Thoi Village of Hong Ngu wheoce it liiOVes easily Ui1 to ca Sampch ~cording
to ooe aource ~ Qum 1a 11l middot 1~~e with Om tighmiddotr~iaamp GVH offic1ab1aclamp41JIamp the p~oua JIQug Np Dtatrtct Chief wbo mend 1D the profit Be is aho beliwed to hna been tha braiu behttU the October 28 theft of 4JSAID rice ad to hn11 aneagact ita deliPftY te the Vlt ac 4A $~ Accot41oamp to one CoaGn middotsource bee8WHI of~middotmiddot htsh c-ct1ona the
Accorcinamp to Chau Drx military officera tbe Lo-g marltet- h a aelUng poiot for gooda A~~Uled out of Cbcru Doc Province thIOU3h north~rrn AD lhlamp and Chau Pbu Dte tricta Theall ampOourCIIa contend however that the bl~ baa bean a~ampful l11 ~tlQamp off about 80L of thee VC supshytia md dnt~ rtebull middot-4 ~ aoodbull 4ft-~ ooaoly tomiddot ~ -umiddot IJJIIOQDte (1middot5 kilos) Conlten officers overflying the area ill middotOetobu ampDd ~v~ aaw litlll eroaamiddotbo-tr traffic the extreme northern tip of All fha middot Mlllrtet p~tdlq -die -oaly ~-middot Inmiddot ttttmiddotloceibull) ultt- fnllide Celbodia liYe about 200o people ~ IIIIOY8 relatively freely ttl lt-middotmiddot
and Ollt of VietnBIII Congen officers obaerved a number of ampsapana 1 ying goode from th18 area (If ] 111) to floating markets middot further inside Cabodia (vidnity wr 1610 and 7I 1513) These goods would ultimately be moved to Logo FVA 4674 conf1TUB the existence of aignificant cross-border trade at this location llld indicates the An Phu Dttrict Chief Chau Doc Province Ollaf -~nd oche- lc)cal offteUlbull recetvv brltvs to allow it to contlnue In addition GVN officials to Chau Doc hsve aclalovledged that An Phu Village level officiala subverted the blocltade by accepting bribee They chargtd too that wiveamp of CVN soldierr middot vith ~ iaamlty from the lav freely moved rice and other goods for a profitbull note 1Qwever that 1ve Chau Doc vtllqe poli~e chieh and three hamlet chiefs were remaved in October for abettlag smllgamplillamp Thia suggests the CVN 146 serious in its effort~t to stop illegal IDDVeatftts of goode frOID the area aortb of An Phu Moreover Chsu Doc sector forcea conducted frequent heUbome and ampter-borve lllillcary operatiollB in thla vicln1ty and these are believed seriously to h~ dtatiupted VC supply efforts
middotAccord1118 to other proviJKe officials VC legal cadre have move4 _uur 411110mU of goods to Logo frO= Chau Doe City These legal cadre live in Vinh Te Village Chau Phu District enmiddot the western aide of Sam ~utllill five kUomecera frora Cbsu Doc Ctly (iS 080795) They buy rice and other ~tlea in Chau ~ place the= il amall sealed nylon base which middot aaaall children drop off at prurranged hicUQS places aloq caDsle oa the north aide of the IIIOUlltaia Oclter VC cure came frOill Clmlbodill at niaht to plclt up the bqa retiLrtliyen11 to the Logo area rta the canal 1mich rullamp from tbe 1110mtaio io ws 0688 The volume of soodl vtdch crosaed ~be border it thiamp fashioc ia believed szull
ID 8UIR0 althouampb IIOIIall gooda couttnued to croas the border to Logo market after the begian1QS of the blockade 1110at ev1danlte suuasta that tbe 81l10111lt v aa lllillimal bull middot
JVA 47U clucnbaa bull VC settlemampllt 1DC1u4fQS allllrirAt ac4 c-fce =tll middot bullbullt middot ltracbap 9Ulaae lD ltsmpoog Tubelt -nturtct -of irey vcms hiwiace Gllllbo4ia about ahr ltU~cere oortb of tha Co1 cat- ana of lions HIJU Obtdct CCJGCea officn ~ted~~ JeCDImampiIBaoCa 1ft the ana 111 llidbullDecember eav this -rkat Tbay oleo obeervGd over a middot30-~aute periodbull bullt leulaquo middot 500 laqe eapana ~ns freely fror~~ Boll8 igu cross the border ~o tra Qep ~x reshUoa at ~adulp The trafilc level susaebullts the volume of gooda belaa 11110Ve4 le qidte high bull protabtymiddot at lvan middot equal middot to tlg going to ca Secb PVS 32999 states that thlamp trade exists becauae of aecomshy
111odaUon betveeG VC m4 111
middot P74tJOOOJ067
--shy __ __ __ ----_____ __------shy
IVA 4616 ~ eM HU MfotaiQ c open bull- t at Lolr BazDlet (W 389S46) bull IJmJpol Proviace where tine soap cyloa bull 101~ ffts a6dtrille-_ W ~ middot 1118rt1umdise ia traded Goocb ~tedly IQOYe to Lok from Ha 11en either be sea or ecroee middotthe rice paddies adjaeent to the ro8d No eatl-te of the volume 1s available
A aecoud trade route gteeveeD lla Tlae Dittrlet an4 llampot Proviace -1 be nu IIXIlC l~rtent It 1s cme of the -Jor middot supply routes for the lst HVA D1v111o~a locat~ in the aOUntalca of eou~ern lakeo Provt~ Pnmiddot vtoualy gooclmiddotampo1ug to the let Dlvh101l middot aa4 to the 19~th NVA transpartaUoa GIOIp ~DDVed fiOID Chau Doc Proviace through the vlllft$a of Ten Boa (VS 5565) and thn up to uk Meaa (VS -S25792l a -jar iVA base ana Io August towver vith the begicmfag of the eeonoanc bloekade Clau Doc RF troops (orbade all IA07811111Dt of gooda ioto tH ana S111ce tbat tlse all reportamp indicate that ao supplies have IIIOVed to the MVA through Tao Roo The HVA llaamp attempted to counter thil ARVH ploy by IHittiag up a nev tCNte thilgh Phu My Vtllaampe of Ha Tien DUtdct aceordtna to ARVll officera 111 Chau Doc and otber ABri~ sources tbe raute beg1~ em th11 Clq Thaah ~nal at either Tra Pbo Hamlet (VS S3SS) or llat Co Hamlet (VS S27S97) and then follow ae9eral ampEall canale to the Cs Tho croisroacl4 (VS 4)966S) Froa tbere tbe IWA IIIDVBJ supplies to Tak Keas by- truck or other vabiele for storqa FVA 4686 coufl~ that eneral hw1dred local residents use the route daily to brha to the flVA BIDampU amountbull of rice purchased ta the 84 tien marlult HQst are cambodians vho croali euily into V1eto8111 near Phu Hy CoaGaD officere in three separate visual recmlnaiaurubull flights coafind_t)e bullxiateaee of these 1012~e1 llu~ observed only a tew lone eDpaua We estimate OM to thre metrtc toe of middot rtce per day IIIOV1ft8 alODg thb route at maxiiiiUD
ampice reportedly DOt middotonly menu up tomiddot cambodia but c011111a cSOVQ as -u here 418 reports that shy rice c-bull down fro~~ CCIbo41a to be mlled at Fhu Hy -d thea returua to either tlwl 195th C~ovp or the 200tb NVA tear Support Croup alao 111 this aeoeral uea GaaoU~ ohortage1 411d rice
- 8 -
___ ___________~-- ----shy----shy-
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
plfHOP(U _ r4B mo A-oo1
toltGvi~ provtstOilS ltLgt DiStr~t ~i pr~~~ level ~re wtiru tn bu7 dee iD the vUlaaes lld middotIIIOVe it to ~e loeatloos~ (l)- All Ues of cCCIIIIIJDieationa -re to be ett1ctlymiddot eouttolliJd to pxe+iillt yenC rtee from JaOYiAamp to GVR areas (3) Anied t~ were to irifUtrate GVH a~as and toiceably middotta~te r1ce (4) cadre ~re to ~ contacts in GYN vUlagea and arrange to buy rice the-re and have it delivered to vt areae (5) All adlitlaquo~ y and wlitical units -re to poundtod land aod begin to falll torith ~ 4111 ttNaN IJelf-suftcfency (6) iQIIIn a~ middot c~M~~n wre to be
middotmiddot orgiiiilampacl to4i7t~ GVH 11111rbt areas aiid buy ilcemiddot ID smalt amoWta areg middot bling it to VC areaB lllllking as lllliny tlips as possible
VCIllA 1A the border area bave relied 1Dillnly on P9lnts 4 aDi 6 above ald middot 011 titamp madat~ middot_Jazsipt to pt dec-middot IDmiddot additiaJIFUraquomiddot lltilizlngo~ middot
eavert supply systems~ middot they middot offered a hi8heT ~ice than las available iR middotmiddot
middotCVH middotareaa to ampAyoae V11lin8 tQ run the blocka~ ~ ~rina riee to their diatr-thnoa-middot ~ lb6bull foll~ft8 chart~ wbicb~prictta for_cmemiddot kilo opound rlce in GVlil aroas BD4 at middot~ Camp Sach YC arJltet u DQZtbera 1loQ8 Ngu District (W1 295043) at various ttmea over the past six months
In J~ pltar to tho GVN blockade a relatively alight price differshyential seemed aufflcient to attract rice to C4 Silch At the height of the blockade in Septcmber and early October U rice lrecame IDOre and more scarce in GvN areas the pmiddotrice middotapraad was increased The higber pricu probably reflect too tbe additional risks bome by suppliera to the VC market By the end of H~r bowever middot the VC price bad appuently begun Ugt fall backbull probably indicating thae the VCNVA had enough rice to carry them until middotthe ye4r-c1nd barvest of lQCSl floating rice
s COIIIIIIWiiampt SSJPb Routebull and Harlteta
~e maln vciNvAtllaffles ior OelUbullprocllr~ rice are at ca Sampch Logo (VT 975150) 1A lCaob lbom District of ltAndal Province KJaehap VLll4ge (VT 5317) in Kampong tiabek Disttfct of lrey V11ng Province and Lok
Bamlet (VS 389YHi) ill Ksmpong Trach District Kampot Province (see middot Att4chments A and B) All these mrkets are linked with avN areaamiddot by trails vbich are traver841d raguamprly by merchants smugglers and vc legal Cadre lhese leaks iA the CVN bloekampe accordixlg to all
inf~t~ IMLUable ex1se- because of laxmiddot Gv5 enforcemeat of the progrllllll aDdor beeauee local officials can be bribed into letting goodamp th~ough ftlew -QU- bull hwt deac~~ af each ~~t
ca Sacb Harlui t
LoCated in an exten~ion of one of the 15 Cqm~~Unilt areaa deacribtd in Can Tho A-116bull this is one of the prlneipal aupply points for VC HR2 aec0rdin8 to Gau middotDoC offielalamp middot These offtctals aa ueu aa Amertcan aources report that rice Pd medicine and dry soocts move from_Tan Cball DiStrict market acrose the Melwll8 River 1o lbu01l8 Tboi and Thuong Phuoc Vill48e~ in Hong Kgu (WS 2595 and 2995) and then up to ca ~h vta several lltll caaela wCrieh Nft dizeetly middotilorth frOA daMe vlllaaea acroaa an ~ SW8IIIp 4Dd open- padctle 1Vo ofmiddot dlomiddot -t ialportaJrt opound tbusa-- CU~DampolJl are the Ciong 0 (liS 3159tO) aDd the Thuong Thoi (WS 327962) lbere are no GVll middot - middot oatpaac ~-~1ftt1Pil~ ca4middot dae- c- area-c ac ~middot bull bGM leaves tbe middotvtllage headquarters area it is not subject to any further GVN control CcmGen officer overfllpts middotof tills area up to Decedgter 1 indicate uxtensive boat traffic on these canals back and forth ~tween the COIIIIIUnist area and the CVN area tn one lS-Minute aerial reconnaissance an officer obHrved at least 40 samp4ns -king this trip) From August ~ntU tile end of October smugslers ~DCVed at least 20000 kilos of rice from Hong Ngu to Ca Sach ea-cbmiddot day middotvia amphie route Thiamp figure c~il from the foxmer Chau Doc Military Se~uricy Service Chief (protect source) and was later conshyfinoed by FVA 4458 and other American source s This -ana at least 600 tona of r ke was shipped out of the Delta into VCNVA hampnbullh each month through this point alaue
The aboveCescribcd aelttion of Hong lgu b along vith Krachampp (aee be law the weakest link -in the border blockademiddot Dlllre supplies probably move middot through it than through any ocher Much of this traffic could not Occur vi~out the co=plicity of local RF and PF and VietQampmese naval officera Br1betaldng has been reported in YVA 4686 and FVS 32916 waa confinileltl by bolo other American sources and -bull brought into the open in the investigation of tbe October 28 theft ofUSAID rice at Tan Chau In that incident a naval NCO took a bribe to allow stolen rice to be shipped up the HekoQ8 ltiver middotand along a B~~aGllar ~ vbeTe a secood bribe we paid to an RF outppat caxmacder who then allowed the sampans to proceed to Ca Sach Several high-level Chau Doe Province officials adadtted ~at the Navy had been beavily involved in this kiDd of corruption for acme ttme The bioclCade ia also CitCUIIVBnted by amp Well-established group Of SIIIU88lera in Bong Ngu Obe of middot the ktagpiaa who operates legally vi thin the GVlf cOilliJIIIUti1~ aDd reportedly conducts a large amount of trade vith thfJ VC 1s Que Q1811 (Lame Qu4n) 1 who Uvu middotto the Long Thuan area of Hang Ngu (WS 330902 FVA 4686 refers to a llllln DampaJBd QuAo Quen (whom - believe to be the same person) vbo regularly aiovea rice from Pbu Lam and LOng Son Villages of tan Qwlu Diatr1ct (WS 3090) middot acroampa toLong Chanh middotIsland (WS 3194) a middotod then across the Mekong at night to Thuong
Thoi Village of Hong Ngu wheoce it liiOVes easily Ui1 to ca Sampch ~cording
to ooe aource ~ Qum 1a 11l middot 1~~e with Om tighmiddotr~iaamp GVH offic1ab1aclamp41JIamp the p~oua JIQug Np Dtatrtct Chief wbo mend 1D the profit Be is aho beliwed to hna been tha braiu behttU the October 28 theft of 4JSAID rice ad to hn11 aneagact ita deliPftY te the Vlt ac 4A $~ Accot41oamp to one CoaGn middotsource bee8WHI of~middotmiddot htsh c-ct1ona the
Accorcinamp to Chau Drx military officera tbe Lo-g marltet- h a aelUng poiot for gooda A~~Uled out of Cbcru Doc Province thIOU3h north~rrn AD lhlamp and Chau Pbu Dte tricta Theall ampOourCIIa contend however that the bl~ baa bean a~ampful l11 ~tlQamp off about 80L of thee VC supshytia md dnt~ rtebull middot-4 ~ aoodbull 4ft-~ ooaoly tomiddot ~ -umiddot IJJIIOQDte (1middot5 kilos) Conlten officers overflying the area ill middotOetobu ampDd ~v~ aaw litlll eroaamiddotbo-tr traffic the extreme northern tip of All fha middot Mlllrtet p~tdlq -die -oaly ~-middot Inmiddot ttttmiddotloceibull) ultt- fnllide Celbodia liYe about 200o people ~ IIIIOY8 relatively freely ttl lt-middotmiddot
and Ollt of VietnBIII Congen officers obaerved a number of ampsapana 1 ying goode from th18 area (If ] 111) to floating markets middot further inside Cabodia (vidnity wr 1610 and 7I 1513) These goods would ultimately be moved to Logo FVA 4674 conf1TUB the existence of aignificant cross-border trade at this location llld indicates the An Phu Dttrict Chief Chau Doc Province Ollaf -~nd oche- lc)cal offteUlbull recetvv brltvs to allow it to contlnue In addition GVN officials to Chau Doc hsve aclalovledged that An Phu Village level officiala subverted the blocltade by accepting bribee They chargtd too that wiveamp of CVN soldierr middot vith ~ iaamlty from the lav freely moved rice and other goods for a profitbull note 1Qwever that 1ve Chau Doc vtllqe poli~e chieh and three hamlet chiefs were remaved in October for abettlag smllgamplillamp Thia suggests the CVN 146 serious in its effort~t to stop illegal IDDVeatftts of goode frOID the area aortb of An Phu Moreover Chsu Doc sector forcea conducted frequent heUbome and ampter-borve lllillcary operatiollB in thla vicln1ty and these are believed seriously to h~ dtatiupted VC supply efforts
middotAccord1118 to other proviJKe officials VC legal cadre have move4 _uur 411110mU of goods to Logo frO= Chau Doe City These legal cadre live in Vinh Te Village Chau Phu District enmiddot the western aide of Sam ~utllill five kUomecera frora Cbsu Doc Ctly (iS 080795) They buy rice and other ~tlea in Chau ~ place the= il amall sealed nylon base which middot aaaall children drop off at prurranged hicUQS places aloq caDsle oa the north aide of the IIIOUlltaia Oclter VC cure came frOill Clmlbodill at niaht to plclt up the bqa retiLrtliyen11 to the Logo area rta the canal 1mich rullamp from tbe 1110mtaio io ws 0688 The volume of soodl vtdch crosaed ~be border it thiamp fashioc ia believed szull
ID 8UIR0 althouampb IIOIIall gooda couttnued to croas the border to Logo market after the begian1QS of the blockade 1110at ev1danlte suuasta that tbe 81l10111lt v aa lllillimal bull middot
JVA 47U clucnbaa bull VC settlemampllt 1DC1u4fQS allllrirAt ac4 c-fce =tll middot bullbullt middot ltracbap 9Ulaae lD ltsmpoog Tubelt -nturtct -of irey vcms hiwiace Gllllbo4ia about ahr ltU~cere oortb of tha Co1 cat- ana of lions HIJU Obtdct CCJGCea officn ~ted~~ JeCDImampiIBaoCa 1ft the ana 111 llidbullDecember eav this -rkat Tbay oleo obeervGd over a middot30-~aute periodbull bullt leulaquo middot 500 laqe eapana ~ns freely fror~~ Boll8 igu cross the border ~o tra Qep ~x reshUoa at ~adulp The trafilc level susaebullts the volume of gooda belaa 11110Ve4 le qidte high bull protabtymiddot at lvan middot equal middot to tlg going to ca Secb PVS 32999 states that thlamp trade exists becauae of aecomshy
111odaUon betveeG VC m4 111
middot P74tJOOOJ067
--shy __ __ __ ----_____ __------shy
IVA 4616 ~ eM HU MfotaiQ c open bull- t at Lolr BazDlet (W 389S46) bull IJmJpol Proviace where tine soap cyloa bull 101~ ffts a6dtrille-_ W ~ middot 1118rt1umdise ia traded Goocb ~tedly IQOYe to Lok from Ha 11en either be sea or ecroee middotthe rice paddies adjaeent to the ro8d No eatl-te of the volume 1s available
A aecoud trade route gteeveeD lla Tlae Dittrlet an4 llampot Proviace -1 be nu IIXIlC l~rtent It 1s cme of the -Jor middot supply routes for the lst HVA D1v111o~a locat~ in the aOUntalca of eou~ern lakeo Provt~ Pnmiddot vtoualy gooclmiddotampo1ug to the let Dlvh101l middot aa4 to the 19~th NVA transpartaUoa GIOIp ~DDVed fiOID Chau Doc Proviace through the vlllft$a of Ten Boa (VS 5565) and thn up to uk Meaa (VS -S25792l a -jar iVA base ana Io August towver vith the begicmfag of the eeonoanc bloekade Clau Doc RF troops (orbade all IA07811111Dt of gooda ioto tH ana S111ce tbat tlse all reportamp indicate that ao supplies have IIIOVed to the MVA through Tao Roo The HVA llaamp attempted to counter thil ARVH ploy by IHittiag up a nev tCNte thilgh Phu My Vtllaampe of Ha Tien DUtdct aceordtna to ARVll officera 111 Chau Doc and otber ABri~ sources tbe raute beg1~ em th11 Clq Thaah ~nal at either Tra Pbo Hamlet (VS S3SS) or llat Co Hamlet (VS S27S97) and then follow ae9eral ampEall canale to the Cs Tho croisroacl4 (VS 4)966S) Froa tbere tbe IWA IIIDVBJ supplies to Tak Keas by- truck or other vabiele for storqa FVA 4686 coufl~ that eneral hw1dred local residents use the route daily to brha to the flVA BIDampU amountbull of rice purchased ta the 84 tien marlult HQst are cambodians vho croali euily into V1eto8111 near Phu Hy CoaGaD officere in three separate visual recmlnaiaurubull flights coafind_t)e bullxiateaee of these 1012~e1 llu~ observed only a tew lone eDpaua We estimate OM to thre metrtc toe of middot rtce per day IIIOV1ft8 alODg thb route at maxiiiiUD
ampice reportedly DOt middotonly menu up tomiddot cambodia but c011111a cSOVQ as -u here 418 reports that shy rice c-bull down fro~~ CCIbo41a to be mlled at Fhu Hy -d thea returua to either tlwl 195th C~ovp or the 200tb NVA tear Support Croup alao 111 this aeoeral uea GaaoU~ ohortage1 411d rice
- 8 -
___ ___________~-- ----shy----shy-
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
L p
5 moA-001
inf~t~ IMLUable ex1se- because of laxmiddot Gv5 enforcemeat of the progrllllll aDdor beeauee local officials can be bribed into letting goodamp th~ough ftlew -QU- bull hwt deac~~ af each ~~t
ca Sacb Harlui t
LoCated in an exten~ion of one of the 15 Cqm~~Unilt areaa deacribtd in Can Tho A-116bull this is one of the prlneipal aupply points for VC HR2 aec0rdin8 to Gau middotDoC offielalamp middot These offtctals aa ueu aa Amertcan aources report that rice Pd medicine and dry soocts move from_Tan Cball DiStrict market acrose the Melwll8 River 1o lbu01l8 Tboi and Thuong Phuoc Vill48e~ in Hong Kgu (WS 2595 and 2995) and then up to ca ~h vta several lltll caaela wCrieh Nft dizeetly middotilorth frOA daMe vlllaaea acroaa an ~ SW8IIIp 4Dd open- padctle 1Vo ofmiddot dlomiddot -t ialportaJrt opound tbusa-- CU~DampolJl are the Ciong 0 (liS 3159tO) aDd the Thuong Thoi (WS 327962) lbere are no GVll middot - middot oatpaac ~-~1ftt1Pil~ ca4middot dae- c- area-c ac ~middot bull bGM leaves tbe middotvtllage headquarters area it is not subject to any further GVN control CcmGen officer overfllpts middotof tills area up to Decedgter 1 indicate uxtensive boat traffic on these canals back and forth ~tween the COIIIIIUnist area and the CVN area tn one lS-Minute aerial reconnaissance an officer obHrved at least 40 samp4ns -king this trip) From August ~ntU tile end of October smugslers ~DCVed at least 20000 kilos of rice from Hong Ngu to Ca Sach ea-cbmiddot day middotvia amphie route Thiamp figure c~il from the foxmer Chau Doc Military Se~uricy Service Chief (protect source) and was later conshyfinoed by FVA 4458 and other American source s This -ana at least 600 tona of r ke was shipped out of the Delta into VCNVA hampnbullh each month through this point alaue
The aboveCescribcd aelttion of Hong lgu b along vith Krachampp (aee be law the weakest link -in the border blockademiddot Dlllre supplies probably move middot through it than through any ocher Much of this traffic could not Occur vi~out the co=plicity of local RF and PF and VietQampmese naval officera Br1betaldng has been reported in YVA 4686 and FVS 32916 waa confinileltl by bolo other American sources and -bull brought into the open in the investigation of tbe October 28 theft ofUSAID rice at Tan Chau In that incident a naval NCO took a bribe to allow stolen rice to be shipped up the HekoQ8 ltiver middotand along a B~~aGllar ~ vbeTe a secood bribe we paid to an RF outppat caxmacder who then allowed the sampans to proceed to Ca Sach Several high-level Chau Doe Province officials adadtted ~at the Navy had been beavily involved in this kiDd of corruption for acme ttme The bioclCade ia also CitCUIIVBnted by amp Well-established group Of SIIIU88lera in Bong Ngu Obe of middot the ktagpiaa who operates legally vi thin the GVlf cOilliJIIIUti1~ aDd reportedly conducts a large amount of trade vith thfJ VC 1s Que Q1811 (Lame Qu4n) 1 who Uvu middotto the Long Thuan area of Hang Ngu (WS 330902 FVA 4686 refers to a llllln DampaJBd QuAo Quen (whom - believe to be the same person) vbo regularly aiovea rice from Pbu Lam and LOng Son Villages of tan Qwlu Diatr1ct (WS 3090) middot acroampa toLong Chanh middotIsland (WS 3194) a middotod then across the Mekong at night to Thuong
Thoi Village of Hong Ngu wheoce it liiOVes easily Ui1 to ca Sampch ~cording
to ooe aource ~ Qum 1a 11l middot 1~~e with Om tighmiddotr~iaamp GVH offic1ab1aclamp41JIamp the p~oua JIQug Np Dtatrtct Chief wbo mend 1D the profit Be is aho beliwed to hna been tha braiu behttU the October 28 theft of 4JSAID rice ad to hn11 aneagact ita deliPftY te the Vlt ac 4A $~ Accot41oamp to one CoaGn middotsource bee8WHI of~middotmiddot htsh c-ct1ona the
Accorcinamp to Chau Drx military officera tbe Lo-g marltet- h a aelUng poiot for gooda A~~Uled out of Cbcru Doc Province thIOU3h north~rrn AD lhlamp and Chau Pbu Dte tricta Theall ampOourCIIa contend however that the bl~ baa bean a~ampful l11 ~tlQamp off about 80L of thee VC supshytia md dnt~ rtebull middot-4 ~ aoodbull 4ft-~ ooaoly tomiddot ~ -umiddot IJJIIOQDte (1middot5 kilos) Conlten officers overflying the area ill middotOetobu ampDd ~v~ aaw litlll eroaamiddotbo-tr traffic the extreme northern tip of All fha middot Mlllrtet p~tdlq -die -oaly ~-middot Inmiddot ttttmiddotloceibull) ultt- fnllide Celbodia liYe about 200o people ~ IIIIOY8 relatively freely ttl lt-middotmiddot
and Ollt of VietnBIII Congen officers obaerved a number of ampsapana 1 ying goode from th18 area (If ] 111) to floating markets middot further inside Cabodia (vidnity wr 1610 and 7I 1513) These goods would ultimately be moved to Logo FVA 4674 conf1TUB the existence of aignificant cross-border trade at this location llld indicates the An Phu Dttrict Chief Chau Doc Province Ollaf -~nd oche- lc)cal offteUlbull recetvv brltvs to allow it to contlnue In addition GVN officials to Chau Doc hsve aclalovledged that An Phu Village level officiala subverted the blocltade by accepting bribee They chargtd too that wiveamp of CVN soldierr middot vith ~ iaamlty from the lav freely moved rice and other goods for a profitbull note 1Qwever that 1ve Chau Doc vtllqe poli~e chieh and three hamlet chiefs were remaved in October for abettlag smllgamplillamp Thia suggests the CVN 146 serious in its effort~t to stop illegal IDDVeatftts of goode frOID the area aortb of An Phu Moreover Chsu Doc sector forcea conducted frequent heUbome and ampter-borve lllillcary operatiollB in thla vicln1ty and these are believed seriously to h~ dtatiupted VC supply efforts
middotAccord1118 to other proviJKe officials VC legal cadre have move4 _uur 411110mU of goods to Logo frO= Chau Doe City These legal cadre live in Vinh Te Village Chau Phu District enmiddot the western aide of Sam ~utllill five kUomecera frora Cbsu Doc Ctly (iS 080795) They buy rice and other ~tlea in Chau ~ place the= il amall sealed nylon base which middot aaaall children drop off at prurranged hicUQS places aloq caDsle oa the north aide of the IIIOUlltaia Oclter VC cure came frOill Clmlbodill at niaht to plclt up the bqa retiLrtliyen11 to the Logo area rta the canal 1mich rullamp from tbe 1110mtaio io ws 0688 The volume of soodl vtdch crosaed ~be border it thiamp fashioc ia believed szull
ID 8UIR0 althouampb IIOIIall gooda couttnued to croas the border to Logo market after the begian1QS of the blockade 1110at ev1danlte suuasta that tbe 81l10111lt v aa lllillimal bull middot
JVA 47U clucnbaa bull VC settlemampllt 1DC1u4fQS allllrirAt ac4 c-fce =tll middot bullbullt middot ltracbap 9Ulaae lD ltsmpoog Tubelt -nturtct -of irey vcms hiwiace Gllllbo4ia about ahr ltU~cere oortb of tha Co1 cat- ana of lions HIJU Obtdct CCJGCea officn ~ted~~ JeCDImampiIBaoCa 1ft the ana 111 llidbullDecember eav this -rkat Tbay oleo obeervGd over a middot30-~aute periodbull bullt leulaquo middot 500 laqe eapana ~ns freely fror~~ Boll8 igu cross the border ~o tra Qep ~x reshUoa at ~adulp The trafilc level susaebullts the volume of gooda belaa 11110Ve4 le qidte high bull protabtymiddot at lvan middot equal middot to tlg going to ca Secb PVS 32999 states that thlamp trade exists becauae of aecomshy
111odaUon betveeG VC m4 111
middot P74tJOOOJ067
--shy __ __ __ ----_____ __------shy
IVA 4616 ~ eM HU MfotaiQ c open bull- t at Lolr BazDlet (W 389S46) bull IJmJpol Proviace where tine soap cyloa bull 101~ ffts a6dtrille-_ W ~ middot 1118rt1umdise ia traded Goocb ~tedly IQOYe to Lok from Ha 11en either be sea or ecroee middotthe rice paddies adjaeent to the ro8d No eatl-te of the volume 1s available
A aecoud trade route gteeveeD lla Tlae Dittrlet an4 llampot Proviace -1 be nu IIXIlC l~rtent It 1s cme of the -Jor middot supply routes for the lst HVA D1v111o~a locat~ in the aOUntalca of eou~ern lakeo Provt~ Pnmiddot vtoualy gooclmiddotampo1ug to the let Dlvh101l middot aa4 to the 19~th NVA transpartaUoa GIOIp ~DDVed fiOID Chau Doc Proviace through the vlllft$a of Ten Boa (VS 5565) and thn up to uk Meaa (VS -S25792l a -jar iVA base ana Io August towver vith the begicmfag of the eeonoanc bloekade Clau Doc RF troops (orbade all IA07811111Dt of gooda ioto tH ana S111ce tbat tlse all reportamp indicate that ao supplies have IIIOVed to the MVA through Tao Roo The HVA llaamp attempted to counter thil ARVH ploy by IHittiag up a nev tCNte thilgh Phu My Vtllaampe of Ha Tien DUtdct aceordtna to ARVll officera 111 Chau Doc and otber ABri~ sources tbe raute beg1~ em th11 Clq Thaah ~nal at either Tra Pbo Hamlet (VS S3SS) or llat Co Hamlet (VS S27S97) and then follow ae9eral ampEall canale to the Cs Tho croisroacl4 (VS 4)966S) Froa tbere tbe IWA IIIDVBJ supplies to Tak Keas by- truck or other vabiele for storqa FVA 4686 coufl~ that eneral hw1dred local residents use the route daily to brha to the flVA BIDampU amountbull of rice purchased ta the 84 tien marlult HQst are cambodians vho croali euily into V1eto8111 near Phu Hy CoaGaD officere in three separate visual recmlnaiaurubull flights coafind_t)e bullxiateaee of these 1012~e1 llu~ observed only a tew lone eDpaua We estimate OM to thre metrtc toe of middot rtce per day IIIOV1ft8 alODg thb route at maxiiiiUD
ampice reportedly DOt middotonly menu up tomiddot cambodia but c011111a cSOVQ as -u here 418 reports that shy rice c-bull down fro~~ CCIbo41a to be mlled at Fhu Hy -d thea returua to either tlwl 195th C~ovp or the 200tb NVA tear Support Croup alao 111 this aeoeral uea GaaoU~ ohortage1 411d rice
- 8 -
___ ___________~-- ----shy----shy-
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
r
~
to ooe aource ~ Qum 1a 11l middot 1~~e with Om tighmiddotr~iaamp GVH offic1ab1aclamp41JIamp the p~oua JIQug Np Dtatrtct Chief wbo mend 1D the profit Be is aho beliwed to hna been tha braiu behttU the October 28 theft of 4JSAID rice ad to hn11 aneagact ita deliPftY te the Vlt ac 4A $~ Accot41oamp to one CoaGn middotsource bee8WHI of~middotmiddot htsh c-ct1ona the
Accorcinamp to Chau Drx military officera tbe Lo-g marltet- h a aelUng poiot for gooda A~~Uled out of Cbcru Doc Province thIOU3h north~rrn AD lhlamp and Chau Pbu Dte tricta Theall ampOourCIIa contend however that the bl~ baa bean a~ampful l11 ~tlQamp off about 80L of thee VC supshytia md dnt~ rtebull middot-4 ~ aoodbull 4ft-~ ooaoly tomiddot ~ -umiddot IJJIIOQDte (1middot5 kilos) Conlten officers overflying the area ill middotOetobu ampDd ~v~ aaw litlll eroaamiddotbo-tr traffic the extreme northern tip of All fha middot Mlllrtet p~tdlq -die -oaly ~-middot Inmiddot ttttmiddotloceibull) ultt- fnllide Celbodia liYe about 200o people ~ IIIIOY8 relatively freely ttl lt-middotmiddot
and Ollt of VietnBIII Congen officers obaerved a number of ampsapana 1 ying goode from th18 area (If ] 111) to floating markets middot further inside Cabodia (vidnity wr 1610 and 7I 1513) These goods would ultimately be moved to Logo FVA 4674 conf1TUB the existence of aignificant cross-border trade at this location llld indicates the An Phu Dttrict Chief Chau Doc Province Ollaf -~nd oche- lc)cal offteUlbull recetvv brltvs to allow it to contlnue In addition GVN officials to Chau Doc hsve aclalovledged that An Phu Village level officiala subverted the blocltade by accepting bribee They chargtd too that wiveamp of CVN soldierr middot vith ~ iaamlty from the lav freely moved rice and other goods for a profitbull note 1Qwever that 1ve Chau Doc vtllqe poli~e chieh and three hamlet chiefs were remaved in October for abettlag smllgamplillamp Thia suggests the CVN 146 serious in its effort~t to stop illegal IDDVeatftts of goode frOID the area aortb of An Phu Moreover Chsu Doc sector forcea conducted frequent heUbome and ampter-borve lllillcary operatiollB in thla vicln1ty and these are believed seriously to h~ dtatiupted VC supply efforts
middotAccord1118 to other proviJKe officials VC legal cadre have move4 _uur 411110mU of goods to Logo frO= Chau Doe City These legal cadre live in Vinh Te Village Chau Phu District enmiddot the western aide of Sam ~utllill five kUomecera frora Cbsu Doc Ctly (iS 080795) They buy rice and other ~tlea in Chau ~ place the= il amall sealed nylon base which middot aaaall children drop off at prurranged hicUQS places aloq caDsle oa the north aide of the IIIOUlltaia Oclter VC cure came frOill Clmlbodill at niaht to plclt up the bqa retiLrtliyen11 to the Logo area rta the canal 1mich rullamp from tbe 1110mtaio io ws 0688 The volume of soodl vtdch crosaed ~be border it thiamp fashioc ia believed szull
ID 8UIR0 althouampb IIOIIall gooda couttnued to croas the border to Logo market after the begian1QS of the blockade 1110at ev1danlte suuasta that tbe 81l10111lt v aa lllillimal bull middot
JVA 47U clucnbaa bull VC settlemampllt 1DC1u4fQS allllrirAt ac4 c-fce =tll middot bullbullt middot ltracbap 9Ulaae lD ltsmpoog Tubelt -nturtct -of irey vcms hiwiace Gllllbo4ia about ahr ltU~cere oortb of tha Co1 cat- ana of lions HIJU Obtdct CCJGCea officn ~ted~~ JeCDImampiIBaoCa 1ft the ana 111 llidbullDecember eav this -rkat Tbay oleo obeervGd over a middot30-~aute periodbull bullt leulaquo middot 500 laqe eapana ~ns freely fror~~ Boll8 igu cross the border ~o tra Qep ~x reshUoa at ~adulp The trafilc level susaebullts the volume of gooda belaa 11110Ve4 le qidte high bull protabtymiddot at lvan middot equal middot to tlg going to ca Secb PVS 32999 states that thlamp trade exists becauae of aecomshy
111odaUon betveeG VC m4 111
middot P74tJOOOJ067
--shy __ __ __ ----_____ __------shy
IVA 4616 ~ eM HU MfotaiQ c open bull- t at Lolr BazDlet (W 389S46) bull IJmJpol Proviace where tine soap cyloa bull 101~ ffts a6dtrille-_ W ~ middot 1118rt1umdise ia traded Goocb ~tedly IQOYe to Lok from Ha 11en either be sea or ecroee middotthe rice paddies adjaeent to the ro8d No eatl-te of the volume 1s available
A aecoud trade route gteeveeD lla Tlae Dittrlet an4 llampot Proviace -1 be nu IIXIlC l~rtent It 1s cme of the -Jor middot supply routes for the lst HVA D1v111o~a locat~ in the aOUntalca of eou~ern lakeo Provt~ Pnmiddot vtoualy gooclmiddotampo1ug to the let Dlvh101l middot aa4 to the 19~th NVA transpartaUoa GIOIp ~DDVed fiOID Chau Doc Proviace through the vlllft$a of Ten Boa (VS 5565) and thn up to uk Meaa (VS -S25792l a -jar iVA base ana Io August towver vith the begicmfag of the eeonoanc bloekade Clau Doc RF troops (orbade all IA07811111Dt of gooda ioto tH ana S111ce tbat tlse all reportamp indicate that ao supplies have IIIOVed to the MVA through Tao Roo The HVA llaamp attempted to counter thil ARVH ploy by IHittiag up a nev tCNte thilgh Phu My Vtllaampe of Ha Tien DUtdct aceordtna to ARVll officera 111 Chau Doc and otber ABri~ sources tbe raute beg1~ em th11 Clq Thaah ~nal at either Tra Pbo Hamlet (VS S3SS) or llat Co Hamlet (VS S27S97) and then follow ae9eral ampEall canale to the Cs Tho croisroacl4 (VS 4)966S) Froa tbere tbe IWA IIIDVBJ supplies to Tak Keas by- truck or other vabiele for storqa FVA 4686 coufl~ that eneral hw1dred local residents use the route daily to brha to the flVA BIDampU amountbull of rice purchased ta the 84 tien marlult HQst are cambodians vho croali euily into V1eto8111 near Phu Hy CoaGaD officere in three separate visual recmlnaiaurubull flights coafind_t)e bullxiateaee of these 1012~e1 llu~ observed only a tew lone eDpaua We estimate OM to thre metrtc toe of middot rtce per day IIIOV1ft8 alODg thb route at maxiiiiUD
ampice reportedly DOt middotonly menu up tomiddot cambodia but c011111a cSOVQ as -u here 418 reports that shy rice c-bull down fro~~ CCIbo41a to be mlled at Fhu Hy -d thea returua to either tlwl 195th C~ovp or the 200tb NVA tear Support Croup alao 111 this aeoeral uea GaaoU~ ohortage1 411d rice
- 8 -
___ ___________~-- ----shy----shy-
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
JVA 47U clucnbaa bull VC settlemampllt 1DC1u4fQS allllrirAt ac4 c-fce =tll middot bullbullt middot ltracbap 9Ulaae lD ltsmpoog Tubelt -nturtct -of irey vcms hiwiace Gllllbo4ia about ahr ltU~cere oortb of tha Co1 cat- ana of lions HIJU Obtdct CCJGCea officn ~ted~~ JeCDImampiIBaoCa 1ft the ana 111 llidbullDecember eav this -rkat Tbay oleo obeervGd over a middot30-~aute periodbull bullt leulaquo middot 500 laqe eapana ~ns freely fror~~ Boll8 igu cross the border ~o tra Qep ~x reshUoa at ~adulp The trafilc level susaebullts the volume of gooda belaa 11110Ve4 le qidte high bull protabtymiddot at lvan middot equal middot to tlg going to ca Secb PVS 32999 states that thlamp trade exists becauae of aecomshy
111odaUon betveeG VC m4 111
middot P74tJOOOJ067
--shy __ __ __ ----_____ __------shy
IVA 4616 ~ eM HU MfotaiQ c open bull- t at Lolr BazDlet (W 389S46) bull IJmJpol Proviace where tine soap cyloa bull 101~ ffts a6dtrille-_ W ~ middot 1118rt1umdise ia traded Goocb ~tedly IQOYe to Lok from Ha 11en either be sea or ecroee middotthe rice paddies adjaeent to the ro8d No eatl-te of the volume 1s available
A aecoud trade route gteeveeD lla Tlae Dittrlet an4 llampot Proviace -1 be nu IIXIlC l~rtent It 1s cme of the -Jor middot supply routes for the lst HVA D1v111o~a locat~ in the aOUntalca of eou~ern lakeo Provt~ Pnmiddot vtoualy gooclmiddotampo1ug to the let Dlvh101l middot aa4 to the 19~th NVA transpartaUoa GIOIp ~DDVed fiOID Chau Doc Proviace through the vlllft$a of Ten Boa (VS 5565) and thn up to uk Meaa (VS -S25792l a -jar iVA base ana Io August towver vith the begicmfag of the eeonoanc bloekade Clau Doc RF troops (orbade all IA07811111Dt of gooda ioto tH ana S111ce tbat tlse all reportamp indicate that ao supplies have IIIOVed to the MVA through Tao Roo The HVA llaamp attempted to counter thil ARVH ploy by IHittiag up a nev tCNte thilgh Phu My Vtllaampe of Ha Tien DUtdct aceordtna to ARVll officera 111 Chau Doc and otber ABri~ sources tbe raute beg1~ em th11 Clq Thaah ~nal at either Tra Pbo Hamlet (VS S3SS) or llat Co Hamlet (VS S27S97) and then follow ae9eral ampEall canale to the Cs Tho croisroacl4 (VS 4)966S) Froa tbere tbe IWA IIIDVBJ supplies to Tak Keas by- truck or other vabiele for storqa FVA 4686 coufl~ that eneral hw1dred local residents use the route daily to brha to the flVA BIDampU amountbull of rice purchased ta the 84 tien marlult HQst are cambodians vho croali euily into V1eto8111 near Phu Hy CoaGaD officere in three separate visual recmlnaiaurubull flights coafind_t)e bullxiateaee of these 1012~e1 llu~ observed only a tew lone eDpaua We estimate OM to thre metrtc toe of middot rtce per day IIIOV1ft8 alODg thb route at maxiiiiUD
ampice reportedly DOt middotonly menu up tomiddot cambodia but c011111a cSOVQ as -u here 418 reports that shy rice c-bull down fro~~ CCIbo41a to be mlled at Fhu Hy -d thea returua to either tlwl 195th C~ovp or the 200tb NVA tear Support Croup alao 111 this aeoeral uea GaaoU~ ohortage1 411d rice
- 8 -
___ ___________~-- ----shy----shy-
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
1middot- middot middot middotf740008~1068 ~
~IOFgtl_ -
CAN tHO A- 001
adll brealcdotma La Cambodia bOve aeceesfeated this IWlneuvfir A Ra Tien PoUcamp Special acaocb 11111n b)Jd ConGea off1c~rs of 4A illegal flostiQjJ rice mill la the fbu My Vflese areo which fs proceuing NV paddy PVA 4686 c_onftrma th~ milt 1
8 -dstence bull
Ea~bllsbmeot of the Bl-kade _ bull middot middotmiddot- middot-middot - middot -~middot middot Apparently alarmed that thi~~oVCNVA rlce buying progr- might ~ive up tle middotmiddot priee o_f c-_ke ~Q CVN amprampaa and i~Kuce a ngtnawa~inflat1tgtn 1 and that major rice diversions to the COIIIIIIUnhts could exacerbate an already short supply aituatton the GVN in August began to iJDplemant plana to shut dawn the VCWA supply ayatem A Prime Mfnist~rs Directive in llidAugUampt iDStrueted border pravinle chiefamp to cleviatt plAns to balt the flow of gooda 1o tha c-ns su he QUefa of Cbaaamp Doc lUOD G1aD3 ~ ltiaA ~ Provinces divtdec their areas lnto restricted _controlled and free trade aoQampa ~ eaurbull middot~ -a we lalelti- amp-reauiLCe4 ~~~C~~amp 11ftArrtD8 tbaamp- shyregulated cODDOdity ctlUld legally cross it Other ~estticted z6nes ere the lr8111 Forest area of western Ha tien and ~a of the 5-en Mountains in Olau Doc Controlled ~ones i e those middot in ~ich_citizens llllly possess only limited amounts of regulat~d goods were established primatily in Hofl8 Ngu Dlstrict These rones c~red the entire district except for the border and a five-kUC~Eter radlua around the district town itAelf vbich vas ~e a free ~tade area Conti-olled areas were also created in middotthose middotparts of C241u Doc aod Ha Tien adjacent tomiddot th-e Seven ampuntains aod the Tram Forest The remainder of Chau Doc and Ha Tien were deltlared f r ee ttadll Zones lllellning that aU goods could move therein without restriction
7 Impact of the Rice Collection ~ign
nle border tgtloekade -a middotbarely undervay lolhen in early Septumber HR4 initiated a more strict lncernal ric~ restriction and Saigon delivery plan (Ke Hoach lbu -Hila Loa Gao) sued at preventing a rice shortage in the C3pital cUy and the Central High_lands Tbe plan ltllllde it Ulegal i n the border pravirues to move rice and pAddy 1n any zone llbether f ree ralltricted or controlled Thua bull by the beginniQ8 of September the entin tri-ptovinee area hampd in gffect become a giallc controlled zone _ in wblcb rice and paddy could not be legally JDaYed without penzaiasion except for minimal amounta for family couamptlllption Die plan iade any unauthorized mavement of rice or paddy-nd not just transportation acroa themiddot bor~ into middot Camaunlampt areas--grounds for coafiseation this pomiddotint 1s particularly important for a _fqll understanding of the results of the blockade in the tribullpraviace area since a large portion of GVlf confiscated goodl were actually seized 1n areu designAted aa free trade zones Wider the orfglnsl blockade plan Fot exampl~ the gteat IIIBjarity of the 1125 ~~le arrested ln Tan Cbau wr~ apprehended in what orfbull ginally vere free trade zones It vas therefore the Rice Collection campaign-not rN econolllic blockadeWh1ch middotacounted for most of the goOdsmiddot confiscated since Sept~r Seca~ the ~ programplllll operated
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
eimultm$0w_ly lt 1a difttclt to tell wblch middot accounted middotformiddot whic conftscationbullmiddot Purthe~re c~raatlooe vlth ouaeroua CVN officials reve~ that middot tba oUidala 40011 ceaaed distilllli11hlft8 middot ~t-n the two promiddot srama at leutmiddot aa far as the prevent1011 of llleal movet~~~tnt gou (The lllce Collection Campaign it Samp8t be reutllbered not only made DJch r1ce t illeaal buc in Chea Doc amped lloag lifJu had a forced sale aapect ro 1 t as well) In reaUty wt~llbull there Were tIO progl- bullmiddot tllere vaa in effect only one unified bl~keda middotoPration ~ 1t covered the lltltin umiddoti-prov1oce border area middot middot
~ros~am
8 Kacllanics of the Blockade
b6 CVII Qampampd bastcally tM apparatUA to carry out tbe blockade io shy all tbQampshy~- OD Maor watampTVayS bull tlta Ravy a1 Maft_ Police
shared reaponaibility _for atoppiQS aad searching all craft on land at _ _OX border cxoebulliDamp po1DLa e0Dbloe4 cbeckpeiata werbull utabliampbecS wbieh comprised personnel of tbe MiUtary Security Service Nattooal Police Hilltary Police 8middot2 aectiooa and RP and PP Add1tionally-each village vas required tomiddot eatabliah a combined middotmob11e 1napPct1on team incorpora~ing police PSOP PF and vlllase and h~let civilian offitials Moreover the ubiq~~tous RF and PF crutpoata bee8me static checkpa1nu along all
middotmajor ~ighwaya Io each caa~ ehe miaaion vas to atop and search vehicles a~ coaflecate t_bose it- moviD$ lllag_d 1fmiddot ln Cheu Doc Province beltshyborne military operatiotia were conducted Hgularly (about once every ten dayamp) agaibtt Keown VC market places and occaatonally helicopters arreeted suuaglersmiddot aving goods surreptitiously middot On otut ()(Cas ion ChiN Doc Rl
middot on Auguat 15 penunently oceupted an open market area effectively cloatns it According to controlled Aaerican bullourcea the National Police Special Bnmch vu sinn a ajectlll tasking by General Nghi to cheek up oo the entire CVll blockade at1d to report directly to htm on sny tnstancea of corrupti~m or failure to carey out orders bull thua giving the progra a covert inspection team middot
9 Effectiveness
In trying to detenaioe the effectiveness of theee -asures several aspects an relevaat tha total amount of _goode c-onfiscated and the estimiddot mated perceatege Vhich got through the effect of the blockade on Vietnamese Coaunlst ~11tary units and repercuseioaamp within GVH areas
lO
_middot-----
a HatJrial ConftscatioD and Aqeats
the oilowing table ~bon th ntDilber of aax~ta made and goods wnfiscated lD the ~rder area chuting the permiddotf~ September 1 tc Novlllllber 15 1973
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
TiM Bien 29 22 580 270 2450 0 0 Aalbu l2 152 197 2225 1442 1365 middot100 a- Pbv bull us-- 576 105amp79middot 34114 ~3485 _3303 amp0 Ba Tien i7 16 Q ~- fL 12 ~
Total 721 2274 139277 107582 54351 ~n9 6037
FollowinS are the tota19 for the saae categories for amp11 of Kll4
192~ 5516 782660 2076480 75601 45 oor 67944
lheBe pound~ ahDw that rwgllly OIUIbulltbird of all MB4 violations aud 407 of all MR4 arrests occurred in Roog igubull Ha Ttellmiddot and the border districts of Qrau Doc The volUIIle of goods_captured in theae districtamp vas ~er low A comparison vitb the nuiitber of violations excepmiddott for the case of ugar Fo1 ~le tribullprovince area amprJests (4Jt of the total) acocunt for only about 201 of total paddy and gas confiseat1oi1B lot of diesel middottonfiscat1ons -imd 51 of middotmiiled rice confiscatlons This euggesta 8 liiOre rigorous prograa on the borde1 than elsewhere vitb cOnfiacatiorua of _n 118 well as large shipmentamp Stated VCWA strategy it ehould lgte 1eaembered called fo1 ~lfn8 of goods in Slllall amounts- middot
A secODd aigtlificant poilt 18 that the blouade achieved middotmuch better reampUlta middot 1A tbe districts of Chau Doc Province thao ui either HB Tien 01 Hong Ngu ibe evfdmree tndicates tbe Cbau Doc sueceee resulted frora g1ampater middotCOIillllind att~tion and IIIOA effecUve low-lfiel illlplementatiou and did noll occur because more contraband mavea through Cbau Doc than through the other tvo disCrlete It is instructive in this resamprd to OIIIpare Tan Chau and Hon8 llgubull vbicb lie aide by side aod haVe a ccmDOn covert VCWA ~ly oute twit~Iriamp lfirouan theiR Botll haVe atiiililr ltVeh-otrafffc INC Tan Cbau had middot maDy 1110re arrests Another indieator of greater blockade zeal fn Chau Doc is the higher p1oportlml of iDcidents recordecl and arresta tll8de there as compared with toea La for the rest of HR4 middot bull
Number of Violatimui liumber of Persotis Arreated
Cbau Doc 550 ampeat of HB4 1373
_ ~middot
- 11 shy
SBSRF 00PORN middotmiddot- --middot -middotmiddot
middot middot ~ q----middot
__ ___middot_ ________________
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
middot middot---
Jt lll~ttte PQillted out however that apparently a great ceal of rica did IIIOVe illegally hom aouthttrn Tan Cbsu Dhtrict to Hoag ~gu 4nd poundr0111 th~e eith~r into the black zarluit andor tD the VCWA _This was 8pparently a response to
the high price beiai offered by the ~ists and ~he low p-riee paid by the Govermasnt 111 their forced colbcdon campaign in Chau Doc This ttaffic so depleted Tan Chaus rice st~res that in Moveaber faced with rieing popular Ojlposition and fears tAat C411tilwed foread colleetiona would laava tlte people vithdut rice the CVN had to canctl ila -rice purchase quotas for all of Chau Doe HoH of the -ggle4 rice moved from Tan Chau across long Thuan Village
of Hong igu to Lollamp KJmnh and up _to th~ Coamwiist marketat Ca sach
In SUMUJY~ ~-emiddot estimate tllat tbe blockade in Chau Doc stopped as 111Uch as 6~ to Sot of tfe traffic flowUlg frgu Cbau Doc to VClWA areas in cambodia In Ba Tien aui ~Hoq lil_gu we eatflllata ouly 251 to 4~
b Effect on the CoIDunista
All evidence ~11ab~ BUgget~ts thaL dfe eeonomic blockade and otheJr factorsmiddot iaside Cambodia combined 10 pul the tWA and VC units middotalong 11e border in 8
~ery short supply (ituation Hunger reportedy caused many soldiers to rally to the CVM 1 to deselt or in a few extrerae casea to multilate ttiESRaelves so they wculd be sent to a field hospital Where rations were 1110re plentiful (can Tho 767) in S~ptesaber 1 almost every prisoner and rallier brou~ht to 014u middot Doc sector for questioning said rice in hia unit was in very short supply FVA 4615 confirms that beglruling 4smiddot early as June a1id July (prior to tlle blockade) the E-207 NVA Regiment located in Peam Chor District of middothey Vang Province (above Hong Ngu) was runniQg out of rice and auffering desershyt ionsmiddot ampI 8 resu 1t Other reports nd-icate that as lllllnY as 204 of VC An Ciang Provirice so lUers deserted 1n August and September because of food shortages Further FVA 4_597 report hat in early Septembemiddotr NVA units located in the mOuiBins in southern Talceo Proowince (north of Chau Doc) were having difficulty ill buying and transporting rice becau1e of the GVN blockshyade Thh report also altribules le the CVM blockade a gesoline shortage iu VCNVA arMs of CUibodia The report taYs lack of gasoline -forced most rice mills to cease operations further eiacerbating the rice shortage FVA 4598 canfirllls this bull stat1ng that in early September VC and NVA riJe stocks in southern Takeo Province were only one-half their nonDai leve 1 and 1
diBpite the fact that they had plenty of money to spend finance aad economic middot cadre had been unable to find enough rice to buy
It seems apparent that the tight VCNVA aupply situat~wamiddots initially CA1Uled by deve1opmenta in Cambodia (outlined Jn paragraph 3 above)and that the GVN econoaitc blockade served to make a difficult situation worse One other factor--the n~d to provide rice to the VCMIA units along the Camshybodian border inGVll HR2--further hampered the VCNVA supply situation Acalrding to ARVN officers all local VCNVA units were forced as part of a general self-euffici~ncy pro~ to grov their own riee 1 freeing rice purchased fr0111 the GVN econCJIIIY far sbipli8Ilt baclc up themiddot trail This requirement to ship local rice nor~h plua a concomicant severe reduction of rice suppliea middot frOIII COSVN piJt these units in an elCtremely tight rice supply
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
lileuatfott It 1a the optniDn p 411 aeriior AaVH offl cen ill the border area tt~tmiddot tb~ rice ShOrtage gtGat ) ii Hlftd iJ feepiag tha VClfvA fZOII initiating any a1p1Ucant military operationw d~trlng September Occober ancl_Novamber
iul4 yenU an UlpOr~ factor ill ue ccetnsful AllYN ope~t101111 to cl~r rhe NVA frOIIl the mountains in veatem Chaumiddot Doc Province bull
Although the rice collection cu~paign precipitated a black urk~t ~ystem and price dUlOcat1oDs in CWl Do~ l1t~l6 dlaruption ~ramp tr4ceable -to tiw blockade middot tlost of the black market ace ivity seems to have been caused by the
middotrelatively low prices set by themiddot GVH We cclnclude therefore that the COOOIIIiC blockade 88 originally deagued--le 1 not tO include the_free trade zooaamp--cu be amducteoi iRde-fiDitely al~ tbu border vltlwUt disruptiag tl=shyloal ecoaoiiiiY aad vithOut pLteiftg- bullrrr ~u on the ineerrlal poltt-tcal
sitiJlltion We further conclude middotthat the free t rade zones CDuld be controlled bullbull -ll-vi~ -riUJri-~o---peli--ilaquotl ~rilaquomJ- - ~ lttr
it is lot associated With a forced rice purchase progrUgt ba~ed on what are perceived by farmen as unrealistically low prica It is our belief however that lf the blockade we~e carried out in an effective manner inmiddot the restricted and controlled zones there wopld b_e no need for restrictionli io the free tr_ade t~ne
a The bloclcBde was effective in 1110st of Chau Doc IIWlrglnally effective to ineffective in Ha Tien andineffective in Hong Ngu
b The GVN will never be abl~ eo stop all movement of goods across the border but baa the necessary men and equipment to curta 11 1108t of it
c The effectiveness of the blockade is hlgl1ly clependent on commind emphasis regular checking and inspection and pro_per allocation of reshysources Io Chau Doc where the Pravincemiddot thiei forcefully c~itted himself eo the prograa vhere laxperformance vas punished and where heli=pters ere regularly used the blockade proved ellttremely effective
d The most middotprcentvalentmiddotmiddot foR) of blockade subversion vas the acceptance by GvN and ARVN officiamp 1s of bribes to a llav goods to move illegally Wive a of AltYN servicemen efllactive ly iawne fr0111 arrest a l itO accepted bribes to move goods through middot the blockade -- -
~ - middot
middotii the blockAdes second major vealmess vas laclc of an effective UD1fied chain of cOIIIIIAnd for blockade enfoJCESiellt Although all tallitary t~nits io the border areas vere middotander tbe control of tlie Collllllde~ omiddotf the 44th Special Tactical middotzone (StZ) be and his ataff took no part in dayshyto-day blockade operations The tan Cbau aftuation lOiots u~ the diffieulties 1n such an arraaaement bull In middotthe Tan Cbau City vicinity there middot vere np fewer than three separa~e independent CODDands 1lup lemerit lng the
- 13 shy
SBGilBiNOfOBB
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
KC I VCNVA ANll FANlC A middot U~SIDE CAMBO~smiddotor COtnROLI
middotlttmiddotmiddot 0 I)ISTRlCT bull VlLlAGE
~ - middot-- ~
~tgtreg
~TIONL ~RY bull
DISTRicT B~RY MOUirrAm r~VINCE BOUNDARY
VCmJA CQHHpound~CIAL ROUTES
Prey Yens middot
An Gians
AmCHMEmo D
1
I
I Klan bullbull lhOng middot~-shy
VCNVA Mark4te and Commercial Routes
(
- ~
-middot-middotmiddot--middotmiddot- -
- _ middot bullmiddot
GAll bull middot~- middotmiddotmiddotbullmiddot
blodlade_che Navy tn Cbeu Sllbe~ctor ea4 11oq Rsu ~biJectpr Witt aq cme authority to orctleatrace t)aeir actb1t1ea tbere waa little or n0 -CDOpalattoD cmlJI middottbam _ datideaclu Wiat-~ced~ middot -=middot~D rlee was tolen at To Chau on Octobel 28 (CIID Tho 7)middotmiddotaU tb~ orgaolampetioua were -ble to deny reepoaaiblllty for aUowlq tb4 thett 10 occur middot ---middot---
f A third weekassa of the blockade vaa tbetailare middotto paecute it vts-ly ~amp ~ _Hp ~acdet middot Bel~~-L~- -~~ ~ -~ used amp11 flllportutly the autborltfaa have ude GO bull against Ce Sach lllllrk8t vbich Operates opeaiy aD4 bl111utly PVS 32916 atatea tbat lt naaiu opea because -the VC haVe brlbtHI a lllllllber ofmiddot offlclale ln Sdpa - -~ middot Pif-ll middot lacloaurea Att~A-la
