FOIA: Unknown - Teletype message 001 (Gulf of Tonkin)

relea00277.pdf
Unknown - Teletype message
This is a Teletype based on communications intercepted of DRV origin
Document date: 1964-08-02
Department: NSA Headquarters, Ft. Meade, MD (DIRNSDA)
Author: SIGINT; Phu Bai
Document type: Teletype
pages: 1


Archivist's Notes: This teletype gives details of a number of DRV communications which concerns villagers that are to join a crew on a T boat to assist them to search for T135. It also gives a number of coordinates and bearings. It also gives a number of ordered that the vessel/s is/are to follow.




[edit on 6/18/2008 by JacKatMtn]

This document is an unmarked report of intercepted communications from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in which the DRV attacked US Naval vessels on Aug. 2nd, 1964.

This communication is difficult to read, but it looks like it was orders for DRV patrol boats, and they may have been looking for a missing boat. It looks like maybe they were giving permission to turn on equipment (radar?) to look for it.

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident prompted the US Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson authority to use military force to defend allies in the area and ultimately lead to the beginning of the Vietnam War.

Hal you have a good grasp on these types of Documents, I found it challenging to understand whether it was our transmission or theirs until you helped clarify.


Interesting how they stated in the teletype to always travel with companions, to travel with 3. I can imagine those little village taverns filled with DRV spies.
Also it seems that in those days it was easy enough to pick up transmissions, but to zero in on a location was difficult.



[edit on 19-6-2008 by antar]

Originally posted by antar
Hal you have a good grasp on these types of Documents, I found it challenging to understand whether it was our transmission or theirs until you helped clarify.

I think the individual reports are intercepted communications, and in the larger summaries are the evaluations, and in some of those it is hard to tell who is saying what. Yes it can be difficult.

Here are some of those summaries of earlier reports:
FOIA: DRV attack on US Ships in Gulf of Tonkin; 2 - 4 August 1964
FOIA: Summary of DRV Naval Communications Revealing Pre-Planned Attacks on USS Maddox
FOIA: SIGINT Reflections of DRV Attacks on USS Maddox - 08/08/1964

It appears that the 135 is a lost vessel (maybe had it's direction finding equipment damaged in battle?) It would seem that they want permission to turn on the radar, or radio equipment to find the 135. Also, it seems that they may think the the 135 is possibly with the 166, and it looks like the 142 will be going out to search. Anytime it says "To Port Wallut", that is a communication to the NVA naval headquarters there. It also appears that at the end of the message there were some order changes.