Air America in Laos I – humanitarian work by Dr. Joe F. Leeker Part I First published on 29 May 2006, last updated on 17 June 2016 A) At the times of Civil Air Transport Humanitarian work in Laos goes back to the times of Civil Air Transport. Already in 1950, the United States had signed an agreement to supply economic and military aid to Laos. Since 1951, CAT had one aircraft and often a second aircraft under charter to ICA (International Cooperation Administration): CAT planes were the principal means of communications between ICA missions in Saigon, Phnom Penh, Vientiane and Bangkok.1 The aircraft involved were apparently the Saigon-based C-472 and maybe the Bangkok-based C-47. After the Geneva Accords, which had given the northern provinces of Sam Neua and Phong Saly to the Pathet Lao pending integration into the central regime, Washington decided to expand the aid program. So, in December 1954, a United States Operations Mission (USOM) office was established in Vientiane to organize economic assistance. The size of USOM Laos increased from a “dozen or so at the end of 1954 to […] over one hundred in December 1957.”3 Over the year of 1955, USOM funded 11 non-military projects at a cost of about $1.4 million, including improvements in the areas of agriculture, public health, civil administration, and education, and in 1956 and 1957, the sum of economic aid increased to $ 48.7 million and $ 44.5 million respectively. But the main purpose of USOM was defense related, and so in December 1955, the Program Evaluation Office (PEO) was set up within USOM to handle military aid. The ratio of funds devoted to military purposes as compared to the amounts devoted to economic assistance was about 4 to 1.4 As to Military Region I, the Houa Khong Province, “the period from 1957-1960 was generally characterized by military advisory assistance at Luang Nam Tha, the provincial capital. A few small civic action community development programs were concentrated in Nam Tha itself with no assistance extending beyond that of Nam Tha Village.”5 In Military Region III, “the first A.I.D. office was opened in Savannakhet City in 1960 and […] rural development advisors were stationed in Thakhek, the capital of Khammouane Province, and in the four development clusters of Kengkok, Dong Hene, Lahanam and Nong Bok. […] The Regional Headquarters, headed by the Area Coordinator, had a Field Support Officer and expertise in agriculture, irrigation, education, refugee relief, public health, public works, well drilling, road and bridge construction, heavy equipment maintenance, and public safety.”6 Already “in 1956, the Mission assigned one American and one local employee to Pakse. […] By 1968 there were approximately 18 officers of USAID assigned to MR IV.”7 In late 1954, after the end of Operation Cognac,8 CAT’s Neese Hicks and Dale 1 Leary, Manuscript, chap. IV, p. 368, in: UTD/Leary/B19F2. 2 For more details, see my file Working in remote countries within this e-book. 3 Charles A. Stevenson, The end of nowhere: American policy toward Laos since 1954, Boston 1972, p. 29, quoted by Castle, At war in the shadow of Vietnam, p. 146 note 9. 4 Castle, At war, pp. 9-16 plus p. 146 notes 9 and 10. 5 Ramsey et. al., USAID Laos Termination Report, p. 205. 6 Ramsey et. al., USAID Laos Termination Report, p. 219. “By the time of the cease-fire, the Region had only two rural development personnel and had already lost its agriculture, irrigation, public health, education, well drilling and public safety advisors” (p. 220). 7 Ramsey et. al., USAID Laos Termination Report, p. 236. 8 See my file Working in Remote Countries within this e-book. 1 Williamson9 flew CAT’s Managing Director George A. Doole10 and a party of about 15 people to Vientiane to set up operations in Laos. But there was not much going on in the 1955-59 period – initially, there were just 2 Bangkok-based C-46s that hauled material to Vientiane for the USOM compound.11 As USOM officials had learned in July 55 that several mountain provinces of Laos were threatened by famine, it was decided to airdrop rice and salt to these people. So, from mid-August to mid-October 55, three CAT C-46s arrived at Udorn, Thailand, which, by the end of the month, delivered 1,000 tons of emergency food to 25 reception areas in Laos.12 The CAT Captains were Fred Walker, Bill Welk, and Art Wilson.13 Those flights originated at Udorn airfield, which at that time was still so rustic that roaming Carabaos had to be driven from the airstrip for landings and take-offs.14 In September and October 55, CAT Captain Fred Walker, flying one of those C-46s, air-dropped rice bags along the Lao-China border and the Lao-North Vietnam border at remote places like Ban Ban or Phou Pha Thi, but he also dropped propaganda leaflets over communist territory.15 Two years later, CAT returned to Laos on a permanent basis: As, due to the political development, the US Embassy was alarmed, fearing that under the Pathet Lao leader Prince Souphanouvong as future Minister of Economic Planning, the Communists would have control of the distribution of US aid, which, at that time, was at more than two-thirds devoted to the defense support program,16 the US Ambassador organized his own distribution of US aid: And so, on 30 June 1957, the arrival of CAT C-47 B-817 at Vientiane to begin a new contract with the American CAT C-47 B-817 at Attopeu in 1958, taken by Bruce Blevins (former photo no.1-WL1-28-26-PB404, now preserved at UTD/Leary/B77F2) 9 Williamson arrived in the Far East in the summer of 1954, flew on Operation Cognac and then was assigned to Taipei (Dale D. Williamson, interview made by William M. Leary at Bellevue, WA, on 13 July 1987; Professor Leary’s notes are preserved at UTD/Leary/B43F5). 10 Already in mid-July 53, General Charles P. Cabell, Deputy Director of the CIA, had asked George A. Doole to become a permanent CIA employee and to take charge of looking after CAT (Leary, Perilous missions, p. 173). 11 Dale D. Williamson, telephone interview made by William M. Leary on 25 September 1985; Professor Leary’s notes are preserved at UTD/Leary/B43F5. 12 Leary, Manuscript, chap. IV, p. 369, in: UTD/Leary/B19F2. 13 Dale Williamson was one of the First Officers during those missions, logging 155 hours in one month (Dale D. Williamson, interview made by William M. Leary at Bellevue, WA, on 13 July 1987; Professor Leary’s notes are preserved at UTD/Leary/B43F5). 14 (Anonymous), “Rice drop over Laos, CAT’s know-how makes operation a ‘Piece of Cake’”, in: CAT Bulletin, vol. VIII, no.12, December 1955, pp. 4-6. 15 Hamilton-Merritt, Tragic mountains, p. 71. 16 Kirk, Wider war, pp.203/4; Castle, At war, p.16. 2 Embassy marked the first permanent presence of Civil Air Transport in Laos.17 As to Bruce Blevins’ flights in 1957/58, he also flew a lot for CIA man Jack Mathews, who supported Kong Le and other Royal Lao Army officers. “In addition to flying for Kong Le, he also did a lot of work with Operation Brotherhood. This involved Filipino medical and dental personnel. It was a good program that gained the support of the people. A good deal less successful were leaflet drops: most Lao were illiterate. He also provided some logistical support for Dr. Tom Dooley.”18 On at least two occasions, CAT’s supply drops also had the political implication to support the Royal Lao Government side in forthcoming elections – during the months preceding the elections of December 55 and in Operation Booster Shot between 8 March and 27 April 58.19 And on at least three occasions, CAT captain Fred Walker hauled military supplies to Vientiane: on 23 November 56, on 19 July 57, and in September 57.20 When North Vietnamese troops attacked Royal Lao Government positions in Sam Neua and Phong Saly provinces in July 1959, Air America pilots flew US military advisers and intelligence experts throughout Laos so that they could get a first-hand impression of the situation.21 CAT C-46 B-148 at Vientiane on 19 August 58 (UTD/Kirkpatrick/ photo. no. 1KP-34-PB 251-27) But the political situation in Laos became very unstable: In the elections of 4 May 1958, the Communists obtained 9 of the 21 Government seats. On 30 June 1958, the American aid to Laos was suspended, because the US Congress had criticized that the Lao Government was unable to see that aid funds were used for the purposes intended, and on 22 July 58, Prince Souvanna Phouma was forced out of office. On 18 August 1958, the right-wing Phoui Sananikone came to power, and in late 1958, the Pathet Lao withdrew to the Plain of Jars in 17 Leary, CIA air operations in Laos, p. 54. Bruce Blevins, with his C-47, was the first CAT pilot to be based at Vientiane (Dale D. Williamson, telephone interview made by William M. Leary on 25 September 1985; Professor Leary’s notes are preserved at UTD/Leary/B43F5). 18 Interview conducted with Bruce Blevins by Prof. William Leary at Elliston, MT on 11 July 1987, written summary at: UTD/Leary/B43F2. 19 Conboy / Morrison, Shadow war, pp. 28 (note 34) and 18; during that period, Fred Walker not only flew medical supplies to the bush hospitals of Operation Brotherhood in his C-46, but he also air-dropped rice and salt at places like Muong Sai, Sam Chiau, Sam Neua, Ban Na, and Phong Saly, and occasionally he airlifted Royal Lao troops (Hamilton-Merritt, Tragic mountains, pp.