OPERATION TAILWIND

OPERATION TAILWIND

Virtual Truth Commission

On June 7, 1998 CNN and TIME published three major allegations about "Operation Tailwind" in Laos in 1970 which if true would each have represented major atrocities by American military personnel:

Sarin nerve gas was used by American Special Operations personnel

Defectors -- American military personnel who were now fighting on behalf of the enemy, were a target for execution by American Special Operations personnel

Over one hundred civilian noncombatants were killed by American Special Operations personnel for no discernable military purpose.

Read the now-declassified official Studies and Observations Group 1970 History, including Tailwind.

1. Summary.

The CNN feature states that on September 11, 1970, a "hatchet force" of 16 U. S. Army Special Forces soldiers from the "Studies and Observations Group" (SOG), and approximately 140 Montagnard mercenaries helicoptered 60 miles deep into Laos from a Vietnamese base, Dak To. SOG commandos carried out "black operations" against unusual targets, using unusual weapons. For Operation Tailwind, they had been told anything in the non-nuclear U. S. arsenal would be available to them. A few days before a reconnaissance team had been scouting the area for defectors. Some Caucasians in a Laotian camp having been identified as defectors, the hatchet force was sent to eliminate them. By September 14, the third day, more than half the commandos were wounded and were low on ammunition. American planes were called in, which gassed the camp with deadly sarin. The next morning, the team entered the village and killed "about 100 peoples that included not only women and children but also what some believed to be a group of American G.I.s who had defected to the enemy." (Time, June 15, p. 37) Because the SOG team in the village was now under fire from North Vietnamese in the hills, sarin gas was again said to have been employed, permitting extraction of the team.

Following publication, criticisms were voiced from many sources. A major concern from this site was the focus of the articles on the sarin nerve gas almost to the exclusion of other issues. CNN/Time clearly recognize that the use of sarin nerve gas would have been a violation of U. S. standards, however, the published account describes other actions which, regardless of their truth, CNN/Time fails to acknowlege as any sort of violation:

The purpose of "Operation Tailwind" is said to be the killing of American defectors in Laos who had been previously sighted at the target location. Lt. Van Buskirk is quoted as having killed two such defectors with a white phosphorus grenade. The article thus alleges that those who killed the defectors, and those who ordered the killing, acted as judge, jury and executioner, something the military has no authority to do. The article does not address the possibility that caucasians seen in Laos might have been American prisoners of war.

The village in which the alleged defectors are living is said to have contained over 100 civilian noncombatants, who also were deliberately killed when the American/Montagnard team entered the village. The killing of unresistant noncombants is murder, and has been termed such by the U. S. Army in its Soldiers Medal citation to Hugh Thompson, who saved civilian lives during the My Lai massacre; however, the CNN feature is oblivious to this.

See letter to CNN by Reed Irvine, Accuracy in Media.

Later, the story was withdrawn by CNN and TIME. Subsequently April Oliver and Jack Smith, producers of the story, were fired, and CNN rushed to make cash settlements with persons such as Admiral Moorer who had been quoted in the article. Oliver and Smith, however, maintain that the story was correct as they reported it.

The speed of the CNN withdrawal prevented a number of issues from being addressed:

2. Sarin Nerve Gas

What is it, and how does it work? An article on "Nerve Gases" states that chemical warfare consists of poisonous gases that damage nerves, blood, and tissues such as lungs and skin. A lethal dose of VX consists of 10mg-min and the onset of the symptoms are slightly slower than Sarin.

Cautions: Important precautions include: any Sarin not immediately vaporized can form a contact hazard on the ground which can subsequently reinforce the respiratory hazard increased lethality, especially through skin, at higher environmental temperatures protection required: gas mask and protective clothing clothing should be decontaminated and skin washed thoroughly if Sarin exposure is suspected
First-aid and therapy Immediate administration of appropriate therapy is essential. Techniques include: artificial respiration and oxygen atropine-oxime therapy (especially 2 mg atropine +150 mg obidoxime chloride in an autoinjector) supplemental administration of muscular relaxation medicines may be helpful prophylactic treatment with pralidoxime (2-PAM) is recommended if exposure is anticipated (e.g. in decontamination procedures)
Neutralization and decontamination Addition of alkaline solution accelerates decomposition. Also effective is a rise in temperature and addition of a catalyst (e.g. hypochlorite from bleaching powder). An area exposed to Sarin will decontaminate itself within a few days.

Could it have been present in Vietnam? Various sources say either none was in country, which would have made the account impossible, or that it was available to units such as SOG. John Plaster (NY Times, June 18) points out that the Joint Chiefs of Staff on February 2, 1968 authorized use of CBU-19, a tear gas, for search and rescue operations in Laos, however even such use of gas had to be approved by Gen. Creighton Abrams, the commander of all forces in South Vietnam. Pentagon spokesman Jim Turner told the AP on Sunday, June 7, 1998, "We have no historical evidence to confirm we ever used nerve gas in Vietnam or mounted operations against defectors." Nevertheless, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen has ordered an inquiry into new charges that United States forces used nerve gas against American defectors during the Vietnam War, the Pentagon said June 17. Cohen stressed that the Pentagon had not found evidence to substantiate the allegations, which were raised by the Cable News Network and Time magazine. But he said he had asked the Air Force and the Army to search their records from the Vietnam War era to determine whether the accusations have merit. ''It is a serious allegation, obviously,'' Mr. Cohen said today. ''And it's something that I have asked the service secretaries and those acting in their place to conduct an investigation and to find out whatever information that could validate these charges. At this point, I see no such information that would support that. But you know, it is always possible. So we will continue to look at it, and I will follow up with the information that comes from the service secretaries.'' James Risen, "Cohen Orders Inquiry Into U.S. Nerve Gas Charges," New York Times, June 18, 1998.

Another site refers to equipment used by helicopter pilots for protection from gas and suggests they be queries more closely; Ask the Helicopter Crews

An article about CBW in Earth magazine, published out of San Francisco from 1970 to 1972, of which only a few copies remain on the face of the earth included a sidebar about a purported use of nerve gas VX in Cambodia in 1968.

If used, would its use have been consistent with the CNN/Time accounts? A Special Forces narrative describes the various types of gas and their effects. Sarin is said to be invisible, however Lt. Van Buskirk was said to have seen wisps of it. There is also question as to whether the gas masks available would have protected against real sarin. John Plaster (NY Times, June 18) Gas masks are effective against tear gas, but nerve gas penetrates the skin through clothing, and require full chemical protective suits, which no-one has claimed were used. The CNN story states that the team entered the village the morning after it had had nerve gas dumped on it, while Army guidelines require wating 32 days before sending unmasked troops into an area struck by sarin. Atropine and field decontamination kits also are required in areas where nerve gas may have been present, and no claim has been made that any such were present.

If it had been used, would it have been likely that the North Vietnamese would have remained igorant of its use, or have chosen to remain silent? There were no North Vietnamese complaints about sarin, however there were extensive complaints about the use of other gases. John Plaster (NY Times, June 18) notes that CNN's "greatest shortcoming was its failure to offer one reason for the military to have used nerve gas--especially since the potential political consequences would be so high. Why use nerve gas four months after the Kent State killings, during the height of the anti-war movement? Wouldn't the North Vietnamese have gone out of their way to protest and publicize so horrendous a war crime?"

Moorer, Thomas. Vietnam-era Chief of Naval Operations; former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Told CNN that the Nixon White House's national security team had to approve use of the sarin nerve gas for Operation Tailwind in 1970, and that the CIA had partial responsibility for it. CNN stated that Moorer confirmed, off camera, that target of Operation Tailwind was American defectors, and that sarin nerve gas was "by and large available" for high-risk search-and-rescue missions and that "this is a much bigger operation than you realize." However, Adm. Moorer stated on June 17 that he had no firsthand knowledge of the Laotian mission, or of the use of sarin in Vietnam. ''The authorization for the use of gas would have had to come from higher than me,'' he said. James Risen, "Cohen Orders Inquiry Into U.S. Nerve Gas Charges," New York Times, June 18, 1998.
McCarley, Eugene. Captain, U. S. Army, Commander of Operation Tailwind. CNN states he equipped all his men with M-17 gas masks, which are designed to protect against nerve gas, however, as Plaster notes above, full chemical protective suits are required to protect against sarin. (See also CNN Disproved) Plaster reports that he spoke with McCarley after the CNN report. McCarley told Plaster, "American deserters were never mentioned in our mission briefing...we never saw a single Caucasian during the operation. There were no defectors there. Looking for defectors was not our mission." When interviewed by CNN, McCarley rebutted Lieutenant Van Buskirk's accusation about use of sarin, however, he told Plaster, CNN paraphrased and minimzed his words. (NY Times, June 18, 1998)
John L. Plaster, MAJ, USAR (Ret.) a noted expert on long range shooting, who was present on the helipad when the Tailwind team returned, also states, "while writing a book on the special forces in Vietnam, published last year, I tracked down rumors that a "sleeping gas" of some kind had been used on these missions. All my sleuthing led to a single answer: the agent was CBU-19."
Another site discusses government denials of use of sarin in the context of various other denials which have subsequently been proved wrong: U. S. Used Nerve Gas on U. S. Defectors

3. Defectors

The CNN article alleges that its purpose was to eliminate American "defectors."

Were there in fact American defectors?
The military would answer yes in at least once case--that of Private Bobby Garwood, who was returned from Hanoi in 1979, 6 years after any other POW/MIA, and was court martialed on the grounds of defection.
Jay Graves, a SOG advance recon team leader, reported (Time, June 15, p. 38) and radioed back that through a special field telescope, his men had spotted "roundeyes" in the village.

Were there many American defectors?
At Tailwind alone, Van Buskirk reports that after the villagers were killed, Montagnards reported to him that "beaucoup roundeyes" were found dead in the hootches, "a dozen, 15, maybe 20" (Time, June 15, p. 39). With respect to the overall number of Vietnam war defectors, the Time magazine account (June 15, p. 39) reports a SOG veteran at Fort Bragg stating, "There were more defectors than people realize." Time quotes Adm. Moorer as stating there were "scores". Another SOG veteran put the number at close to 300, however, CNN reported that the Pentagon told them there were only two known military defectors during the Vietnam War.

Was it policy to seek out and kill American defectors?
In the book Spite House, Colonel Tom C. McKenney reports his belief at the time that there were many defectors, and he himself sought to kill Bobby Garwood.
Major General John Singlaub, USAF, Ret., former SOG commander, told "NewsStand" in reference to the "Operation Tailwind" use of sarin nerve gas in September, 1970, that it could be more important to the survival of U. S. troops to kill defectors than enemy soldiers because the defectors' knowledge of communications and tactics "can be damaging." Time (June 15, p. 38) reports that according to SOG veterans, they had no rules of engagement: anything ws permissiable as long as it was deniable. Their motto, according to Van Buskirk: "Kill them all, and let God sort it out."

Was the purpose of Operation Tailwind to kill defectors?
A perspective of other accounts is that Operation Tailwind was a military operation designed to draw NVA attention in Laos to permit an allied base camp area elsewhere in Laos to be defended, and that Operation Tailwind did not have human rights overtones. CNN and Time state that the mission of the team was specifically oriented to killing American defectors. Plaster states that the target of Operation Tailwind was "Binh Tram," a logistical sub-headquarters on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. "Col. John Sadler, the commander of America's covert operations in Southeast Asia in 1970, declined to be interviewed by CNN," but told John Plaster, "Operation Tailwind was a diversion to draw North Vietnamese forces away so an allied attack could succeed in southern Laos. It was a clear-cut mission, and I should know because I ordered that operation." (NY Times, June 18). Plaster states that he himself was on gthe helipad when the special forces commandos returned from Tailwind, and if any American defectors or Caucasians been seen, or poisonous gas used, such astonishing occurances would have been the major conversation topic--but they weren't.

Were, in fact, defectors killed in Tailwind?
Van Buskirk, Robert, 1st Lieutenant. Platoon Leader. CNN reports he spotted two Caucasians on Operation Tailwind and believes he killed both. "It was pretty well understood that if you came across a defector, and could prove it to youself beyond a reasonable doubt, do it, under any circumstance, kill them...it wasn't about bringing them back, it was to kill them. AP reported that Van Buskirk described the scene as "a mess." "It was just pieces of human beings," he said, adding that among the more than 100 bodies, soldiers saw more than a dozen Americans they believed to be defectors. However, Buskirk himself wrote a book about the mission, "Tailwind" published in 1983, which does not mention either nerve gas or American defectors. Van Buskirk states in Time (June 15, p. 39) that he had been asked by his superior officer to omit the part about dropping a white phosphorous grenade on two American defectors. Other reports circulating on the internet raise other questions about Van Buskirk's credibility.
Jim Cathey, U. S. Air Force "ratpack" commando and NCO in charge of resupply for SOG commandos on Operation Tailwind, was reported by CNN to have observed the village prior to the "hatchet team" mission being authorized. "I believe that there were American defectors in that group of people in that village, because there was ... no sign of any kind of restraint. They walked around as though they were a part of the bunch.
Mike Hagen, Sergeant, reported that the "majority of the people there were not combat personnel. The few infantry people they had we overran immediately. We basically destroyed everything there." (Time, June 15, p. 39). The Time article reports that Hagen also received the report of the Montagnards who searched the camp for documents and booty, that they had noted "beaucoup roundeyes" dead in the hootches.

If Caucasians were killed, could they have been other than defectors? An article "MIA and Sarin Gas", which is no longer on the internet, suggested that "many of the victims of this and possibly other similar assaults on supposed US defectors account for many of the MIA's from the Vietnam war, since the Pentagon surely tried to cover up such actions.

Operation Tailwind: Continued on page 2

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