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The Mystery of the Green Beret Murder Affair By Gordon Cucullu

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A small boat left Nha Trang harbor in bottom of the boat cruising further out In 1961 Rheault won his Green Beret June 1969 headed out into the bay and into the bay. and was assigned to 10th SFG in Europe. deeper water. Light breezes out of the The issue of the double agent and These were the early years of the Kennedy South China Sea gave passengers respite how to resolve it was not brought to the administration. Recognition from the from the boiling heat and humidity, but attention of 5th Group, rather it ran up president authorizing wear of the Green this was not a pleasure cruise. the CIA pipeline to Saigon from which the Beret, ramping up of the unconventional In the bottom of the boat, heavily GAMMA leadership received the usual warfare mission, and, most critically, sedated with morphine, wrapped in “spook-speak” guidance. Apparently they largely expanded budgets, allowed chain, lay a Vietnamese agent, Thai Khac were directed to “terminate the agent with proliferation of several Groups with Chuyen, who members of B-57, also extreme prejudice” a phrase that was later regional focus, including the 8th SFG in known as Project GAMMA, had identified popularized largely because of events yet Panama, the 1st SFG in Okinawa, and as a double agent. He was taking his last to unfold. ultimately the 5th SFG in Vietnam. ride. The boat reached deep water and Add to the mix the amazing spike in Gamma, a Military Intelligence unit rocked gently in the swell as the engines popularity of Special Forces in song, attached to the 5th Special Forces Group were throttled back. Captain Bob Marasco film, and book form, all glamorizing the (Airborne) headquartered in Nha Trang, later claimed that at that point he fired two elite unit, and you have a solid basis for had for the past year been responsible shots into the Chuyen’s head and with professional jealousy. Many senior types for running ground intelligence-gathering others rolled him over the side. The body thought such publicity was unseemly as teams into . Using primarily disappeared into the deep. well as a naked grab for disproportionate indigenous Cambodian assets it provided Not least among the many consequences influence (read: budget allocations) in a a significant amount of the human of these events – whether authentic considerably larger institution. intelligence from that theater. or alleged – was that the career of an Concomitant internecine warfare The B-57 team worked closely with CIA exemplary Special Forces officer – Colonel among various Big Army elements and and received much of their guidance from Rheault – had just been terminated Special Forces was exacerbated by wrong- the Station Chief in Saigon and the local as abruptly as the life of the spy sinking headed decisions by then-President Lyndon CIA office in Nha Trang. On the military into Nha Trang Harbor. Johnson and JFK holdover Secretary of side, the unit chain of command extended Defense Robert McNamara to fight an to the commander 5th Special Forces. Due Who was Robert Rheault? ever-expanding war in Southeast Asia. in large part to compartmentalization Colonel Bob Rheault passed away Previously restricted to advisory and of information and activities and the peacefully earlier this year. Despite his covert action by CIA, Special Forces, and a convoluted threads of responsibility and brief tenure in Vietnam he had become limited US commitment, the war became authority that characterized the war in an iconic figure in Special Forces history a personal affair for LBJ. “Bring me a Southeast Asia, it was common for and legend. His story remains shrouded in coonskin to nail on the wall,” he told the a commander to be kept in the dark mystery. In many ways it exemplifies the Joint Chiefs of Staff. over actions of a unit he – on paper – latent institutional conflict inherent in the Men and material began to pour commanded and was responsible for. events surrounding his time in Vietnam. into Southeast Asia and the US Army Since Cambodia and Laos were given Most disturbing is the fact that these issues unceremoniously shoved the Vietnamese to protected status by US policy makers, are relevant to present day. Specifically the sidelines, offering to “show them how only covert intelligence gathering units the oft-repeated conflict between Special to fight a real war.” The French experience? operating under the strictest and most Forces and Big Army. “They lost,” staff officers said dismissively. illogical rules of engagement were Details of Colonel Robert “Bob” Rheault’s The advisory, intelligence gathering, and permitted access to the country. As a life are easy to find, and we won’t dwell on force multiplier role of Special Forces was result, the North Vietnamese exploited them here other than to set the stage. At denigrated and underappreciated. the situation by staging division-sized first glance, Bob Rheault’s early military LBJ refused meanwhile to deviate elements in Cambodia, striking across the career appears to epitomize a fast-moving from his goal of providing the American border, then retreating to refit and rearm. officer in the Big Army institution. He public with extravagant domestic programs The leadership at GAMMA was was a graduate of USMA, Class of ’47, simultaneously. In order not to disturb concerned because far too many teams fought and decorated with the Silver voters, Johnson also chose to rely on a had inexplicably disappeared over the past Star in Korea, and seemed almost a pre- conscript military to fight the war while few months. They were convinced that a designated general officer selectee even eschewing call up of Reserves and National double agent had infiltrated GAMMA’s after several years of teaching French at Guard. While this course of action was ranks. After a week of interrogation they West Point, an assignment that might have opposed by the uniformed military believed that the spy in question lay in the derailed another career. leadership, few had the moral courage to

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take a public stand or resign in protest. authorized the killing, knew of the body incident of immorality in a war they Many military leaders, including disposal plan, and by promulgating the opposed. Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. shallow cover story, lied directly to GEN From this point on, the case became Johnson, bitterly opposed expansion Abrams. even more tortuously complex. Army of UW forces arguing that it was too When Abrams learned of this he appointed defense attorneys moved for great a concentration of NCO talent reportedly lost all control and ordered dismissal on lack of evidence and refusal in small units. His point was that such the immediate arrest of Rheault and the of CIA officials or GEN Abrams to testify talent would serve the larger institution GAMMA officers and NCOs involved in although they called on both to do so. Not more effectively by being spread among the incident. They were to be brought to backing off, Abrams vowed to pursue the conventional combat units. Long Binh military prison (known to GIs case. Predictably, acolytes of Johnson’s as LBJ, or Long Binh Jail) and charged On the evidentiary side, the defense position were many who occupied with first degree murder. “Get up there possessed a photo taken by a GAMMA positions of increasing authority including and clean that bunch of bastards out,” team that purported to show the agent General , successor Abrams directed. Initially the seven were in a meeting with high ranking NVA as COMUSMACV to General William arrested, tossed into small, solitary cells intelligence officers in Cambodia. The Westmoreland in June 1968. without air conditioning and held virtually photo cut both ways since it justified the Eleven months later, Rheault was named incommunicado. killing on the one hand, and demonstrated commander of 5th SFG Vietnam, the motivation for it on the other. moving from Okinawa where he had been Through their military attorneys the in command of 1st SFG. In those days this accused requested civilian assistance. was a normal pattern of succession, with The civilian attorney, Henry Rothblatt, commanders moving from Camp Sukiran was a specialist in courts martial. He took to Nha Trang. Rheault had a previous tour the case and immediately deposed CIA in Vietnam in 1964 as operations officer agents. He received maximum pushback on 5th Group staff. and refusal to testify, all counter to When he assumed command of 5th the established principles of executive Group the MACVSOG counterpart privilege that the agents claimed commander was Colonel Stephen prevented their testimony. Cavanaugh. While relationships between Rothblatt confronted the military the two commanders were informal, SOG authorities with a dilemma: “The recruited heavily from 5th Group and they government, the prosecution, can’t shared common goals. have it both ways, I declared. ‘Either lay Rheault was barely three weeks all of the evidence on the table and make into the job when the incident with it available so that we can examine and GAMMA filtered into Abrams’ office cross-examine, or forget the case.’ I then through the CIA liaison. COMUSMACV As one of Abrams’ staff later added, ‘And I suggest that you forget the immediately got Rheault on the line and commented, “Abe forgot to count to case.’” pointedly asked him if his people had ten.” Overnight a case that the Army, There was still no actual proof of a killed the alleged double agent. On an CIA, and administration might have killing – no corpus – so fighting another open line, Rheault was reluctant to discuss preferred to handle out of the limelight move to dismiss, Abrams directed that details but Abrams’ infamous temper was received immediate media attention. Nha Trang harbor be dragged by the Navy raging and he demanded a direct answer. Reporters close to Special Forces learned and divers used to find the body. Negative Rheault then repeated the shallow cover immediately of the arrest and charges and results boded ill for continuance of the story fabricated by GAMMA that the promptly filed stories. Back in the States trial. Rothblatt left Vietnam expecting agent had been dispatched on a one-way the lid flew off the case and attention dismissal. mission designed to test his loyalty and began to focus on HQ COMUSMACV and Political heat on the administration was not been heard from since. Subsequently, its actions. growing in Washington and distracting it was unearthed by the team of CID To an American public already divided from President Nixon’s upcoming investigators Abrams dispatched to Nha on the war, this was another crack in the announcement of a gradual troop Trang that indeed the killing had taken façade. Some found it a travesty that US withdrawal from Vietnam. Secretary of place and the body dumped in the harbor. Soldiers were being prosecuted for killing the Army Stanley Resor visited Saigon to Further, the team speculated that Rheault the enemy; others saw it as yet another discuss the withdrawal plans with GEN

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Abrams and at a reception quietly asked a conviction for murder were increasingly area the point man abruptly halted. SSG the general to back off of his prosecution slim. Any case against Rheault and the Worthley came forward and saw two NVA of Rheault and the others. other defendants appeared weak but nearby. He and the point man killed both. Flying into another rage, Abrams told the command was unbending and While searching the bodies, Worthley the Secretary, in effect, to stay out of his pushed ahead. noted that the officer appeared to be business. Abrams knew full well that the Then under circumstances that would Chinese, was in an elegantly-maintained administration was completely dependent be unbelievable in fiction, something uniform, and carried a large leather on his ability to downsize the war efficiently happened behind the scenes that changed dispatch case. and considered him the only person who the entire complexion of the case. The interpreter quickly leafed through could pull it off. He played this dependence A MACVSOG team operating out of the papers and told his One Zero that by insisting that the trial was under his Command and Control Central in Kontum this was all quality intelligence material. command jurisdiction and Washington was dispatched into northern Cambodia on Worthley knew he had hit a gold mine but must keep its distance. a recon mission. Recon Team Florida, led by unknown at the time he had just killed At this point, the civilian attorney SSG Ken Worthley, the One-Zero, inserted the highest ranking enemy intelligence returned to Vietnam, convinced that he on 25 August 1969 with an area recon officer credited to SOG operations and had would be coming back a third time to mission. Code named Daniel Boone (later discovered an amazing treasure trove of conduct the trial. By then media support changed to Salem House), Cambodia was a actionable information. for Rheault was intense and even those strange area of operations for recon teams As pursuing NVA again initiated contact, who opposed the war sensed that Abrams accustomed to the denser, mountainous Worthley snatched up the case and began was exercising undue command influence terrain of the Laotian or Prairie Fire region. to direct his team to an extraction point. in denying the defendants a reasonable Sparse vegetation and large open fields They found a bamboo grove that offered chance at a fair trial. afforded poor concealment. Teams noted, concealment and called for a STABO rig Denied even the use of an office at Camp “The whole damn place is one big LZ.” extraction – four ropes would drop from Long Binh (“Am I supposed to do my pre- Predictably, RT Florida made contact soon the hovering Huey and team members trial work sitting outside in the sun sitting after insert. The team One-Two, Sergeant would snap in and be pulled from the in the dust?” he asked), the attorney, Dale Hanson, who was new to recon, had a ground. Rothblatt, sought assistance from the press finger shot off. Worthley broke contact and Then they got to do it again to extract and received it, further bringing criticism continued the mission. the remainder of the team. All under fire. on the command and embarrassment to Meanwhile, the NVA, alerted to the Meanwhile the NVA became ominously the Pentagon and White House. presence of a recon team in their backyard, quiet. They knew what was getting ready When unable to provide a dead body, began to marshal forces to run them to happen and were preparing to shoot the command offered immunity to Chief down. Trackers, dog teams, and enemy down the helicopters. Warrant Officer Edward Boyle, and was trail watchers closed in on the team. At The NVA waited for the helicopters going to use his testimony to pursue the last light Worthley pulled RT Florida into a to arrive then opened up in an attempt trial. Rothblatt met with Boyle, who was RON position with probable intent to try to to kill the helicopters and the team. As one of his clients, and convinced him that if exfiltrate the following day. the assistant team leader, or One-One, he gave testimony he would be disloyal to On the second day the team again Sergeant Bob Garcia, snapped indigenous himself and his fellows. Boyle then refused was pressed by NVA. The Special Forces soldiers into the rig he looked for Worthley, the offer of immunity and declined to and indigenous fighters began a series of expecting the team leader to bring the testify. running gunfights and evasive actions. wounded American, Hanson, to the rig. Without a body or a witness, chances of While moving through a sparsely wooded At that instant, Hanson shouted to Garcia that Worthley had been killed by a bullet through the neck. Worthley’s body was extracted on the first lift. When the second bird arrived and dropped strings, the team was caught in the bamboo as one of the ropes became tangled. Garcia later said that he thought the bird would either cut the ropes or be pulled out of the air. Members of the team, under intense ground fire, managed to free the rope from the tangle and were lifted to safety.

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Back in Saigon intelligence analysts command after he caught him in a lie. certainly rubbed off on GAMMA and its discovered, among other nuggets, a list of Some may have grumbled but Abrams personnel. the names of many Hanoi agents working had ample cause. But to initiate court How deep the conflict between Special within the Vietnamese and US military. martial for first degree murder? Even Forces and Big Army was at the time is Prominent on the list was the name of the some members of Abrams’ loyal staff not a matter of speculation but is rarely, agent reportedly killed by GAMMA. recoiled from that course of action. if ever, mentioned. Previously Special In late September Secretary Resor Media latched on to the incident to Forces had felt that it was ignored and announced that charges against Colonel promote respective agenda. For some it despised by COMUSMACV and that its Rheault and the others had been was “the worse incident since My Lai,” work and sacrifice were not recognized “dropped.” Not acquittal, but simply not to for others it represented “a travesty of or appreciated. Abrams’ actions in this be brought to trial. By October they were military justice.” case exacerbated the divide and brought back in the US. On 31 October Rheault, Politically the Green Beret Murder Case, simmering mutual hostility to near boiling who had requested assignment back to as the media described it, had become a point. his 5th SFG command and been denied, hot potato. Members of Congress were In Okinawa and throughout Vietnam, determine that his career had ended and enraged, the White House was trying to in SF clubs, team houses, and barracks, took retirement. The others involved avoid yet another controversial event in active plots were formulated to break resigned from the Army. In November Vietnam, and it was up to Resor to deflate Colonel Rheault out of LBJ. To what a close up portrait graced the cover of Life the issue as quickly as possible. end seems not to have been considered, magazine. Rheault had become something Once the case was dropped and the nor even if Rheault himself wanted of a cult hero at the time. news cycle exhausted itself, events moved such action. By his behavior during and on and, except for the people involved, it subsequent to the arrest and incarceration Analysis and Speculation became just another piece of the Vietnam Rheault never gave the slightest indication What went on behind the scenes War story. that he leaned in that direction. To the that prompted Resor and the Army to contrary, he seemed confident that the override the intransigent Abrams and BackStorY military justice system would exonerate drop the case? In all probability it was a Despite depiction of the event as the him. In short, he had a belief and faith in combination of events that shredded any “Green Beret Murder Case,” of the seven the system. legal case the prosecution might have defendants only one was a legitimate Nevertheless, several of these plots had presented. Special Forces member. That was progressed beyond mere barroom talk to Most obvious, of course, is that no Rheault. The other six were four Military operational planning and accumulation dead body could be produced verifying Intelligence branch officers, one MI of resources. Given the fact that if one homicide. Without a body or sworn warrant officer, and one non-com, none adds the Special Forces personnel to the testimony to a killing a first-degree Special Forces qualified. extremely large number of subordinate murder conviction was impossible. Special Forces colleagues of mine, indigenous personnel they commanded, Lacking testimony from the CIA who were familiar with GAMMA, 5th SFG actually had more soldiers in indicating that the Station Chief had were contemptuous of its personnel, the field fighting than any other unit in authorized killing the double agent or describing them as “a bunch of Vietnam. Talent, personnel, resources – all testimony at least providing detailed wannabe REMFs who ran around Nha were ready and available for action. background on events – none of which Trang sporting CAR-15s and Swedish Ks All that was necessary was a flash point. the Agency would agree to – the defense trying to act tough.” Whether a correct Perhaps it came closest when Colonel had an excellent opportunity of winning observation or not, I cannot verify, other Charles M. “Bill” Simpson III, commander any appeal because of failure to provide than to note that such behavior would of 1st SFG and Rheault’s successor and adequate discovery process to enable a not have made them unique in Vietnam. West Point classmate, hopped a flight into proper defense. Without doubt the convoluted chain Vietnam to see if he could assist in some Add to that possible appeal the factor of command, with 5th SFG commander way. Abrams’ staff learned that Simpson of undue and inappropriate command ostensibly in charge of B-57 yet the CIA was in Vietnam and told their boss. influence – something that would have calling the shots, added to the confusion. Reportedly Abrams said, “Tell that son- been easy to prove – and yet another While responsible on paper, Rheault of-a-bitch to get out of country ASAP or reason to drop the case had surfaced. in reality was stuck supervising an his ass will be in a cell next to his buddy.” Obviously COMUSMACV would organization that considered itself semi- Whether fact or fiction, the story spread have been entirely justified in taking independent. Its close contact with CIA like wildfire throughout the SF community appropriate action. For example, he and the typical “fast and loose” attitude and for many was perilously close to a call could have promptly relieved Rheault of that the Company displayed in Vietnam to arms.

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Simpson’s visit – regardless of his he encourage Rheault to continue. At that about to take would bring criminal charges intention – effectively killed his career point Rheault washed his hands of the against him by a remote, judgmental JAG also. Abrams refused to accept him as book but turned his notes over to Simpson officer is feeling the aftermath of 40 year- successor to Rheault to command 5th to complete. Simpson finished the project old unresolved issues. Group and Simpson ended up as on the and yet another classmate, Bob Kane of There have been cases in the GWOT faculty at the Army War College in Carlisle, Presidio Press, agreed enthusiastically to that Special Forces teams were charged PA where he retired. publish it. with crimes, including murder, while The book, Inside the Green Berets: The carrying out missions. An infamous Aftermath First Thirty Years, was published in 1983. incident involving an ODA in October 2006 Rheault’s conduct after returning to the In the forward, Simpson comments: “This near the village of Ster Kalay, Afghanistan US was instructive. He would not discuss book has my name as the author, but owes saw murder charges brought against an details of the affair with the press and a huge debt to Bob Rheault.” ODA team leader and operations sergeant refused to be baited into condemning from 3rd SFG. Just as in the Rheault case, either the Army or the war. At most he charges were later dropped, but one must would say that “certain individuals” within speculate on how much damage such the Army were at fault, not the institution In very many ways the false-start, misguided prosecutions do to itself. He said the charges were “a travesty the Special Forces units and members, of justice” and accused the Army of life of Colonel Robert much less to the war effort. prosecuting “dedicated soldiers for doing Despite numerous reforms over the their job, carrying out their mission and Rheault reflects and years and establishment of organizational protecting the lives of the men entrusted units giving Special Forces and the to them in a wartime situation.” personifies what we special operations community higher Rheault immediately tested the system visibilit y within the larger institution, by demanding reinstatement to his in Special Forces call it would be foolish to assume that the command at 5th SFG. When refused, he intrinsic rivalry between them has accepted the writing on the wall and took ourselves: the quiet diminished. voluntary retirement in October 1969, Fighting over budgets in a time of shortly after return. professionals. increasingly scarce resources is guaranteed Not long thereafter he accepted a to exacerbate the mutual hostility and position with the Outward Bound program forced restructuring as a result will impose in Maine, and over the years expanded it In the turbulent times of the late 1960s additional pressure to win the bureaucratic to include special activities for veterans of it would have been easy for him to stake fights. A zero-sum game attitude persists Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Vietnam out a political position and use the affair within the DOD and that will only vets. Rheault remained with Outbound to draw attention to himself for political get worse. until his death on October 1, 2013, two or even financial aggrandizement. Others, There are no easy solutions and the weeks short of his 89th birthday. He is said and we all know of a few, were eager to reader will not find one here. As Mark to have passed away quietly in his sleep. use their war experience to feather Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat, but During these years he strictly avoided their nests. it does rhyme.” It would be unrealistic to interviews about what happened in Rheault, on the other hand, preferred to assume away institution frictions or expect Vietnam. He began to compile notes devote the rest of his long life to assisting that an Army increasingly driven by arcane on the history and development of others, including recent veterans from Iraq legalisms and political correctness would Special Forces itself with the intention and Afghanistan. suddenly reform itself. of publishing them in a book. Whenever To make these necessary reforms, he approached a prospective publisher he Relevance to present day conflict culture from the national command was pressed to focus on the Green Beret While the Rheault affair is an interesting authority down the chain must be Murder Affair and declined. After several historical footnote, does it pertain to proposed and implemented. Until such rejections, a frustrated Rheault tossed the present day Special Forces? For everyone quality leadership rises to the top – and notes into a file and ignored them. who has been subject to changing, I remain pessimistic about this eventuality Aware that Rheault had been working restrictive, and confusing rules of – all we can do in Special Forces is on a book, West Point classmate George engagement, the answer would have to be soldier on and protect our image as quiet Patton III, approached his friend Bill “yes.” Anyone who may have hesitated in professionals. Simpson at a reunion and suggested that combat wondering whether the shot he was

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