Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Command History. Sanitized copies of the annual command histories are available to Federal Government employees
(and to some people in the private sector) through the
Defense Technical Information
Center.
They are also available for purchase by ordinary citizens from the
National Technical Information Service. Most of them can be found if you enter the ADA number (given below) into the search field on the NTIS
web site. NTIS sells various of these on paper, microfiche, or CD. It used to be possible to
buy even the ones that were not listed on the web site, by phoning 1-800-553-6847 or (703) 605-6000 and giving the ADA number. I
don't know whether this is still the case. In some cases the full texts are available online, free to the public, through
STINET (see links in listing below). Some also have been placed on-line in
the Virtual Vietnam
Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University (see links in listing below).
They are also available in the private sector, published on DVDs and
CD-ROMs in Carr's Compendium of the Vietnam War.
Command History 1964. vii, 199 pp. ADA955106. This was the first of MACV's annual command histories.
Command History 1965. ix, 482 pp. ADA955669.
1966. xii, 872 pp. ADA955096.
1967, volume I. pp. i-xvi, 1-558. ADA955104. Text also in the Virtual Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University.
1967, volume II. pp. i-ix, 559-1067. ADA955105. Text also in the Virtual Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University.
1967, volume III. pp. i-xi, 1069-1338. ADA955099. This is the Annexes A-F and H-L, plus an index (pp. 1305-1338) to all three volumes of the 1967 Command History. Annex A, "The Anti-Infiltration Barrier": pp. 1069-1114. Annex B, "Civilian Casualties": pp. 1115-1126. Annex I, "List of Operations": pp.1215-1249. Annex K, "COMUSMACV 1967 Command Chronology": pp. 1255-1285. Annex M, "Index" (to all three volumes): pp. 1305-1338. Partial text of Annex G: Studies and Observations Group (this had been omitted from the version on STINET).
1968, volume I. pp. i-xvi, 1-568. ADA955097. Volume I.
1968, volume II. pp. i-ix, 569-1120. ADA955145. Annex A, "Tet Offensive in Retrospect," is pp. 881-910. This volume includes an index (pp. 1083-1120) to both 1968 volumes.
1969, volume I. ADA955260.
Command History 1969, Volume II. ADA955380.
1969, volume III. ADA955261.
Command History 1970, Volume I. Front matter and sections I to VI. pages. ADA955379.
Command History 1970, Volume II. Front matter and sections VII to XIV. ADA955420.
1970, volume III. 481 pages, including front matter, blank pages, and sanitized pages. ADA955417.
1970, volume IV. 207 pages, including front matter, blank pages, and sanitized pages. ADA955371.
1971, volume I. 465 pages, including front matter, blank pages, and sanitized pages. ADA955171. Contains chapters I-IX. front matter and pp. I-1 to II-14, pp. II-15 to III-38, pp. III-39 to IV-18, pp. IV-19 to V-26, pp. V-27 to VI-28, pp. VI-29 to VII-38, pp. VII-39 to VIII-35, pp. VIII-36 to VIII-85, pp. VIII-86 to IX-25, pp. IX-26 to IX-38.
1971, volume II. Contains chapter X ("Command Concerns"), Annexes A and C to L. [Annex B, Studies and Observations Group, was distributed separately.]
1971, supplement. 31 pages, including front matter, blank pages, and sanitized pages. ADA955172.
1972-1973 Command History, volume I. pp. i-xxiv, 1-150, followed by Annexes A to D, paginated separately, which make up most of the volume, 278 pp. ADA955103. front matter and pp. 1-23, pp. 24-73, pp. 74-123, pp. 124 to 150, and Annex A "The Enemy A-1 to A-23, A-24 to A-72, Annex B "Air and Naval Operations" B-1 to B-50, B-51 to B-66, and Annex C "Military Assistance to the RVNAF C-1 to C-44, C-45 to C-82, and Annex D "Republic of Vietnam Development, D-1 to D-22, D-23 to D-46.
1972-73, volume II. 355 pages, including front matter, blank pages, and sanitized pages. ADA955098. F-63 to F-66, G-8 to G-13, H-6 to H-18, Annex I "Strategic Technical Directorate Assistance Team 158" I-1 to I-16, I-17 to I-19; Annex J "An Loc" J-1 to J-32; Annex K "Kontum" K-1 to K-17, K-18 to K-28; Annex L "Quang Tri and Hue" L-1 to L-36; Annex M "Commanders and Principal Staff Officers" M-1 to M-4; "Chronology" N-1 to N-2, N-3 to N-9; "Glossary of Acronyms" O-1 to O-15; "Bibliographical Notes" P-1 to P-3.
Daily News Briefs. Daily publication of the Office of Information, MACV. Each issue was two pages. The Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University, has placed online about fifty issues from 1964 and 1965. Examples:
Combined Strategic Objectives Plan. Issued jointly (and bilingually) by MACV and the Republic of Vietnam Joint General Staff, 7 November 1971. The text has been placed on-line in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University, in eight parts: English language front matter and sections 1-4, sections 4-9, sections 9-14, sections 14-17, remainder of section 17 of English language version; front matter and sections 1-4 of Vietnamese language version, sections 4-9, sections 10-15, sections 15-17.
Counterinsurgency Lessons Learned. Headquarters, United States Military Assistance command, Vietnam. Only nine in this series, so far as I am aware, have been placed on-line in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University. I would be grateful to anyone who could tell me where more of these can be found, especially Nos. 19, 20, and 44.
No. 1, Heliborne Operation Cai Ngay, An Xuyen Province. 30 March 1962.
No. 2, Airmobile Operation in I Corps. 30 March 1962.
No. 3, Operation JUNGLE JIM. 11 April 1962.
No. 11, Operation TIGER HUNT. 5 May 1962.
No. 12, Operation RAINDROP. 10 May 1962.
No. 13, Operation NGUYEN HUE. 16 May 1962.
No. 19, Operation SUNRISE. 31 July 1962.
No. 20, Indiscriminate Use of Firepower, 27 August 1962.
No. 21, Ambush Techniques, 28 August 1962.
No. 22, Operations of US Army Helicopters, 8 September 1962.
No. 23, Operation BINH TAY, 5 October 1962.
No. 24, Airmobile Raids Against Superior Forces, 13 November 1962.
No. 26, M113 Operations, 18 January 1963.
No. 44, Elimination of Viet Cong Infrastructure, 23 January 1965.
No. 45, Viet Cong Tunnels, 12 February 1965.
No. 51, Operational Employment of Riot Control Munitions, 24 April 1965.
No. 52, Operational Employment of the Mity Mite Portable Blower, 22 November 1965.
No. 54, The Battle of Ky Phu. 27 January 1966. A successful counter-ambush action by the 2/7 Marines, in Quang Tin province 18 December 1965, during Operation Harvest Moon.
No. 58, Operation HAPPY VALLEY. 20 June 1966. 11 pp. An operation in the Vinh Thanh Valley, about 20 km from An Khe, 13-30 October 1965.
No. 60, Defense Against Mortar/Recoilless Rifle Attacks, 10 September 1966.
No. 61, Salient Lessons Learned, 27 January 1967. 31 pp.
No. 63, Search and Rescue Operations, 25 April 1967. 14 pp.
No. 64, Initiative Communications Deception, 15 September 1967.
No. 65, Population and Resources Control, 20 October 1967.
No. 66, Countermeasures for 102mm, 122mm and 140mm Rockets, 10 November 1967.
No. 67, Defense, 4 April 1968.
No. 68, Viet Cong Base Camps and Supply Caches, 20 July 1968. 27 pp. plus distribution list and list of all pamphlets in the series.
Title changed to Combat Experiences - Lessons Learned.
No. 71, Countermeasures Against Standoff Attacks. 13 March 1969
Title changed to Lessons Learned.
No. 79, Enemy Exploitation of Allied Tactical Communications.
Handbook for Military Support of Pacification. Saigon: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, February 1968. ii, 59 pp., plus distribution list and annexes. This document has been placed on-line in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University, in two parts: front matter and pp. 1-45, and pp. 46-59, distribution list, and annexes.
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Inspector General History, 1964-1972. Saigon: Office of the Inspector General, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, 1972. xvi, 162 pp., plus appendices. The text has been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University, in two parts, the first of which ends on p. 77, in the middle of the chapter "Consolidation and Phasedown, 1969".
"Combat Operations: Minimizing Non-combatant Battle Casualties." MACV Directive Number 525-3, 7 September 1965. 4 pp. plus annex. The text.
The Observer. A newspaper published by the Command Information Division, Office of Information, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. Available on microfilm (3 reels) from Scholarly Resources, of Wilmington, Delaware.
RF-PF Handbook for Advisors. MACV 9313/1. Handbook on the Regional Force (RF) and Popular Force (PF), important local supplements to the ARVN. Two versions of this have been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University: January 1969 edition (ix, 98 pp.): Front matter and pp. 1-40, pp. 41-90, pp. 91-98. November 1969 edition (vii, 119 pp.): Front matter and pp. 1-45, pp. 46-81, pp. 82-119. January 1971 edition under the slightly altered title RF/PF Adivisors Handbook (vii, 123 pp. plus appendices): Front matter and pp. 1-36, pp. 37-86, pp. 87-123, and appendices.
Peoples Self Defense Force. November 1969. vi, 86 pp. English translation, published by MACV, of a Vietnamese-language publication intended for distribution by the Ministry of Interior, RVN. The text has been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University, in two parts: Front matter and pp. 1-43, pp. 45-86.
Major General John H. Cushman, Senior Officer Debriefing Report, 14 January 1972. General Cushman had commanded the Delta Regional Assistance Command from 14 May 1971 to 14 January 1972. The text has been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University.
Headquarters, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, produced daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly summaries of events. These unclassifed publications were written by the MACV Office of Information for release to the press. The Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University, has placed online the texts of several of these reports:
Daily operations summaries, February 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, 1965.
Summary of Action for 1965. 22 pp.
MACV Communique #080-66. A daily summary of the situation as of 1700H 21 Mar 1966.
Summary of USMACV News Events, 1966. 48 pp. General summary, summary of major operations, and chronology through November 24, and remainder of chronology.
Review of Events, January 1967. The text.
Review of Events, February 1967. The text. Another copy, appears to be the same material but in a slightly different order.
Review of Events, March 1967. The text.
Review of Events, April 1967. The text.
Review of Events, May 1967. 21 pp. The text.
Review of Events, June 1967. 20 pp. plus tables. The text.
Review of Events, July 1967. 24 pp. plus tables. The text.
1967 Wrap-Up: A Year of Progress. pp. 1-57; pp. 58-67. I think this is the complete main text (what appear to be missing pages seem to be pages that were blank in the original). But the title page, and extensive appendices--a chronology of the year, and a 17-page list of named operations--have not been put online so far as I am aware.
Monthly Summary, January 1968. 55 pp. pp. 1-48, pp. 49-55.
Monthly Summary, February 1968. 63 pp. pp. 1-48, pp. 49-63.
Monthly Summary, March 1968. 62 pp. pp. 1-48, pp. 49-62.
Monthly Summary, April 1968. 37 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, May 1968. 54 pp. pp. 1-48, pp. 49-54.
Monthly Summary, June 1968. 36 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, July 1968. 32 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, August 1968. 44 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, September 1968 44 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, October 1968. 48 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, November 1968. 48 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, December 1968. 51 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-51.
1968 Summary. 316 pp. front matter and pp. 1-50, next, next, next, pp. 209-259, pp. 260-312 (pp. 283-312 are a Vietnam Historical Chronology not just for the year 1968, but going from 3000 B.C. to 17 August 1968), pp. 313-316, and map of North Vietnam.
Weekly Summary, 12-18 January 1969. 4 pp. text. Friendly and enemy casualties; US military strength in South Vietnam, by service, and number of personnel (35,000 Navy, 700 Coast Guard) on ships off the coast; named military operations.
Monthly Summary, February 1969. 61 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-61.
Monthly Summary, March 1969. 63 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-79.
Monthly Summary, May 1969. 63 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-63.
Monthly Summary, June 1969. 94 pp. pp. 1-48, pp. 49-94.
Monthly Summary, July 1969. 70 pp. pp. 1-48, pp. 49-70.
Monthly Summary, August 1969. 63 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-98. pp. 99-108.
Monthly Summary, September 1969. 86 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-86.
Monthly Summary, October 1969. 71 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-71.
Monthly Summary, December 1969. 65 pp. pp. 1-48, pp. 49-65.
1969 Summary. Front matter and pp. 1-42; pp. 43-92; pp. 93-142; . . .
Monthly Summary, January 1970. 69 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-69.
Monthly Summary, February 1970. 65 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-65.
Monthly Summary, March 1970. 78 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-71.
Monthly Summary, April 1970. 78 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-48 and pp. 49-78.
Monthly Summary, July 1970. 18 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, August 1970. 19 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, October 1970. 23 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, November 1970. 24 pp. The text.
Monthly Summary, December 1970. 23 pp. The text.
1970 Summary. 23 pp. Front matter and pp. 1-45 (includes weekly casualty figures); pp. 46-94 pp. 95-144 pp. 145-184.
The MACV Office of Information also produced a Weekly Summary of its own relations with the media.
Weekly Summary, 6-12 December 1969. 2 pp. text. Number of accredited journalists (161 US, 98 Vietnamese, 179 other); names and affiliations of newly accredited journalists; names and affiliations of departing journalists; some other information.
The Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project at Texas Tech University has placed online the texts of several monthly reports of the U.S. commands for the various military regions of South Vietnam.
Military Region 1 CORDS, MR 1 Field Overview (RCS-MACCORDS-32.01) for February 1972. 17 March 1972. 7 pp. plus appendix of 4 pp.
Military Region 1 CORDS, MR 1 Field Overview (RCS-MACCORDS-32.01) for March 1972. 14 April 1972. 8 pp. plus appendix of 2 pp.
Military Region 1 CORDS, MR 1 Field Overview (RCS-MACCORDS-32.01) for April 1972. 14 May 1972. 8 pp. plus appendix of 2 pp.
Military Region 3 CORDS, The Military Region Overview for Period Ending 29 February 1972. 13 March 1972. 11 pp.
Military Region 3 CORDS, The Military Region Overview for Period Ending 31 March 1972. 12 April 1972. 9 pp.
Military Region 3 CORDS, The Military Region Overview for Period Ending 30 April 1972. 12 May 1972. 8 pp.
Delta Regional Assistance Command, CORDS/DRAC Military Region Overview for the Month Ending 29 February 1972. 14 March 1972. 10 pp.
Delta Regional Assistance Command, CORDS/DRAC Military Region Overview for the Month Ending 31 March 1972. 14 April 1972. 10 pp.
Delta Regional Assistance Command, CORDS/DRAC Military Region Overview for the Month Ending 30 April 1972. 14 May 1972. 11 pp.
Combined Intelligence Center Vietnam (CICV). A number of documents produced by this organization have been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University:
History of the Combined Intelligence Center, Vietnam. Date illegible, but internal evidence suggests July 1966.
Upgrading of Viet cong Forces, ST 67-047, 29 April 1967. ii, 14 pp.
Political Control in the NVA, ST 67-055, 18 May 1967. ii, 22 pp.
Strategy since 1954, Study 67-037, 29 June 1967. ii, 44 pp. A history of Communist strategy in Vietnam. The text.
NVA Rocket Artillery Units, Study 67-080, 1 September 1967. 17 pp. plus annexes. The text.
Strategic Research and Analysis Branch, Combined Intelligence Center Vietnam (CICV), The Role of the Viet Cong Infrastructure in Enemy Offensive Preparations, Newsletter #9, 7 December 1968. 11 pp. The role of the VC Infrastructure in the Tet 1968 and May 1968 offensives. The text.
VC/NVA-RVN Gazetteer. February 1970. Gives the relationship between the place names used by Communist forces in South Vietnam and the place names used by the RVN, with coordinates for each place in both the VC/NVA and the UTM coordinate systems.
Volume II: RVN. 502 pp. Pages 1-90 list VC/NVA place names for which no corresponding RVN name can be identified. Pages 90-502 show place for which an RVN place name is known, alphabetized by the RVN name.
Tay Do I VC LF Infantry Battalion. 16 March 1972. 23 pp. A compilation of all available information about the unit, originally established in 1960 as the Le Loi Battalion, later became the 306th Battalion, later the Can Tho Provincial Organic Mobile Battalion.
U-Minh 10 VC LF Infantry Battalion. 18 April 1972. 29 pp. A compilation of all available information about the unit.
VC/NVA Logistics Study. ST 72-03.
Many other CICV reports can be found under The Order of Battle Dispute and the Westmoreland Lawsuit.
Military Assistance Command Vietnam: Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligenc (MACJ2). Chronology of the organizational structure of MACV-J2, with dates various directorates operated under various names. Accompanied by item-by-item lists of the contents of twenty boxes of CICV reports on widely assorted topics in RG 472, National Archives, plus contents (may not be item-by-item) of fourteen boxes of reports on individual VC/NVA units. Posted on Facebook by Erik Villard.
Combined Military Interrogation Center (CMIC), CMIC Report Writing Guide, June 1971. 38 pp. The tables showing the US, Soviet, PRC, and VC/NVA designations of various weapons (p. 28), provinces and districts in North Vietnam as of January 1971 (pp. 29-31), RVN provinces and districts in South Vietnam (pp. 32-34), and Communist territorial units in South Vietnam as of September 1969 (pp. 35-37) may be useful. The text has been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University.
Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Terminology for Laotian Studies, 16 January 1971. 8 pp. Quite a useful short reference guide. Includes not just terminology (acrnymns and words), but also a who's who of Laotian political and military affairs, and a listing of ethnic groups. The text has been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University.
SOG (originally Special Operations Group, later renamed Studies and Observations Group) was an organization established early in 1964 to handle covert operations in and near Vietnam. It is often called MACSOG, MACV-SOG, or MAC-V-SOG to indicate that it was subordinate to MACV. Its command histories were nominally annexes to the overall MACV command histories (see above) but were distributed separately, not to as wide an audience as got the overall MACV command histories. Portions of the SOG command histories, sanitized, have been published in the private sector (see SOG). Much smaller portions have also been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project at Texas Tech University:
1970, Annex B (just a couple of pages)
1971-72, Annex B (just a few pages)
Tour 365. "For Soldiers Going Home." This publication was distributed by MACV to soldiers completing their tours in Vietnam and returning to the United States. The Winter 1969 issue has been placed online in the Virtual Vietnam Archive of the Vietnam Project, at Texas Tech University, in two parts: front matter and pp. 1-43, pp. 44-61. This included a brief summary of the history of the war; the chapter "Tet and Aftermath...1968" is pp. 35-41.
See also Microfilmed collections of U.S. military (including MACV) records
See also documents of the Combined Document Exploitation Center (CDEC)
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