VIETNAM STUDIES

Allied Participation
in Vietnam

by
Lieutenant General Stanley Robert Larsen

and

Brigadier General James Lawton Collins, Jr.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 1985   

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 74-28217

First Printed 1975-CMH Pub 90-5

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S., Government Printing Office
Washington DC 20402

Foreword

The United States Army has met an unusually complex challenge in Southeast Asia. In conjunction with the other services, the Army has fought in support of a national policy of assisting an emerging nation to develop governmental processes of its own choosing, free of outside coercion. In addition to the usual problems of waging armed conflict, the assignment in Southeast Asia has required superimposing the immensely sophisticated tasks of a modern army upon an underdeveloped environment and adapting them to demands covering a wide spectrum. These involved helping to fulfill the basic needs of an agrarian population, dealing with the frustrations of antiguerrilla operations, and conducting conventional campaigns against well-trained and determined regular units.

It is as always necessary for the US Army to continue to prepare for other challenges that may lie ahead. While cognizant that history never repeats itself exactly and that no army ever profited from trying to meet a new challenge in terms of the old one, the Army nevertheless stands to benefit immensely from a study of its experience, its shortcomings no less than its achievements.

Aware that some years must elapse before the official histories will provide a detailed and objective analysis of the experience in Southeast Asia, we have sought a forum whereby some of the more salient aspects of that experience can be made available now. At the request of the Chief of Staff, a representative group of senior officers who served in important posts in Vietnam and who still carry a heavy burden of day-to-day responsibilities has prepared a series of monographs. These studies should be of great value in helping the Army develop future operational concepts while at the same time contributing to the historical record and providing the American public with an interim report on the performance of men and officers who have responded, as others have through our history, to exacting and trying demands.

All monographs in the series are based primarily on official records, with additional material from published and unpublished secondary works, from debriefing reports and interviews with key participants, and from the personal experience of the author. To facilitate security clearance, annotation and detailed

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bibliography have been omitted from the published version; a fully documented account with bibliography is fled with the Office of the Chief of Military History.

The reader should be reminded that most of the writing was accomplished while the war in Vietnam was at its peak, and the monographs frequently refer to events of the past as if they were taking place in the present.

Brigadier General James Lawton Collins, Jr., presently the Chief of Military History, US Army, has the wealth of experience required to tell the story of allied participation in the Vietnam War. After having served in Korea as the Assistant Commander, I Corps (Group) Artillery, General Collins had two tours of duty in Vietnam that involved close liaison with all nations participating in the allied effort. In 1964 he was assigned as the senior U.S. adviser to the Vietnamese Regional Forces and Popular Forces, and in May 1965 was named Special Assistant to the Commander, US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. In the latter capacity General Collins was the personal representative of General Westmoreland to the Vietnamese Joint General Staff on all matters pertaining to the co-ordination of U.S., Vietnamese, and allied forces operations. For his outstanding service in Vietnam, the Republic of Vietnam awarded him the National Order and the Army Distinguished Service Medal, two of its most coveted awards.
 

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Preface

More than forty nations provided assistance to the Republic of Vietnam in its struggle against North Vietnam. This aid ranged from economic and technical assistance to educational and humanitarian contributions. Hundreds of Free World civilians worked in Vietnam as doctors, teachers, and technical specialists. Eight nations also provided military assistance. The flags of these Free World countries-the United States, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republic of China, and Spain-flew alongside the colors of the Republic of Vietnam at the headquarters of the Free World Military Assistance Forces in Saigon. The military contributions of these nations included combat troops, army medical teams, and individual political warfare advisers. The degree of assistance and co-operation among the concerned Free World nations resulted from years of work and involvement. While many nations expressed sympathy for the plight of South Vietnam, aid did not always come easily, quickly, or to the extent desired. Many nations, beset by their own internal economic and political problems, could do little to help; others did nothing. The story of the efforts of the contributing nations and the efforts to enlist their aid is the subject of this monograph.

The members of the Sixth Army Historical Staff, under the guidance of Mr. Herbert Avedon, Sixth Army Historian, gave generous assistance in putting together those elements of the monograph that refer to Korean activities after 1 August 1967. Without their detailed research and helpful suggestions the story of the Koreans in Vietnam would have taken much longer to complete. The revision of the Korean part of the manuscript owes much to the skill of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Focer, Headquarters, U.S. Army, Pacific.

For their efforts in researching and drafting other chapters in this volume thanks are due especially to Dr. Richard A. Hunt, who helped to assemble the monograph in its final form, overseeing its progress through the staff and contributing to the first chapter; Lieutenant Colonel John E. Eshelman, U.S. Army, who helped to launch the volume; and Loretto C. Stevens, who gave skilled editorial assistance. Their work and support made the his

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Contents

Tables

Charts

Maps

Illustrations

All illustrations are from the Department of Defense files The emblem on the front and back covers of the soft-back edition symbolizes the Free World Military Assistance Forces in Vietnam.
 

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