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THE MIL'WAU KEE JOU RNA
Pi btishar,-Hat[ Syndicate, 1974
Doing-
By RICHARD BOYLE
IN A SUPER-SECRET mission code-
named Operation SCOOT (Support
for Cambodia out of Thailand), U. S. Air
Force cargo planes have flown hundreds
of sorties to supply government troops
in Cambodia. Television reports aired on
network news last week indicate SCOOT
is still going on and may involve CIA
operatives.
SCOOT, apparently never authorized
by Congress, was revealed in a letter
from the Department of Defense (DOD)
to two Senators on the Armed Services
Committee, Alan Cranston (D.-Cal.) and
Harold Hughes, since retired (D-Iowa).
The two Senators queried the DOD
after I gave them photographs and eye-
witness accounts of USAF cargo planes
making parachute drops of arms and
supplies to besieged government troops
at the town of Kampot on the coast of
Cambodia.
Kampot, a strategic government out-
post about 90 miles south of Phnom
Penh, was under siege for several
months early last year. When it appear-
ed the town might fall, the U. S. Air
Force conducted massive air drops of-
arms and ammunition to Lon Nol govern-
ment troops, and the town, despite epi-
demics of typhus and cholera, held.
THE DOD ADMITTED the Kampot op-
eration only after journalists reported
sighting the airdrops. The DOD letter
to the Senators indicated that the oper-
ation was not an isolated exercise but
part of the larger SCOOT mission.
I told the staffs of the two Senators of
seeing USAF Phantom jets flying cover
for the C-130 cargo planes, which often
took heavy ground fire from rebel anti-
aircraft gunners firing 37-mm guns and
5O-cal. guns. Although the DOD admit-
ted to the Senators that there might have
been Phantom reconnaissance planes in
the area, it denied that the Phantoms
were flying cover for the C-130 cargo
planes.
A Senate staff member who showed me
the letter from the DOD said the Senate
had never approved the ultra-secret Op-
eration SCOOT. It may even violate the
Case-Church Act prohibiting U. S. com-
bat activity in Cambodia. -
LAST WEEK, TELEVISION newsmen
in Cambodia witnessed American C-130
cargo planes landing at Phnom Penh
airport, but they were barred from in-
terviewing the crews. The newsmen re-
ported that the cargo planes were being
flown by American civilians from Thai-
land under contract with Willis Bird,
a figure long identified with CIA sup-
port operations in Southeast Asia.
During the battle of Kampot, U. S. Air
Force pilots, despite denials N from the
DOD, faced heavy ground fire, and
may have been reluctant to continue the
dangerous missions without air support
to knock out the rebel anti-aircraft guns.
There are several "civilian" airlines,
run and financed by Americans, which
fly troops and supplies to Lon Nol gov-
ernment troops as well as USAF cargo
planes and other private companies'op-
erating out of Trailand.
MANY OF THE PILOTS of these air-
craft, such as South East Asia Transrort
(SEAT) are veterans of other airlines,
like Air America, which flew arms and
snlies to CIA mercenaries operating
in Laos in the late sixties. Thev have
taken heavy casualties from rebel air-
craft fire, but the exact number of those
killed or wounded has not been revealed
by the DOD, since technically they are
civilians. One pilot was wounded in 1973,
J. C. "Skip" Bryant, but he was not
officially listed as a war casualty be-
cause he is a civilian. And last week
another civilian air crewman was wound-
ed flying Lon Nol government troops to
Phnom Penh from Battambang province
on the Thai border.
Bryant flew similar missions in Laos.
Officially, the 1OD admits to only one
U. S. casualty after the peace accords.
CAMBODIAN TROOPS in Kampot told
me that the CIA was providing a forward
air control station for the cargo planes
and fighters flying the air drop. Through-
out the battle of Kampot in March,
1974, Chuck Bernard, officially an em-
ployee of the U. S. Embassy in Phnom
Penh, flew in an Air America helicopter
through heavy ground fire to land in the
besieged town.
The troops identified Mr. Bernard as
Monsieur Jacques, a code name for the
CIA's chief of ground operations for the
battle. Among other things, he alerted
Air Force pilots when they missed their
drop zones. Falling cargo from the C-
130s killed at least two Cambodian ci-
vilians during the battle.
Bernard, while admitting he was the
political and psychological warfare ex-
pert for the embassy, denied he was a
CIA operative.
After the Washington Post reported
witnessing a U. S. Army major order
Cambodian troops to fire on rebel posi-
tions, in direct violation of the law, re-
porters were barred from going to Kam-
pot and other battle areas.
WIFLE THE DEFENSE DEPART-
MENT admitted that the combat air
support missions in the battle of Kampot
were part of SCOOT, the letter to the
Senators did not elaborate on other as-
pects of the secret operation. Neutral
diplomatic sources in Phnom Penh re-
ported that a U. S. marine task force
sailed last February off the coast of
Cambodia when it appeared that the be-
sieged Cambodian capital might fall to
rebel troops. The Marines, believed to
be a full battalion of about a thousand
men, were then stationed at the secret
U. S. base at Utapao, Thailand. The U.S.
embassy in Phnom Penh, but declined to
say if those plans involved the U. S.
Marines.
There is also evidence that CIA-advis-
ed mercenaries, who wear the skull and
crossbones emblem of the Waffen SS
on their uniforms, regularly cross the
border from Thailand on secret opera-
tions in Cambodia. I photographed these
troops, who may also be a part of Op-
eration SCOOT, last year during the
battle for Phnom Penh.
THE CIA USED THESE TROOPS as
part of its Special Operation Group
(SOG) units, which conducted deep-
penetration strikes into North Vietnam
and China in the late 1960's and early
1970's.
These troops, trained at several sec-
ret CIA bases in Thailand, were former-
ly mercenaries for the U. S. Special
Forces in South Vietnam and helped ov-
erthrow Prince Sihanouk's government
in 1970. Many were members of the sec-
ret society, the Khmer Serei, under the
leadership of Son Nhoc Thanh, who was
the puppet nremier of the Japanese fas-
cists in 1945.
Military sources in Phnom Penh said
they are the only reliable troops on the
Lon Nol government side.
Richard Boyle has covered Vietnam
four times since 1965 and was wounded
twice in the process. In 1971 he broke the
story of the mutiny of U. S. troops at
Firebase Pace on the Cambodian border.
Copyright 1975, Pacific News Service.
the Gambodian Scoot
'We've really got him going, now!'
Eighty-four years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Wednesday, January 22, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
In the finest SGC tradition
TONIGHT STUDENT GOVERN-
MENT Council has the oppor-
tunity to correct the biggest mistake
they have made in years. They will
be voting to decide whether or not
to drop their endorsement of credit
for ROTC.
Should SGC fail to change its
stand, it will once again show its
inability to represent the students
who they supposedly represent.
In making their decision the Coun-
cil members should keep in mind that
there are many courses on campus
that offer similar instruction. This
has been an argument used in sup-'
port of ROTC credit, but if a course
is already available then why encour-
age a duplication of services. After
all, there are only a limited number
of ROTC students, and class space
is at a minimum.
There is also the factor of the way
courses are presented. Sitting in
North Hall watching a man in uni-
form teach is a bit different from
being instructed by people who have
spent their life studying a subject.
TlHE WHOLE PURPOSE of a Uni-
versity is to benefit humankind
through the advancement of educa-
tion, and creative thought. Subsidiz-
ing the defense department by train-
ing its soldiers is hardly furthering
the /development of the world.
It would be encouraging is Presi-
dent Carl Sandberg would take a
stand on the issue. Thus far he has
remained uncommitted, allowing peo-
ple to draw inferences from his sta-
tus as a Green Beret reservist.
Of course SGC is not completely to
blame for its actions. It is the 96.5
per cent of students who allowed this
to happen by not voting in the last
election. By so doing the students
allowed ROTC students to gain seats
on council . . . they having an inter-
est in ROTC credit.
The most important thing to con-
sider is that it is LSA which is con-
sidering restoring credit for ROTC,I
and it was the LSA Student Govern-
ment which unanimously condemned
SGC for meddling in LSA business.
JT WOULD BE most encouraging to
see SGC face reality and the
views of the students that they sup-
posedly represent by reversing their
endorsement for ROTC credit.
-TIM SCHICK
CHUCK BERNARD (left with camera) alights from Air America helicopter
during battle of Kampot. Officially listed as a U.S. Embassy employe in Phnom
Penh, Bernard was identified by Cambodian troops as chief of CIA ground op-
PNS Photo by RICHARD BOYLE
erations for the battle. Bernard, also known by the code name Monsieur Jacques,
described himself as the political and psychological warfare expert for the Em-
bassy but denied any CIA involvement.
.Letters
to
The
Faculty flubs CSSG vote
UNIVERSITY FACULTY members
displayed their true colors Mon-
day when the Senate Assembly voted
overwhelmingly to oppose student
voting membership on the governing
boards of the schools and colleges.
In a resolution written by SACUA
President Car. Cohen, the Assem-
bly proclaimed that "the affairs of
the Colleges and Departments are the
responsibility of the respective gov-
erning faculties."
This resolution denounced the
Commission to Study Student Gov-
ernance (CSSG) report made to the
Regents last month that argued
students should have a voice in aca-
demic decision-making. The report
says that "students should partici-
Sports Staff
MARC FELDMAN
Sports Editor
GEORGE HASTINGS
Executive Sports Editor
ROGER ROSSITER .... Managing Sports Editor
pate in the making of decisions which
substantially affect their lives."
"That is a false principle," says Co-
hen, who is an active leader in the
American Civil Liberties Union.
The SACUA action Monday clearly
confirms the fact that Prof. Cohen
and his fellow faculty members are
more concerned with rights and liber-
ties in the abstract than actually
preserving these liberties. Certainly
most faculty members are concerned
more that their own powers should
not be restricted.
IN FACT THE FACULTY was partic-
ularly adamant on this point.
They would accept absolutely no
compromise on the issue. SACUA
members refused to consider even
the smallest inroad into their powers.
The Assembly vote Monday may
well help to kill any possibility, how-
ever slim that chance may have
been, of the Regents approving such
a plan at their next meeting. How-
ever, the vote certainly serves one
important function in that it makes
clear the fact that University faculty
members, for all their talk of demo-
cratic principles, are not about to re-
linouish any of their own powers
without a fight.
compromise
To The Daily:
IN REPLY to the letter pub-
lished in the Editorial P a g e
January 17 by Steven Ross. I
agree, as everybody must, that
this nation is going to have a
great deal of trouble suppying
energy in the near future, may-
be for several years, maybe al-
ways. But if we want to h e 1 p
relieve the energy problem, we
must have a clear idea of what
we want and what can be done.
You worry about the energy
crisis, then complain that en-
vironment is not being cleaned
up. I believe that, for r i g h t
now, we must choose between
these causes or reach a com-
promise between them. W e
can't have both an abundance
of energy and a clean environ-
ment, with existing technology
and financial resources. Do you
realize that cleaning up the en-
vironment requires a great deal
of energy, and money, too? If
you want energy you must al-
low power producers to use nuc-
lear energy and their coal re-
sources. But the environmental-
ists condemn these.
I agree that industrial pollut-
ers should, and could have,
made efforts to curb their pol-
luting. But they dallied, and
you can really expect them to
do much during this economic
crisis. When the crisis is over,
I shall demand as loud as any-
body that they reform.
IN RESPECT to the relaxa-
tion of matomobile nollution-con-
boat, snowmobile, etc. is going
to use it, no matter what. I can
hear the owners screaming "in-
fringement on my rights". What
about the industries that pro-
duce recreational vehicles?
Many of those employees will
lose their jobs.
And auto racing. I suppose it
is logical (for someone w h o
knows nothing about it) to think
that since autos use ggs, auto
racing must use a tremendous
amount. It doesn't. Even t h e
major series think that one-race
attendance of 50,000 people is
more than they can reasonably
expect for more than a few
races. Add the gas used by
these spectators to the gas used
by competitors, and it doesn't
come close to the amount used
by spectators at any other type
of major sporting event, such
as pro football or baseball,
where the crowds are far larg-
er, and the events more numer-
ous.
I AM AFRAID, Mr. Ross, that
your kind of problem-solving re-
lies on changing the other guy's
way of life, instead of your own.
If I were to say to the average
American that we could drastic-
ally improve the energy situa-
tion I would be treated as a
messiah. When I told him my
plan was to cut use of unneces-
sary appliances around the
home, such as dishwashers, air-
conditioners, electric t o 0 t h-
brushes and the like, he would
chase me from his home with
the electric carving knife. When
families in America in which
one of the big cars is driven
almost solely by, a single com-
muter. If this commuter were
to drive a small car that gets
25 miles per gallon with emis-
sion controls, instead of a large
car that can get only 12 mpg
without these controls, he would
save tremendous amounts of
gasoline and money.
PLEASE, everybody. You can
save more energy through your
own actions than by hollering
at someone else, without a maj-
or shakeup oftyour lifebstyle.
Let's get together, maybe we
can avoid somegovernmental
meddling in our lives.
-Philip Macy
January 21
men's group
To The Daily:
MOST OF US are aware of
the women's movement, at least
to the extent of knowing it ex-
ists. Women have been challeng-
ing society with increasing
strength for most of this cen-
tury. One of the exponents of
the women's movement is Gay
Liberation, a broadly-based, em-
erging consciousnesss which
challenges sexist America.
What most people are not
aware of is the emergence of a
more widely based men's move-
ment with straight as well as
gay men, which, in the 1 a s t
two years, has been challenging
our sexist society by coming to-
gether to discover that all men
RDailIy
Ferent from what society ex-
pects of us, i.e., to be our-
selves.
LAST semester there was a
series of men's raps at Guild
House. For four consecutive
weeks 50-60 men met in small
groups to discuss such areas as
sexism, relationships with wo-
men, relationships with men,
gayness, sexuality, sex roles,
marriage divorce and m a n y
others. Several on-going groups
were formed to meet weekly to.
share more of each other's liv-
es.
Several of us have been meet-
ing since December to set up
aother series of men's raps.
The first will be Thursday, Jan.
23 at 7:30 p.m. The location is
Tyler No. 4 in the basement of
East Quad. The entrance is the
Willard St. arch. Turn left and
take the first door. Go down-
stairs and turn right. It is the
first room on the right. We hope
to continue these raps for twelve
weeks. Where we will hopefully
be involved in a variety of ac-
tivities other than just rapping.
The kinds of things we do will
depend on people's energies and
interests.
For further information the,
people to contact are Arnie
Sciullo at 662-0071, or Jim Oak-
ley 665-7218.
-Arnie Sciullo
Jim Oakley
S-rWMrCGS 1146 WOR~LD