137. Report Prepared in the Department of Defense, Washington, undated1 2
10 JUNE ALLEGATIONS
(BOMBS ON PRC STRUCTURES)
IN THEIR SECOND MAJOR ALLEGATION, THE PRC CHARGE THAT TWO PLANES INTRUDED INTO PRC AIR SPACE AT 0056H AND 0058H (LOCAL TIME) ON 10[unclear] IN THE AREA OF PING HSIANGI KWANG SI PROVINCE. THEY FURTHER CHARGE THAT DURING THE SECOND ALLEGED INTRUSIONS BOMBS WERE DROPPED ON PRC STRUCTURES IN A SMALL VILLAGES
CINCPACAF HAS CONFIRMED THAT SEVENTH AIR FORCE HAD NO AIRCRAFT OPERATING ABOVE 21° NORTH LATITUDE IN NORTH VIETNAM WITHIN FOUR H[unclear] OF EITHER SIDE OF THE TIME PERIOD IN QUESTION. HOWEVER, US NAVY [unclear] WERE OPERATING ALONG THE NORTHEAST RAILROAD CLOSE TO THE CHICOM B[unclear] DURING THE PERIOD OF THE ALLEGED INTRUSION AND BOMBING.
SIX A-7 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED FROM THE USS KITTY HAWK BETWEEN 100[unclear] AND 100024H WITH THE MISSION OF STRIKING THE NORTHEAST RAIL ROUTE HIGHWAY 1A IN THE AREA SHOWN ON THE MAP.
ALL AIRCRAFT RECEIVED A NAVIGATIONAL UPDATE AT POINT I WITH SYSTEMS INDICATING LESS THAN ONE-HALF MILE ERROR AT THE UPDATE PO[unclear] [Page 2] THE AIRCRAFT PROCEEDED TOWARD THEIR TARGET AREA CROSSING THE COAST BETWEEN 4500-5000 FEET ON INSTRUMENTS. THEY BROKE CLEAR OF THE WEATHER AFTER ABOUT 40 MILES, SHOWN BY THE BLACK ARC.
THE PILOTS REPORT THAT UPON BREAKING CLEAR, ROUTE 4 WAS VISIBLE AND THAT THEIR NEXT CHECK POINT, THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTES 4 AND 13, WAS EASILY RECOGNIZED, NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEMS WERE STILL GOOD WITH NO UPDATE REQUIRED, FURTHER, LANG SON BECAME CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES.
FOUR AIRCRAFT ARRIVED IN THE TARGET AREA BETWEEN 100047H AND 100058H AND BEGAN ATTACKING MOVING VEHICLES WHICH INITIALLY HAD THEIR LIGHTS ON. THE REMAINING TWO AIRCRAFT ARRIVED AT 0116H AND 0118H, AFTER THE TIME OF THE ALLEGED VIOLATION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE FLIGHT DREW AAA FIRE PROBABLY FROM MOBILE UNITS WITH THE CONVOYS FROM THE AREA INDICATED ON THE MAP. THROUGHOUT THE ATTACK THE PILOTS REPORTED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO FOLLOW THE LINE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE NORTHERNMOST TARGET ATTACKED IS INDICATED ON THE MAP AND IS SOME 19 MILES SOUTH OF AREA OF THE ALLEGED INCIDENT.
[Page 3]ONE MIG WAS REPORTED IN THE AREA FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES. ITS LIGHTS WERE SEEN BY TWO US PILOTS AT APPROXIMATELY 0110H. NSA CONFIRM THAT ONE MIG TOOK OFF FROM PHUOC YEN AT 0100H HEADED NORTH AND RETURNED PRIOR TO 0120H WHEN A SECOND MIG TOOK OFF TO THE NORTH. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF MORE THAN ONE MIG AIRBORNE AT ANY ONE TIME IN THE AREA OF INTEREST.
THE INGRESS AND EGRESS OF ALL AIRCRAFT WAS MONITORED BY AN E-2 AIRCRAFT WHICH ALSO CONFIRMED THEIR POSITION PRIOR TO CROSSING THE COAST ON THEIR INGRESS ROUTES WHILE NOT HOLDING ALL AIRCRAFT CONTINUOUSLY, THE E-2 DID NOT OBSERVE ANY BORDER VIOLATIONS AND, UPON REQUEST FROM THE TACTICAL AIR CONTROL CENTER (RED CROWN) ABOARD THE USS LONG BEACH, RECALLED ALL AIRCRAFT FROM THE TARGET AREAS THE TWO LATE ARRIVING AIRCRAFT COMPLETED THEIR STRIKES BEFORE HEADING HOME.
SEVERAL OTHER FACTORS ARE OF NOTE IN THIS CASE. FIRST, THERE IS A MARKED GEOGRAPHIC SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE LANG SON AND PING HSIANG AREAS;(*) WHILE THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A PROBLEM, IT COULD ALSO BE USED BY THE CHICOMs IN AN ATTEMPT TO DECEIVE US AND CAUSE US TO CEASE [Page 4] BOMBING IN THE LANG SON AREA. SECONDLY, THERE ARE NO CONFIRMED FIXED AAA OR SAM SITES IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA NOR WERE THERE ANY REPORTED SAM FIRINGS IN THE AREA AT THE TIME IN QUESTION, MAKING IT DOUBTFUL THAT A SAM IMPACTED NEAR PING HSIANG. AS MENTIONED, AT LEAST ONE MIG WAS ACTIVE IN THE AREA, BUT THERE IS NO TRACK AVAILABLE AND NO EVIDENCE THAT A MIG MAY HAVE JETTISONED FUEL TANKS NEAR PING HSIANG. THIRDLY, ALL WERE EXPERIENCED PILOTS, CAREFULLY SELECTED FOR THE MISSION, FLYING FULLY-SYSTEMS-CAPABLE AIRCRAFT UNDER EXCELLENT WEATHER AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. LASTLY, A REVIEW OF ALL NAVAL TACTICAL DAT SYSTEM TAPES DOES NOT REFLECT ANY TRACKS CROSSING THE BORDER.
(*) MOUNTAINS WOULD PRECLUDE AN ATTACK SOUTHWEST OF PING HSIANG
THE LAST RECONNAISSANCE MISSION WHICH MAY HAVE PROVIDED PHOTO COVERAGE OF THE AREA OF INTEREST WAS GIANT SCALE NUMBER 504 ON THE NIGHT OF 13 JUNE. RESULTS OF THIS PHOTOGRAPHY ARE BEING EXPLOITED AT THIS TIME.
AT THE PRESENT, THE POSSIBILITY OF US ORDNANCE BEING DROPPED IN CHINA IS CONSIDERED REMOTE AND ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE A-7s DID IN FACT REMAIN IN NVN.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 97, Country Files, Far East, China, Dr. Kissinger’s Visit, June 1972 Memcons (Originals). Top Secret; Sensitive. No drafting information appears on the report. A handwritten notation on page three of the report reads: “Mountains would preclude an attack southwest of Ping Hsiang.” For the Chinese note, see Document 133.↩
- The report addressed the allegations raised by the PRC in its June 10 note.↩