South Vietnam: Records of the Office of the Defense Attache, 1973-1975
The Defense Attaché Office (DAO) Saigon was organized and was activated on 28 January 1973. DAO Saigon was a unique organization. It performed the traditional functions of a defense attaché, managed American military affairs in Vietnam after the cease-fire, including the programs for the support of the Republic of Vietnam’s Armed Forces (RVNAF), and furnished housekeeping support to Americans remaining in Vietnam after the ceasefire. Aside from the support of the RVNAF, it reported on operational matters and produced intelligence information on which subsequent decisions concerning the Military Assistance Program and American interests in Southeast Asia could be based. The DAO was evacuated from South Vietnam during the fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975. This collection comprises the DAO’s Historian’s Office files, including the official DAO History and the background files used in its compilation. The background files consist of serial reports, program memoranda and correspondence, operational and planning historical reports, intelligence summaries, briefing papers, press releases, and documents on the ceasefire.