Title
Phoenix Program
location (country)
Vietnam
Starting date
0000-00-00
End Date
0000-00-00
Year
1965 - 1972
US causalities
Victims
26,000 to 41,000 killed, 80,000 "neuralized"
est. cost for US
$1 billion (adjusted for inflation)
est. damage in $
Widespread trauma, destruction of rural communities, long-term distrust of government
description
The Phoenix Program was a covert CIA-led counterinsurgency initiative during the Vietnam War, aimed at dismantling the Viet Cong (VC) infrastructure through infiltration, capture, and assassination. Operated jointly by US Special Forces, CIA operatives, and South Vietnamese personnel, the program targeted VC sympathizers and cadres using intelligence gathering, interrogation, and "neutralization."
Critics argue the program relied heavily on torture, extrajudicial killings, and forced disappearances, with many civilians falsely accused. While US officials claimed it degraded VC capabilities, its brutality fueled anti-American sentiment and radicalized populations. The program left a legacy of civilian casualties, broken families, and a deeply scarred social fabric in rural Vietnam.
causalities and war crimes
follow up
Contributed to prolonged instability in Vietnam and later scrutiny of US-sanctioned human rights abuses in counterinsurgency operations.
picture
source
Source
https://list25.com/25-most-top-secret-military-operations-in-history/; wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Program
Primary & Declassified Sources:
CIA Archives:
Declassified reports on the Phoenix Program (available via the National Archives or the CIA’s FOIA Electronic Reading Room).
"Vietnam Counterinsurgency Study" (1966), declassified in the 2000s, outlines early Phoenix strategies.
U.S. Government Reports:
The Pentagon Papers (1971), especially Vol. 5, Section 3, which critiques Phoenix’s tactics.
Senate hearings (e.g., 1971 Church Committee reports) on CIA operations in Vietnam.
Academic & Historical Works:
Books:
"The Phoenix Program" (1990) by Douglas Valentine – A detailed investigative history.
"A Bright Shining Lie" (1988) by Neil Sheehan – Discusses Phoenix in the broader war context.
"Kill Anything That Moves" (2013) by Nick Turse – Examines civilian impacts.
Journal Articles:
Primary & Declassified Sources:
CIA Archives:
Declassified reports on the Phoenix Program (available via the National Archives or the CIA’s FOIA Electronic Reading Room).
"Vietnam Counterinsurgency Study" (1966), declassified in the 2000s, outlines early Phoenix strategies.
U.S. Government Reports:
The Pentagon Papers (1971), especially Vol. 5, Section 3, which critiques Phoenix’s tactics.
Senate hearings (e.g., 1971 Church Committee reports) on CIA operations in Vietnam.
Academic & Historical Works:
Books:
"The Phoenix Program" (1990) by Douglas Valentine – A detailed investigative history.
"A Bright Shining Lie" (1988) by Neil Sheehan – Discusses Phoenix in the broader war context.
"Kill Anything That Moves" (2013) by Nick Turse – Examines civilian impacts.
Journal Articles:
tags
terrorist action Major CIA operation military & counterinsurgency training Systemic torture
MainTag
Major CIA operation