SwiftVets.com

[Dafydd]

The guys over at Powerlineblog have been challenged by a Kerry supporter to find, within one week, any information at all about the Army Field Activities Command, a clandestine military intelligence group (almost certainly counterintelligence) that was eventually merged in 1972 into the 902d Military Intelligence Group (which is CI, which is why I assume the older organization was also CI).

The challenge stems from reporter (and Kerry defender) Jim Boyd on the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who is defending Kerry's claims of multiple clandestine trips to Cambodia by saying, in essence, that since no information ever gets out about secret organizations, there is no way to prove that Kerry is lying about his excellent adventures.

Let's prove him wrong! I suggest that a huge amount of information exists out there, both on the Internet and in connections to people who have personal experience with it, about any organization that ever existed... even clandestine ones. Since the Army Field Activities Command no longer exists -- and since the 902d MI Group has its own Website and can hardly be denied to exist -- there's no danger of compromising security by discussing the command's history and purpose.

So, anybody out there have any experience with or knowledge of the Army Field Activities Command and care to share?

Thanks,
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Dafydd ab Hugh

[Dafydd]

Yeesh, Power Line readers did better than you guys!

They managed to find out the name of one of the commanders of the command.
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Dafydd ab Hugh

[PO2]

During the Vietnam war, there were numerous classified activities throughout country. There were operations such as SOG (Studies and observation Group) which went behind enemy lines. That would be who would do the types of missions of which Kerry brags. Most MI operations involved such things as evesdropping on enemy communications, interogation of POWs, monitoring various sensor systems. The group mentioned by you could be one of these monitoring groups, but I did not state that.

SOG and SEALs did go into areas typically denied to US forces (Such as into the Rung Sat Special Zone and the Iron Triangle) Typically, for security reasons the SEALS used their own STABs (SEAL Team assault boats) which were specially designed for covert insertions. The other vehicles they used were usually in friendly terrirtory (if there was such a thing over there) and were only for cover on insertions. SOG typically started operations by either air transpoetation (Huey) or LPC (Leather Personnel Carrier)

Neither SEALS nor SOG were MI. They did, however, provide valuable information to the MIG (MI Group) I believe the exact mission of certain MI units in Vietnam is still classified.

Capt. MI
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Duty. Honor. Country.
To me, more than just words.

[Herb]

[Me#1You#10]

[Dafydd]

I put all this together with the earlier hits and came up with what I think is a relatively good description of the Army Field Activities Command, certainly enough to make it clear to Mr. Boyd that one indeed can discover a wealth of information about even clandestine organizations on the Web.

As I wrote to PowerLine:

"However, it would appear from all this that the Army Field Activities Command was a counter-intelligence unit in the Vietnam era, ultimately swallowed up by the 902d Military Intelligence Command, which was also CI; that the AFAC engaged in 'eavesdropping on enemy communications, interogation of POWs, monitoring various sensor systems;' and that at least on of its major operations was to develop cover stories and cover-support programs and train agents in their use in all regions of the world (definitely including Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia). Several of its operatives were Wyatt B. Kirby, Col. Jerry G. Wetherill, and Chief Warrant Officer Robert A. Leigh, the latter two being members of the MI Hall of Fame."

And yes, Me#1You#10... it is an absurd and facile claim that Jim Boyd makes. But like the SwiftVets, I've always thought the best way to rebut such absurd claims is by mustering as many facts that dispute them as possible.

Thanks again, everyone!
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Dafydd ab Hugh