Bits N Pieces March 25, 1995 Article
Courtesy Lynn O'Shea, National Alliance of Families

A 7 DECEMBER 1973 DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY MEMO,
SIGNED BY CHARLES TROWBRIDGE, PROVIDED TO THE NATIONAL
ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES AND OTHER POW/MIA GROUPS, OFFERS
AN INTERESTING VIEW OF AVAILABLE INTELLIGENCE.

TODAY, WE WILL DEAL WITH ONE OF THE DOCUMENTS
CITED IN THE MEMO. THAT DOCUMENT IS "6 918 5269 73
USDAO SAIGON 11 SEP 73 POSSIBLE GRAVESITE OF USA MIA'S
MORRIS & PETERSON (WORD UNREADABLE) ARMY MIA'S BUSH,
DEANE, KNUTSON, LAUTERIO, STINSON AND WILSON."

WILLIAM DEANE, RICHARD KNUTSON, MICKEY WILSON, WILLIAM
STINSON, ELBERT BUSH AND MANUEL LAUTERIO WERE ON BOARD
A HELICOPTER SHOT DOWN OVER QUANG TRI PROVINCE
SOUTH VIETNAM ON JANUARY 8TH, 1973, EXACTLY 19 DAYS
BEFORE THE SIGNING OF THE PARIS PEACE ACCORDS.

OUR INFORMATION COMES FROM A CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
AGENCY REPORT # CS-311/-00565-73. DATE OF THE
INFORMATION IS 8 - 13 JANUARY 1973.

SUBJECT -- 8 JANUARY 1973 SHOOTDOWN OF U.S.
HELICOPTER AND CAPTURE OF FOUR PILOTS BY VIET
CONG IN QUANG TRI PROVINCE SOUTH VIETNAM.

THE CIA DOCUMENT STATES "AT A MEETING HELD
BETWEEN 2000 HOUR ON 12 JANUARY AND 0030 HOURS
ON 13 JANUARY 1973, MEMBERS OF THE VIET CONG
QUANG TRI PROVINCE PARTY COMMITTEE TOLD MEMBERS OF
THE VIET CONG GIO LINH AND TRIEU PHONG DISTRICT
PARTY COMMITTEES THAT A UNITED STATES (US) HELICOPTER
WAS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN SHOT DOWN ON
8 JANUARY 1973 IN NHAM BIEU HAMLET (YD32_527) IN
MAI LINH DISTRICT, QUANG TRI PROVINCE, SOUTH VIETNAM,
BY THE 35TH QUANG TRI PROVINCIAL REGULAR COMPANY.
THE HELICOPTER WAS CARRYING FOUR U.S. PILOTS, ALL
OF WHOM WERE CAPTURED. TWO OF THE PILOTS
WERE SENT TO NORTH VIETNAM REGION 4 ON 9
JANUARY. THE FATE OF THE OTHER TWO PILOTS
WAS NOT DISCLOSED."

THIS DOCUMENT CAN ONLY RELATE TO DEANE,
KNUTSON, WILSON, BUSH, LAUTERIO AND STINSON.

THE CIA ANALYSIS AGREED. COMMENTS TYPED ON THE
BOTTOM OF THE PAGE READ "COORDINATES, DATE,
CIRCUMSTANCES CORRELATE EXACTLY WITH DEANE, KNUTSON,
WILSON, BUSH, LAUTERIO, STINSON INCIDENT. ONLY THE NUMBER
OF PERSONNEL REPORTED (4) FAILS TO TALLY."

ALL CREWMEN ARE LISTED BY THE DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE
AGENCY AS CATEGORY 1. YET, NONE OF THESE MEN CAME HOME.

ANOTHER CIA "MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD" DEALING
WITH THIS INCIDENT IS DATED MARCH 11, 1975.

THE SUBJECT -- "RETURNEE (BLACKED OUT) COMMENTS REGARDING
8 JANUARY 1973 HELICOPTER CRASH IN QUANG TRI (U)".

"1. (U) IN HIS DEBRIEF (BLACKED OUT) STATED THAT
PRIOR TO 27 JAN 73 HE HAD READ AN
ARTICLE IN THE NORTH VIETNAMESE NEW AGENCY ABOUT
THE SHOOTING DOWN OF A HELICOPTER. HE THOUGHT
THE NAMES LAUTERIO, DEAN, AND STINSON WERE
FAMILAR (SIC) TO HIM IN ASSOCIATION WITH
THE ARTICLE. (OTHERS ABOARD THE HELICOPTER WERE
WILSON, BUSH, AND KNUTSON.) HE STATED THAT PURCELL
AND BLANK HAD READ THE ARTICLE ALSO
BUT NEITHER MAKES MENTION OF IT IN HIS DEBRIEF."

"2. (U) TODAY I CALLED (BLACKED OUT)
TO FURTHER QUESTION HIM REGARDING THIS ARTICLE."

"3. (C) PURCELL MENTIONED THE NORTH VIETNAMESE NEWS
AGENCY IN HIS DEBRIEF AND STATED THAT IT WAS A
MIMEOGRAPHED NEWS SHEET WHICH CONTAINED NEWS RELEASES
FROM RADIO HANOI AND EXTRACTS FROM NORTH VIETNAMESE
NEWSPAPERS. (BLACKED OUT) CONFIRMED THIS AND ADDED
THAT THE PUBLICATION WAS A PERIODICAL GIVEN TO
PWS MORE OR LESS ON A WEEKLY BASIS. HE
REMEMBERS READING THE ARTICLE ABOUT MID-JANUARY
1973 AND THAT THE ARTICLE DESCRIBED A
HELICOPTER SHOOTDOWN ABOUT FIVE DAYS OR A
WEEK BEFORE THE PUBLICATION DATE. (DEAN AND
FIVE OTHERS WERE LOST 8 JAN 73.) ALTHOUGH
HE HAS DIFFICULTY REMEMBERING FOR SURE
(BLACKED OUT) IMPRESSION WAS THAT THE PLACE OF
SHOOTDOWN WAS IN THE "NAGHAN" (PHONETIC) AREA,
WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS THE NORTH VIETNAMESE
PORTION OF THE DMZ REGION. WHEN I ASKED HIM
IF HIS DEBRIEF WAS ACCURATE IN STATING THAT HE
RECALLED THE NAMES LAUTERIO, DEAN AND
STINSON FROM THE ARTICLE, HE SAID THAT IT
IS DIFFICULT NOW FOR HIM TO RECALL EXACTLY
WHICH NAMES BECAUSE HIS DISCUSSIONS OF THIS
CASE SINCE HIS RELEASE HAS CLOUDED HIS RECOLLECTION
OF WHAT HE REMEMBERED AT RELEASE. HE DOES,
HOWEVER, REMEMBER THAT ALL THE NAMES DID NOT
SOUND FAMILAR (SIC)AT THE TIME. IN REGARDS
TO ANY STATEMENTS IN THE ARTICLE ON THE FATE
OF THE SIX MEN, HE RECALLS THAT THE
ARTICLE ALLUDED TO ONE OR TWO WOUNDED,
BUT, THERE WAS NO MENTION OF THE OTHERS.
HE WAS LEFT WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT
THE OTHERS WERE NEITHER WOUNDED OR KILLED."

"4. (U) (BLACKED OUT) OFFERED THAT (BLACKED OUT)
HAS A FANTASTIC MEMORY AND WOULD THEREFORE
BE A GOOD CONTACT FOR FURTHER PURSUE THIS MATTER."

THE MEMO IS SIGNED GARY KOBLITZ

NOW FOR THE SPIN DOCTORS.

A MEMO, DATED 23 SEP 1075 ADDRESSED TO MAJOR
JAMES L. PIKE, USA, CHIEF PW/MIA BRANCH DAAG-CAS STATES:

"1. REFERENCED MEMORANDUM WAS A SUMMARY OF AN
11 MARCH 1975 DIA TELCON WITH (BLACKED OUT)
RETURNEE WI (BLACKED OUT) REGARDING THE POSSIBILITY
THAT SOME CREW MEMBERS OF AN ARMY
HELICOPTER LOST IN QUANG TRI PROVINCE ON 8 JANUARY
1973 SURVIVED. IN HIS DEBRIEF, (BLACKED OUT)
THOUGHT THAT SOME NAMES OF THE CREW MEMBERS
INVOLVED WERE INCLUDED IN A NORTH VIETNAMESE
ARTICLE HE HAD READ WHILE HE WAS
INCARCERATED, BUT HIS MEMORY WAS NOT CLEAR.
(BLACKED OUT) SUGGESTED THAT FORMER PW
(BLACKED OUT) BE CONTACTED SINCE, ACCORDING TO
(BLACKED OUT) HE HAD ALSO READ THE ARTICLE."
"2. (BLACKED OUT) HAS BEEN CONTACTED, AND HE
COULD NOT RECALL ANY INFORMATION PERTAINING TO
THE HELICOPTER CRASH IN QUESTION. ACCORDING TO
THE REPORT PROVIDED TO DIR-4H (BLACKED OUT)
SAID THAT "DURING HIS INCARCERATION HE HAD
OFTEN HEARD STORIES CONCERNING AIR CRASHES
AND READ NUMEROUS NORTH VIETNAMESE NEW RELEASES
ALLUDING TO MANY DOWNED U.S. AIRCRAFT AND
PERSONNEL THAT IS WAS DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT
ANY PARTICULAR CRASH WITH ACCURACY."

THE MEMO IS SIGNED: CHARLES F. TROWBRIDGE, JR.CDR USN, CHIEF,
PW/MIA BRANCH RESOURCES AND INSTALLATIONS DIVISION.

OUR QUESTIONS:
DID MR. TROWBRIDGE READ THE SAME
11 MARCH 1975 MEMO THAT WE DID?

HAS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT REQUESTED THE RECORDS
OF THE 35TH QUANG TRI PROVINCIAL REGULAR COMPANY?

HAS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT REQUESTED COPIES OF
THE ARTICLES DESCRIBED BY THE RETURNED POWS.

JUST WHAT HAS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DONE
TO ACCOUNT FOR DEANE, KNUTSON, WILSON ,
BUSH, LAUTERIO, AND STINSON?

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