tedrick@ernie.Berkeley.EDU (Tom Tedrick) (06/05/90)
From: tedrick@ernie.Berkeley.EDU (Tom Tedrick) I came across some interesting info while going through "The End of The Line: The Siege of Khe Sanh" (Robert Pisor) I wonder if some of the readers of this group might be able to comment on the possibility that the leakage of information involved compromised crypto-systems. (Pages 222-223) ******************************************************* " ... the North Vietnamese buildup seemed immune to the bombing. Furthermore, recent battlefield interrogations had turned up persuasive evidence that the B-52 missions had been compromised." "North Vietnamese Army Lieutenant Le Thanh Dong, a thirty- three-year-old officer who had surrendered in mid-March, told his captors that he had gotten warnings up to twenty-four hours before a B-52 strike. He credited foreign agents who, he said, sent timely information through the Central Security Service in Hanoi." "Captain Nguyen Cong Tan, who had commanded a North Vietnamese intelligence operation before he defected, claimed he had been aware of take-off times and targets for B-52 missions. Four other captives claimed in separate interviews that their units had received the tentative coordinates of B-52 raids, and warned to move if they were in a target area." "Captain Phan Van Hong, who had commanded enemy infantry at Khe Sanh, told American interrogators that he had received 'frequent, timely, and accurate warnings' of B-52 raids either by telephone or radio 'at least two hours before the strike.'" ************************************************************