January 31, 1969. Operation Bold Mariner/Russell Beach Operation Summary

Total results for operations by the 23rd Division (Americal Division) were as follows: 137 VC KIA, 218 VCI captured, 56 PW's captured, 10.3 tons of rice captured, 15.5 tons of salt captured, and 11,257 detainees held at the Combined Holding and Interrogation Center. [308] The number of indigenous employees on Chu Lai Base has increased to a point near the 6,000 mark. In an effort to control these people the CI Section is revising their indigenous employee files. IRO and units employing Vietnamese personnel have he1ned to record identification and place of employment of all permanent hire Vietnamese Nationals. An on-base informant program was established in late November 1968, geared primarily to detect VC infiltration into the permanent hire program. The Volunteer Informant Program (VIP) has continued to expand to unforeseen heights and remains the largest program country-wide. Average expenditures were in excess of 1,000,000 $VN ($8,474.68) monthly. The program has continued to be principally one of ordnance collection of mostly US manufacture. Efforts to induce the population to report information of intelligence interest (ep.., location and movement of VC/NVA troops) have remained unsuccessful. Efforts are being made to determine the origin of US ordnance collected which has not been fired and is in new condition. [308] The .Americal Division continued offensive operations in the Americal AO during the period 1 November 1968 to 31 January 1969. Contact varied from light and sporadic to moderate/heavy engagements. Four named operations were initiated during the reporting period: Operations Vernon Beach II, Hardin Falls, Fayette Canyon and Russell Beach. Operations Wheeler/Wallowa, Vernon Lake I and Burlington Trail were terminated during the reporting period. The Oregon AO was established from the former Burlington Trail and Wheeler/Wallowa A0s.*