Blue Water Navy

Thanks for the heads up

FAST Letter 09-20 is another Haas case. The VA begins by changing M21-1MR and telling ROs to send inquiries directly to JSRRC, whom they know doesn't have the documents on herbicides in Thailand. Repeated requests were sent to AFDO to do this in September 2007 to no avail. But here is my reply to the letter.

1. Attached you will find a excerpt of “The History of the US Department of Defense Programs for the Testing, Evaluation, and Storage of Tactical Herbicides”, December 2006, by Mr. Alvin L. Young, the expert for AO used by the DOD and the DVA.
Please refer to the highlighted page in which Mr. Young clearly states that “the exception to these Directives was the development of the “Tactical Herbicides” sprayed in combat military operations in Vietnam, or by Department of State approval…” and that “Herbicides used in Operation RANCH HAND for defoliation and crop destruction projects, and by the US Army Chemical Corps for vegetation control on perimeters, cache sites, and similar militarily-important targets were classified as “Tactical Herbicides”…”

2. Attached you will find a copy of “Item 318, Letter: To Mrs. Cleary from Alvin L. Young Regarding Use of Herbicides in Southeast Asia” from the National Agriculture Library, Alvin L. Young Collection on Agent Orange Container List. Again Mr. Young is the expert for AO used by the DOD and the DVA. Please refer to the highlighted pages in which Mr. Young clearly states:

“The two herbicides - - known as , 2,4-D, and 2,4,5-T - - are used extensively in most countries of both the free world and the communist bloc for selective control of undesirable vegetation. These chemicals are better for vegetation control than other compounds of a similar nature because they are not harmful to people, animals, soil or water…”

“The two chemicals, 2,4-D, and 2,4,5-T, are now in regular use, particularly for weed control in rice paddies, other field and horticultural crops, and rangeland, in Asian countries such as Burma, Thailand, Philippines, Republic of China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

The herbicides are being used by the government of the Republic of Vietnam in the guerrilla warfare with the Viet Cong in order to increase visibility on the ground and from the air.

At low rates of application, the herbicides wither the leaves and cause them to fall from the plants, but jungle plants usually regrow in about 30 days. At higher rates of application, the herbicides will cause defoliation, kill the top growth of brush, plants and trees, and prevent regrowth for a year or more...”

“Scientists have long known that the herbicides 2,4-D, and 2,4,5-T are not toxic to people or animals. The two chemicals are registered in the United States by the Department of Agriculture for use on food crops, in rivers and ponds, and on rangelands where livestock graze. They are available for purchase throughout the United States and are labeled nonpoisonous.”

The document clearly does not differentiate between “tactical” and “commercial” herbicides contrary to FAST Letter 09-20 and there are no relevant or referenced documents which in fact make a distinction between the two, it concludes the two are one and the same and uses the term herbicides.

3. Attached you will find a copy of “USMACTHAI/J USMAGTHAI, Mission Policy on Base Defense”, 1 Nov 69, from AFHRA FOIA 07-066, 21 Sept 07; please refer to Page 4. The document clearly states the requirement to obtain US Embassy (State Department) approval for “soil sterilization and/or defoliation operations”. This document was purposely omitted from references in FAST Letter 09-20.

4. Attached you will find a excerpt of “Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report - Base Defense in Thailand” (Declassified) from AFHRA FOIA 07-066, 21 Sept 07; please refer to Pages 58, 64, 66, 67, 68, and 75 for additional information on vegetation control at U-Tapao and other Thailand bases . The report clearly states that permission was obtained and received from the US Embassy (State Department) for use of herbicides.

Despite attempts to change procedures previously stated in M21-1MR, the fact remains that neither the Air Force Declassification Office nor Headquarters VBA Compensation & Pension Services has forwarded these documents to JSRRC. Additionally, FAST Letter 09-20 uses irrelevant documents, new “terms”, and omits pertinent data that clearly links the necessity to get State Department permission to use tactical herbicides with the policies for use of herbicides in Thailand with the factual statements that permission was obtained from the State Department when used. The evidence is incontrovertible and provides positive evidence that Tactical Herbicides were used despite attempts to use selective information to negate it.

I have the referenced documents if anyone wishes to see them. I am attempting to work through appropriate channels to negate this farce.

Thank you for this info. , I was ( boots on the ground ) in Thailand . I find it interesting that we went there then no other Carriers did , always wondered why .