00:00:00:00 - 00:00:20:07 00:00:20:13 - 00:00:21:06 Unknown Hello, 00:00:21:06 - 00:00:21:07 00:00:21:12 - 00:00:26:03 Unknown I am Josh Edmonson, the curator of education at the DEA museum. 00:00:26:18 - 00:00:32:03 Unknown Today we are joined by former DEA agents Steve Greene and Lee Kwong. 00:00:32:22 - 00:00:35:09 Unknown We were honored to have them join us in studio, 00:00:35:19 - 00:00:38:02 Unknown to share their oral histories for our collection, 00:00:38:11 - 00:00:43:19 Unknown to recount their amazing story, which takes us back to Saigon in 1971. 00:00:44:04 - 00:00:45:23 Unknown The earliest days of DEA 00:00:46:01 - 00:00:47:10 Unknown during the Vietnam War 00:00:48:13 - 00:00:52:17 Unknown in the 1960s, Wong was captain of the Vietnamese Narcotics Bureau. 00:00:53:03 - 00:00:56:01 Unknown Among his duties was died in drug traffickers, 00:00:56:09 - 00:00:59:29 Unknown primarily from an area in Southeast Asia near Vietnam 00:01:00:02 - 00:01:01:16 Unknown known as the Golden Triangle. 00:01:01:23 - 00:01:09:01 Unknown The Golden Triangle as a secluded mountainous region that includes parts of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. 00:01:09:01 - 00:01:14:28 Unknown Since the early 16th century, this region has provided ideal conditions for growing poppy. 00:01:15:13 - 00:01:18:22 Unknown For centuries, the poppy sap was used to produce opium, 00:01:19:03 - 00:01:23:04 Unknown and since the advent of modern medicine, to produce heroin as well, 00:01:24:02 - 00:01:28:11 Unknown drug traffickers synthesized the potent and highly addictive drug heroin 00:01:28:17 - 00:01:32:01 Unknown for morphine, which is a primary component of opium. 00:01:33:14 - 00:01:36:13 Unknown These traffickers, primarily Chinese nationals, 00:01:36:23 - 00:01:40:18 Unknown removing large quantities of heroin and other drugs into Vietnam 00:01:40:28 - 00:01:43:08 Unknown distributing the drugs to U.S. personnel 00:01:43:18 - 00:01:44:24 Unknown during the Vietnam War. 00:01:46:09 - 00:01:50:03 Unknown Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs agent Steve Green 00:01:50:11 - 00:01:53:03 Unknown arrived in Vietnam in 1971 00:01:53:14 - 00:01:59:12 Unknown as part of a small cohort assigned to the newly created Vietnam District Office. 00:02:00:00 - 00:02:04:07 Unknown The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs was a predecessor agency 00:02:04:16 - 00:02:06:22 Unknown of the Drug Enforcement Administration, 00:02:07:00 - 00:02:10:15 Unknown which was created a few years later in 1973. 00:02:11:20 - 00:02:16:02 Unknown Agency leadership sent Steve and his fellow drug law enforcement colleagues 00:02:16:12 - 00:02:19:05 Unknown to Vietnam to address the growing drug problem 00:02:19:14 - 00:02:20:26 Unknown among U.S. personnel. 00:02:22:16 - 00:02:26:24 Unknown Wang had been interdicting drug traffickers in Vietnam for years at this time. 00:02:27:08 - 00:02:31:04 Unknown As such, it was no coincidence for Steve and Wong to join forces 00:02:31:13 - 00:02:32:27 Unknown combat this menace. 00:02:33:20 - 00:02:38:21 Unknown Their collaboration was a significant step in the fight against drug trafficking in Vietnam 00:02:38:29 - 00:02:41:00 Unknown and into the hands of U.S. personnel 00:02:41:09 - 00:02:42:19 Unknown during the Vietnam War. 00:02:43:23 - 00:02:48:01 Unknown Listen as Steve and Wong recount their incredible story of brotherhood. 00:02:48:27 - 00:03:17:22 Unknown I want to start by delving into the individual journeys that led you to, excuse me, led you to work and law enforcement. Let's begin with Wang. How did you become a narcotics law enforcement officer? I was, a young, police officer, graduate from, the Vietnamese, National Police Academy in 1968, right after the Tet Offensive. 00:03:17:26 - 00:03:24:06 Unknown I was the first one who came to the US embassy. After the Vietcong attack, the US embassy. 00:03:24:15 - 00:03:51:12 Unknown And then, I was sent to, Japan to attend, one month, training course as a narcotic officer in, Tokyo, by the Japanese, police, agency. Yeah. And in 1990, it was appointed as the unit head of, the Narcotics Bureau in Vietnam. 00:03:51:14 - 00:04:27:27 Unknown By that time, the drug problem was so, rampant, in Vietnam, because of, we lack of intelligence. And, our officers were not trained, to, work with, international, police agency. So, there I was appointed, by the recommendation of, believe me, it was Mr. Green, senior. 00:04:27:29 - 00:04:48:03 Unknown Is it senior advisor? Yeah. Okay. Well, Charlie Volpe, had he he passed away a few months ago. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Yeah, he recommended me to be the head of that unit. And my boss, concur with his recommendation. That's how I get into it, and I got it. Appointment. Wow. Very interesting. 00:04:48:06 - 00:04:51:27 Unknown Yeah. And Steve Howe, we hear your story now. 00:04:52:05 - 00:05:00:09 Unknown joined, the Drug Enforcement Bureau of some dangerous Drugs in September of 1968, 00:05:00:09 - 00:05:10:15 Unknown in Baltimore, Maryland, where I served as a special agent. And I had some overseas experience with the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. 00:05:10:18 - 00:05:40:08 Unknown I was with a group of, I believe, six special agents that were sent on a special assignment to Turkey because Turkey had agreed to reduce the areas where they produced the opium poppy and limit the amount of drugs going into the French connection. So we went over to verify, you know, did they abide by the agreement? So I was known to some officials in the, Foreign operations section of DEA headquarters. 00:05:40:11 - 00:06:06:16 Unknown Well, and, I think I was right around September of 68, the war in Vietnam for the U.S. was not going well. They were. It was clear they were trying to disengage. And you had large numbers of U.S. troops in base camps that weren't engaged and come and got combat, and there was a lot of problems going on. 00:06:06:22 - 00:06:37:24 Unknown Narcotics being one of them, you know, morale problems, trouble with, enlisted going after offers officers. And that was the atmosphere. My words. People were very upset with the war still going on. The draft was going on, and now they were facing a possibility that their loved ones may come home as a casualty or something else, or God forbid, they're going to come home as a drug addict. 00:06:37:27 - 00:07:00:13 Unknown So there was enormous pressure. I understood as a young agent that we got to do something about this. So a decision was made in conjunction with the State Department. I would believe the military had input in it, but for sure, to the Department of Justice, we have to get an official DEA presence in Vietnam. There was no office there. 00:07:00:13 - 00:07:46:00 Unknown And there was there wasn't much of a customs US customs presence. Most of the problems with narcotics were being handled by the military and getting back to involvement of like he was the first gentleman he mentioned Charles Wopat was a former special agent of the BND and the former Federal Bureau of our narcotics. But he went over to the State Department under U.S. aid and I believe it was the Bureau of Public Safety under State Department while they were assisting police, the police functions, setting up the narcotics Bureau, showing the national police how to have an organized, valuable police thing. 00:07:46:06 - 00:08:16:21 Unknown And Mr. Vo Pat and several others, found while located on interviewed them saw I spoke a head of Vietnamese language capability and I believe he will tell you later several other capabilities. Well, so he's established and then DEA got their first senior official aid and deceased now Fred Dick. And they made him a regional director. 00:08:16:23 - 00:08:44:04 Unknown Very unusual. It was a very it was a three going to be a three man office. And Bangkok was a regional office that had several places Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia answering to them. But they made a, bad management decided this is so important, so much pressure from the people I mentioned before, including the white House. We got to get somebody over there and try and control this problem. 00:08:44:04 - 00:09:15:11 Unknown So they made it a regional director and they decided to assign two other agents. One was, Joseph Daley, and the second one was myself, because they had known me and asked, would you go, it's a war zone. And, I said, yes. I had had some experience of being in a war zone. It did not go over well with my family, who didn't exactly appreciate my earlier service in the U.S. Marine Corps, but I, I signed up and I was not married at the time. 00:09:15:14 - 00:09:52:23 Unknown And, Fred Dick was involved in the selection of leaky Wall. So and so when he first arrived, one of the first things he did was that leaky wall and get us established in the embassy with an office unheard of, three man office. And we were right in the embassy, prime real estate. So I showed up in, in, and 19th October of 71, I arrive in Saigon, and I was introduced to Leaky Wong and told them he was building, had built a very capable narcotic squad. 00:09:52:25 - 00:10:24:29 Unknown So. And, that we had two agents. And Fred Dick was our regional director and a monumental task ahead of us, but it was primarily and the role was very clear. The military wanted our advice and assistance on helping with their problem, and their problem was serious. There was widespread use of drugs by U.S. forces, and I'll include every one because there's a number, service said. 00:10:25:03 - 00:10:43:19 Unknown We didn't have a problem. They did. And, some of those drugs were coming to the United States. They get hand carried or possibly smuggled. Smuggled. So that was my arrival in Saigon, where I met Wang. And he had already had a very established repertoire, reputation. 00:10:43:19 - 00:10:49:06 Unknown Wow. Well, that's a, pretty amazing, entree to the story. 00:10:49:08 - 00:11:22:10 Unknown I'm already excited to hear more of it. So, Wang, can you tell us a little bit more about the drug scene in Vietnam at the time? And was was there such a thing as a typical case, or was everything atypical? Can you explain how the scene looked at the time? Yes. The drug, you know, street level was all over the country, especially around, military base, the U.S. military base. 00:11:22:13 - 00:11:49:10 Unknown And, and those, drug pusher, they used to run, you know, a from 10 to 15, placing the drugs, in an open area under some, brick and rocks and, and, hide it there. But they never, you know, touch it. So those get run after the, American soldier say, sir. Okay. Okay. 00:11:49:12 - 00:12:16:24 Unknown Tell them that's all they know. Chewing gum, chewing gum, and and, the servicemen know that they, drug pusher. I say you get Sky, you got sky is say, yeah, $5, $10. So the showed you give them, the money and they go to that break over there and they collect the drug. So. I'm sorry. I just got back this, the yesterday the the slang for heroin. 00:12:16:24 - 00:12:44:18 Unknown Skag s okay, AG. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Very good. So, they point to the area where they hide and they, you know, the transaction that way. So McVeigh and the provost marshal was very upset about that. They call me. They want. Can you do anything they say? Yeah, I would round them up and they arrest all the kids in that area. 00:12:44:18 - 00:13:07:29 Unknown And I called their parents over, said, no, you know that your kids are pushing drugs, and I know that you involved. And if you don't take your kid back and send them to school the next time I arrest you, not the kids, because I cannot put the kids in jail. So I, I clear, I clean the area and, and McQuaid and the provost marshal was very impressed with that. 00:13:08:02 - 00:13:42:13 Unknown And, they kept contact me that for on the American side. For the Vietnamese side, I know who was involved in providing, prepare opium for the Vietnamese drug addicts. Because in 1954, when President Gordon Geum came, as the president of South Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam, he banned all the illegal use of opium. And, we have, addict population. 00:13:42:16 - 00:14:14:22 Unknown So they brought in, prepared opium from the Golden Triangle, as you introduce, from the beginning, we have that and we had a younger Vietnamese addict that do not have enough money to use heroin for, snorting or injection. So they bought, these second hand use of, opium from the pipe, from the opium smoking pipe and scrape it out and they cook it up and inject into their veins. 00:14:14:24 - 00:14:41:16 Unknown So that, caused a lot of, of, problem in South Vietnam at that time. And then when Steve and, Mr. Fred Dick and Jody Lee came, we met, we work. And I consider myself as a, a member of the task force from, B and D, even though I'm with the Vietnamese police. But I gave them 100% cooperation. 00:14:41:19 - 00:15:08:05 Unknown Very transparency. And, I never hide anything from them. You know, they can come to my house and look at how I live. They are welcome to. So that's how we developed, the comrade, camaraderie is and and friendship. And they don with Steve, you know, even brother, you know, brotherhood. We are just like brother to each other. 00:15:08:08 - 00:15:36:11 Unknown And that's a great story. You know, DEA really depends on its task force on this. And, task forces have been among our most valuable assets. And you two are? Your team was a very early example of this, so that's pretty inspiring. Steve, can you tell us what kind of operations your, unit was implementing to counter this drug threat to U.S. personnel that we've been discussing? 00:15:36:13 - 00:15:39:26 Unknown Well, we had our mission was varied. And, 00:15:39:26 - 00:16:00:02 Unknown primarily it started off with liaison saying that, the National police got all the intelligence we had on potential sources, and we would be getting that. We had an office in Laos. We had enough I don't know if we had an office in Cambodia. We later did, and it was under Saigon. 00:16:00:09 - 00:16:31:03 Unknown But, we had it in, we had it in the main one in Bangkok. And we also got a lot of information where they would make cases in the United States where it was sufficient quantities to go. This is this is a trafficker, and it's coming out of Asia. But, you know, it was primarily coming out of Bangkok and it was former military guys, very significant guys that were bringing it in into New York and North Carolina. 00:16:31:05 - 00:16:53:29 Unknown So, and we made a decision and it was a very easy one. We are not going to get involved in street level, people doing drugs. They were fully capable, but we could give them some assistance. And I should have mentioned this before because it's very important. At the time, DEA put three agents, a supervisor and myself in another agent. 00:16:54:02 - 00:17:20:18 Unknown The U.S. Customs Service put a significant number of inspectors, and they were to work with the military, and they were to work with the, whoever was doing. And I'm he one can tell me who was doing inspections at airports, people coming in and going out, particularly going out. If you had a search, these people and the military has to search every military person going home. 00:17:20:25 - 00:17:49:25 Unknown There wasn't a lot going home with home goods, but they were certainly going home. And they had a clamp down because and they had to start watching them at these bases. We were getting that information, but they were getting a lot of that from customs. And training was always going in. So the the cases but we had some significant, violators that we knew from Bangkok and they were primarily always ethnic Chinese and that were running the drug. 00:17:49:26 - 00:18:19:20 Unknown Rand had run the opium before. And I will say this because it came up several times. Well, the communists were behind this. This is a way to defeat. We never saw a lot of incidents of that. And we'd make some pretty good arrests and vet these people. And they might have been a lot of things, but they didn't seem to be part of the North Vietnamese as a because I could ask all this wasn't just a deliberate effort by the North Vietnamese to, well, I don't think they mind it happening, particularly all this dysfunction on these military bases. 00:18:19:20 - 00:18:43:13 Unknown But it was primarily the ethnic Chinese getting things out to the Vietnamese who were, you know, trying to make a buck. And so that was that. But there were some significant violators, and one we really helped on. And one will give you the details because they're fascinating. There were Thai trawlers loaded up with opium and significant amounts of morphine. 00:18:43:18 - 00:19:02:20 Unknown They were coming around the coast of Vietnam going into Hong Kong. Well, we did a very good job of being able to track some of those that spent a long time. So I could say there was actually some, beepers and stuff we were able to put on those things. So when it's coming around the coast, it's sending out a signal. 00:19:02:25 - 00:19:24:03 Unknown The Vietnamese Navy, with full cooperation of Wong Give given. So we're not past them. But it would, you know, tell them go into this area and you might find something of interest. Stop some of these trawlers so that those are the cases we made. And we would travel. But our travel, we would go up to Danang in a number of places. 00:19:24:03 - 00:19:58:02 Unknown But we had to be very careful. And, you know, it was just we just had to be careful of working undercover there. So it was controlled. But I would say primarily providing intelligence and going out on these raids and things and making some suggestions that were always helpful. And we helped finance some of those. So that's really fascinating because we still hear or we often hear that, intelligence is among the is, most significant, resources. 00:19:58:10 - 00:20:08:14 Unknown And so it goes all the way back to the beginning, even back to Baghdad. At that time, we were about to be our DEA was created shortly after this. So it's fascinating to hear that, 00:20:08:14 - 00:20:26:27 Unknown you know, and that that, I believe it was in effect then, but there was the Mansfield Amendment Amendment. I'm not sure exactly when it came in, but it really strictly controlled DEA can't be arresting foreign nationals, and DEA can't be primarily arresting. 00:20:26:29 - 00:20:49:27 Unknown But many of these companies you got be careful. You can't carry firearms. And so you'd pass the intelligence, which was always welcome. But some guidance on this sophisticated undercover thing, you know, and it was always welcome. And I was grateful. And I think that it all continues even today. Wang, I believe at about this time you got sent to the U.S. for training. 00:20:49:27 - 00:21:11:17 Unknown So can you tell us what that was like? Yes, yes. In 1972, I was sent to attend, advanced course. Offer by the, U.S. ID office of, Public Safety o b s 00:21:11:17 - 00:21:34:25 Unknown That's where the International Police Academy, next to Georgetown University that I attended. And then when I was in, in, the training, class, there was a call from the white House and my friend, he, he was a retired colonel from the, provost marshal. 00:21:34:27 - 00:22:07:08 Unknown He's a long as you remember me. I told you that after you go to the US and look me up, I'm here at the white House and working for the director. The national drug Policy. Office, I say, oh, Cornell, how are you? And, Yeah. Are you interested in coming to, the white House and, do a briefing for us about the drug situation in, Vietnam, Thailand and, the international school. 00:22:07:11 - 00:22:41:10 Unknown I say, well, I'm here to, to study. I'm not allowed to do any, you know, press conference, at the white House. You say what, what can we help you? I say, yeah, I must have a permit for my, blue chip. So who is your chief as a general? We up in the next day, I, teletype from my my boss, a he authorized me to attend a, press conference at the white House. 00:22:41:12 - 00:23:10:19 Unknown And, during that, they asked about a drug situation in, Vietnam and in Thailand, especially near the international school where most of our diplomatic, dependents, their children attend the school. And I told that because in Thailand there were no a drug free schools owned. So anybody can sell any, you know, candy and stuff to the, schoolchildren right at the gate. 00:23:10:22 - 00:23:50:21 Unknown And then they turned over to other questions about the politics and about, the proposal by North Vietnam, the ceasefire, on the spot and everything like that. And, present to you, you know, organized the election by himself. And I said, well, they proposed for CFI. It was, was a violation of the Geneva Convention because during that time, the North Vietnamese, whoever, love to work with the, live in a communist country can move north. 00:23:50:23 - 00:24:03:21 Unknown And, people who want the democracy can move south. So we got about a million North Vietnamese coming down to the south. But, the, the Viet Cong have, 00:24:03:21 - 00:24:27:03 Unknown move out of the area. So that's a violation. And, about prison, to, run, the election by himself. There was a provision in our, Constitution that the president, if other candidate withdrew their name to the last minute, the people can vote yes or no in a referendum. 00:24:27:06 - 00:25:10:02 Unknown You know, after trust is, candidate. So I got, you know, the approval from the president. And that's why this time when, Steve and David tried to move me out of, Vietnam, during the during the last few days, the prime minister signed the approval right away because they hope that I have another chance to talk to the American people about, you know, the situation in Vietnam, and hopefully that, the new president by that time, Gerald Ford, help Vietnam with $300 million for, military age. 00:25:10:03 - 00:25:37:22 Unknown But, everything was shut down by that time. Again, when, Steve, that told you about the, Mansfield amendment. I believe that after Gerald loaned. Who executed, you know, the former police chief will execute a Vietcong in front of the camera with his. Not the 38 that, you know, on the, TV screen every day, every day. 00:25:37:24 - 00:25:51:06 Unknown And then that's how it came out that, you know, we a DEA, cannot and will not participate in any arrest because a violation of human rights and so on, so forth, 00:25:51:06 - 00:26:15:13 Unknown That's a fascinating story. Thank you. If I might add something to that. When you were in, I didn't always meet him, but, there were numerous congressional delegations that you couldn't come the Asia, you had a stop in Vietnam, and many of these were very senior white House officials, State Department congressional people. 00:26:15:16 - 00:26:32:26 Unknown As a number one stop, you got to go to Asia and you have to stop. And and they all wanted to say, we want to see the Vietnamese Narcotics Bureau. We want to have a briefing in this. So he would meet these people. And we had a good story to tell, and particularly for me enough, not so much for Bangkok. 00:26:32:28 - 00:26:50:19 Unknown There's not a lot of drugs. I would say the very few drugs going from Vietnam to the United States there are there with GIS and it's in their luggage. But those are all small amounts, the big stuff. So we had a good story to tell. And he got fairly he got very well known by some very senior people. 00:26:50:24 - 00:27:18:22 Unknown And you can best believe the State Department was looking for a good story. Everybody was looking. We got to get some good stories out of this, you know, Saigon or Vietnam. It's not going well militarily. So. Yeah. It's very interesting. And so one after you finished the training course here, in DC, you turned to Vietnam and you weren't aware of it at the time. 00:27:18:24 - 00:27:44:15 Unknown But there were only about three years left, before the fall of Saigon and April of 1975, which triggered a mass exodus, from South Vietnam, and effectively end of the Vietnam War. Wong, what was your work like? During those last couple of years? Well, by that time, nobody know exactly when, Saigon will fell. 00:27:44:17 - 00:28:18:09 Unknown What? Collapse. And, I look at, all the battle area. So in I've been long and and low. It takes months and months, you know, for us to defend ourself. So when, the offered me a training, course in, Washington DC in, April, March, April of 75, I thought I have a chance to come back, but before I left, I say, I talked to Steve. 00:28:18:09 - 00:28:45:25 Unknown Oh, it's didn't want my brother. By that time, they. Steve, if something happened to me, would you take care of my family and Steve, you know, say one worry. You know, we take care of you and your family. So I went to the U.S., and, when the Vietcong, you know, those, artillery shells drop on to the runway of Sydney Airport. 00:28:45:25 - 00:29:07:13 Unknown The only, you know, main airport in Vietnam. Pan am. Stop on the flight. And I was holding half of the ticket. You know, the return ticket for from Vietnam. I say that my chance of going home is zero now. So I talked to my friend at the white House. I'll call your brothers. They go. Can you call the office there and left him? 00:29:07:13 - 00:29:29:11 Unknown This is, doctor's degree. See if he can help, move my family out. And, Steve, believe that he received that message. So he was running out there trying to. To help my family anyway. Anyway, so, That's how, you know, we get together in the U.S.. Yes. 00:29:29:15 - 00:30:01:27 Unknown the meantime, DEA had been created in 1973. Of course. Can you tell us more about how your mission had changed in these years, since you first arrived in 1971? Right at the time that being DEA was created, the Customs service sent agents over, and the U.S. customs agent in Saigon, Peter Tamano, became a DEA agent. 00:30:01:27 - 00:30:21:25 Unknown So there was, four of us there. And I would say we were concentrating more on trying to get, the National police information on some of the more significant people that we were hearing that may be operating there. But he already had a pretty good idea who they were. 00:30:21:27 - 00:30:41:11 Unknown And we would try and using our expertise. Well, we think something may be coming down a load or something, or we hear they're doing something. It gave them the ability to go after a number of these people at a much higher level, because even they were not interested in the street people, and the military was coming home by then. 00:30:41:13 - 00:31:03:07 Unknown So that lessened a lot of the problems. You know, for the military people, it was a big problem, you know, and I had, I don't know, many visitors that didn't come to Vietnam, to Saigon. And I met Leekie Wong and saw that job. They were doing that. Then remind me you got to take care of this guy. I'm like, okay, I got the message. 00:31:03:13 - 00:31:22:00 Unknown And they were a lot of DEA people, and, this guy has a great list. You know, you don't make, say, all police there have difficult time that I mean, there's corruption. There's corruption in the U.S. and there's corruption in Asia. And he was stopping a lot of that by I'm going to stop the drug trade around these bases in these places. 00:31:22:03 - 00:31:40:23 Unknown And, he made enemies and, he had a good boss, and they were taking care of it. But all I could was somebody is, keep an eye out. You know, he's at risk. And he's doing this for the Americans, you know, and they were very grateful. But, you know, he's doing a lot of things that benefited NIH. 00:31:40:28 - 00:32:00:03 Unknown And it was very clear. And that was I was well aware and I didn't need to be told that. And I told them, you know, something happens around here. Do the right thing keeping that very vague, what the right thing was and how bad it would get very quickly. Right. Nobody really knew what was going to happen in a couple of days or a couple of weeks. 00:32:00:06 - 00:32:31:13 Unknown But, everyone recognized your dedication and your sacrifice, and, it's a very heartwarming story, and a terrible time to know that DEA leadership and DEA employees and State Department employees were all concerned for your your and your family's safety. So now it's 1975. We're getting close to the war's end. And one at that time, you returned to the U.S. and you artists spoke about a little bit. 00:32:31:13 - 00:33:05:26 Unknown But, so can you tell us a little bit about how. So you got invited back to the U.S. for a second time? What exactly happened there? And you ended up being stuck essentially. All right. So the second time, is was the, an effort by DEA to move me out of the war zone first, and, I myself thought that we still have a chance to fight back. 00:33:05:28 - 00:33:37:02 Unknown So I took the invitation, to go to the U.S, and then I got stuck here because, the Vietcong, you know, approach, Saigon. Very quick. And I know that, my friend Steve, who is a former marine, he has, you know, bubble heart medal because he was wounded, in the front line in the country. 00:33:37:04 - 00:34:04:07 Unknown Is that in Doha? Up in, the Mediterranean goes on the the front line. But he volunteered to come back, to save me and my family. So I have a lot of trust in to, Steve. So, I will sit there wondering. And then one night, the white House, Cuomo Yarborough came to my apartment, knocked on the door. 00:34:04:07 - 00:34:30:17 Unknown I said, Wong, I think you know good news for you that, your wife and your daughter are safe in, in, Clapp airbase. And the next morning, Mr. Bartell came to the class and he say, Wong, we got some good news for you and your wife and your kids. Safe. Everybody from the class stood up and they clapped their hand, and, 00:34:30:19 - 00:34:58:03 Unknown And he said that Steve Green did a great job there. I say thank Steve. You know, he stayed my not my family, my life. And, and then, Mr. Bartell say that, I give you another good news. If you want to work for the, we have a place for you here. I say, Mr. Bartell, thank you so much. 00:34:58:03 - 00:35:37:07 Unknown You know, but, you know, I'm still a Vietnamese police officer. My country still there. And we have brought. There's a. Relax. Don't worry. Whenever. You ready? So when Vietnam fell in, April 30th, I joined, on May the 11th. I still have that, personnel notification action. Paper. And, I came in as, contractors working, you know, on, background restoration for the Indochinese refugee. 00:35:37:10 - 00:36:02:20 Unknown We have every day thousand and 10,000 of them coming to the desert. And, I developed myself, a database because all the information, that I provide to Baghdadi by that time came for me. So I know exactly I have a common names. I know that that, person I arrest, they were maybe a lady. 00:36:02:22 - 00:36:28:23 Unknown She was 21 years old, but now a woman with, the same common name. But she's 61 years old. I cleared right away so I can, clear the, you know, Chinese refugee very quickly. And I stay there in headquarters, and, Steve come back from Thailand. He watch after my back. He helped me. Everything. They send me to the training. 00:36:28:23 - 00:36:53:10 Unknown When I became, U.S. citizen. I remember Steve was right. That, Of course, how when I was sworn in as a U.S. citizen and, and my other friend, you know, congratulate me so that, they gave me the clearance to go onward in the field. Yes. Best move we ever made. That's a pretty incredible story. 00:36:53:12 - 00:37:19:17 Unknown So let's win back the clock a little bit. So we're, right before the end of the Vietnam War, you become the special agent in charge of the Vietnam district office. And it's time to evacuate. This is, remarkable, opportunity to hear about what that was like. So can you tell us a little bit about this critical episode? 00:37:19:20 - 00:37:46:18 Unknown In the war for DEA? Sure. But let me allow me, a minor, diversion or, there's two important events. And if I don't mention them, I'll be in deep trouble on the home front in, in, in, I think 19. Just why I'm in trouble. I know the date. January 22nd, I believe. 1972. I got married and my wife was a U.S. citizen. 00:37:46:18 - 00:38:10:15 Unknown Had worked and, Baltimore, Maryland, for the Corps of Engineers. She agreed to come over and we got married in Hong Kong. So that was straight traumatic for my family and her family. You were here alone, getting married, this guy. And we're going to go back to Saigon. And she had a top secret clearance. So we she was able to get employment, with permission of DEA. 00:38:10:15 - 00:38:38:00 Unknown And it had to be it wasn't a married post unless you had a clearance and were working. So that worked out. But in 1973, our tours over there were supposed to be two years. And because it was war zone and work, and so I was transferred to, British, Hong Kong, British Crown Colony. And she went and she got a job there, which State Department, because she's, very capable, employ very attractive lady. 00:38:38:03 - 00:39:12:05 Unknown So she's working at the counselor section, and I'm a DEA agent in the Hong Kong office. And then, I was asked around, the late, 1974. Would I return to Saigon as the agent in charge? And I said, sure. I got her permission. And I did ask, Will I get a promotion? Sure. So in January, I returned to, Saigon as the agent in charge, and the office had been moved out of the embassy. 00:39:12:05 - 00:39:39:22 Unknown The main complaint to a building they had built where all the the senior attache is where they are. Most of them were out at military assistant command at Thompson. Not you know, where a lot of additions for all the services. But the real senior one was in this building with us. That becomes important. And shortly and minor point Hong Kong, our Saigon was in a furnished post. 00:39:39:25 - 00:40:09:12 Unknown Hong Kong you had to bring get some furniture. So I'm not going back to Vietnam. I don't have any furniture. So we obtained some furniture in Hong Kong. So they were going to go. Well, you can't leave it here. You got to take it out. Fine. I'll have it. So I arrive in Saigon in January of 1975, and immediately upon arrival, it was clear to a former marine corporal that this is not going well. 00:40:09:15 - 00:40:29:29 Unknown And the attache would tell me this isn't going well at all. And, you know, it was it was just and it was like suggestions were made. You don't even want to get housing, you know, go get at a furnished apartment. And I mention this because it comes up later. So I just my furniture will be here in a month or something. 00:40:29:29 - 00:40:54:23 Unknown Just leave it on the docks, you know, because you're probably not going to need it here. So, we did we weren't doing very much narcotic enforcement work, you know, and it was winding down very clearly. It was winding down quick. And then a couple things pushed me. The defense attache would keep me very well informed. I was right down. 00:40:54:29 - 00:41:15:05 Unknown You know, I never very pressed. And I should have mentioned this early. We had cooperation from everybody over there, including the CIA. When when we first arrived, everybody was told, hey, we got to do something about this problem over here, you know, because it's affecting United States now greatly. But it was certainly, affected public opinion of the war. 00:41:15:10 - 00:41:42:17 Unknown So, you know, as Wong said, the it started with the, offensive by the North Vietnamese, which went far quicker than everybody imagined. I don't want to get into the military, but they took significant areas of South Vietnam that was supposedly going to take a couple of years. They took them in months, and it was like, so I knew the situation was getting worse. 00:41:42:17 - 00:42:08:09 Unknown And it came to a point that, my wife was then working at the embassy in the political section and political sections in embassies are very knowledgeable people. And they came up to and, I don't have this order correctly, but it was called Wong mentioned the airfield at times and it got rocketed. And that was kind of the end of commercial flights. 00:42:08:11 - 00:42:35:11 Unknown And that came as, well, you know, here's plan A, I was going to put her on a plane and get some paperwork, and she'll fly out of here as a normal because there was no evacuation. And he's deceased. But Grant, Ambassador Graham Martin made that very clear. We are not evacuating. We are not sending people out of here, you know, and the country is existing, and they're not going to see us burning papers and doing so. 00:42:35:17 - 00:43:04:00 Unknown There is no formal evacuation. So, you know, I find out that, very quickly, there's the, the, the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong, particularly the North Vietnamese. They got down and almost took the knee and you see in the I was brought over and I might have been classified then as certainly not now. They had low level flights of the Danang airfield, and there were thousands of people on that airfield. 00:43:04:03 - 00:43:25:21 Unknown Who are they? There are even soldiers. And they're they're just on there going after. And there was a World Airways flight that landed up there, and it's the notorious one. They flew up there to get their people, and thousands of people tried to board that airplane. They didn't turn it around there and well, well, Wells and they're hanging on there. 00:43:25:23 - 00:43:51:26 Unknown And the head of World Airways is punching a fuel monster back. That plane never the ramp never went up and there and we'll well, I was out of town, so no, when I landed, I was like, oh my God, this comes from. And it was like, it's time to go. And we're around. Then we're around. I want to be very careful on my dates that were around April, probably 16th or 17th. 00:43:52:04 - 00:44:13:16 Unknown My wife's boss at the embassy, takes her out of the office and, you know, says you got to get Steve to get out and get you out of here. Like, tonight. And so she got to go. I forget what they're saying here. And, I mean, it was I had no stay. She was a State Department employee, but not a permanent one. 00:44:13:19 - 00:44:34:23 Unknown But she had a clearance and everything. And she go, so just go. Don't go back into the office, go find Steve and get you out of here. Which I had the capabilities because I don't have the date. Well, I do have it that, somewhere around, that the DoD started flights of military aircraft into Saigon. No more commercial. 00:44:34:25 - 00:45:02:13 Unknown So almost anybody could get on. No. And, I had a good badge and supervisory badge, and it could get me in places. And I had various ways to get on the tanzanite for myself, and they're starting to have. And I go, well, I got her on a military flight with about two other small military flight, two other State Department employees that one of the real heroes there was the regional security officer, Marv Garrett. 00:45:02:19 - 00:45:25:05 Unknown I believe he's deceased. He started writing paperwork up that a lot of the State Department women needed to go to Bangkok to get a physical mental stressor, so it didn't interfere with their abandoning post. So I told her I put her on the airplane, off she goes. And that was somewhere around 15th or 16th to Bangkok, to the DEA office and another one of the real heroes. 00:45:25:05 - 00:45:47:02 Unknown There was a bill living good. Not Bill living good. Tell me what the name had of the Saigon office. Bill Cunningham. He's. He was the number two in Bangkok. He puts all these people up at his house, you know, they're they're coming. And so I had communication with. They're what? When are you getting out? And I said, I'm trying. 00:45:47:02 - 00:46:14:09 Unknown I'm trying my best, but I don't have air anymore. And I want to be again, careful. I knew of the embassy plan to evacuate. You'll hear White Christmas over the radio. You'll take the people that you think you're responsible for, get them to a checkpoint, put them on a bus and go to town. So none. Good luck. I mean, it was a madhouse and it was starting. 00:46:14:09 - 00:46:23:14 Unknown And I go, this is not going to work for me either. He's gone and I'll get back to him in a minute. It's like, I can't get this. I got his wife, 00:46:23:14 - 00:46:29:16 Unknown checkpoint and I don't know if we had them hidden, but we might had whatever it was. 00:46:29:18 - 00:46:49:24 Unknown I don't want to overdo it. It was like we might have hidden in the car, and it was like, we got to get out of here. So we go back in and I was like, this is a big problem. So I get some better idea. And, I go to a place at the tanzanite and I had perfect ID, but I've lost Steve Bright. 00:46:49:24 - 00:47:11:14 Unknown He said, I can't, I just can't go out here. I got my hundreds of his own people. He's trying shenanigans. So I get past the, I get out toward a gate where there was primarily American keeping people out because it's still a base. It's half us and half. And, you know, there was some exchange not with the Americans, but there were some Vietnamese officers there. 00:47:11:15 - 00:47:36:00 Unknown Some cash is exchange, and we're on the base for goodness. So we go off and I knew where the military planes were coming in. So we go over to that area, the tanks, the main airfield was closed. You know, military planes were there, but we were off and it was all military. Well, there's the, the the military are enforcing the, they stop us. 00:47:36:01 - 00:47:58:15 Unknown Us, and they do it. No, you can't get on this plane. These are Vietnamese people, the country. And that's the ambassador's word. And so there was a very and there were State Department counselor office there. One of these guys turned into an ambassador later, very senior guy. And they knew me. They they knew DEA guys because we were always at the consulate with arrested Americans. 00:47:58:18 - 00:48:26:02 Unknown And he goes, here's what you got to do. You got to go down to the embassy, you know, back through town and get some and see so-and-so. Yeah. Counselor Moorfield, he's on a wedding certificate, and you got to get a document. Said you're married to these people. Okay, so I, I just it he confirmed it. I go, I'm not taking his family back to this town again and trying to get back on this base. 00:48:26:05 - 00:48:43:28 Unknown So they got they spent this is the second day they spent somewhere out there. So I didn't have to mess around with them. So I go back to the embassy and it's a madhouse. But there's ways you could get in that embassy without being in that crowd. You know, I let the Marines and they'd let you in a trap door. 00:48:43:28 - 00:49:05:18 Unknown So. So I go over to counselor and see this guy, and I, I said, you know, here's the card. Give me a marriage certificate. He knew what was going on. So he gets the stamps and I take my new wife and her child, and off we go back out there. And it was good. They're married to him. They're his family. 00:49:05:20 - 00:49:27:07 Unknown Get on the next plane. So they they search us? No. You know, I had a firearm, and, there's no weapons on it because they worked search and everybody, they didn't care who you are, but they moved me up to the nice next flight. C-130 comes in, never stops, just turns around engines. And they're coming in about every 20 minutes. 00:49:27:09 - 00:49:53:00 Unknown Off we go. They never put the ramp down. And his wife is there getting everybody on that plane as. And there were primarily Vietnamese, families with contractors, but they were legally married or legitimately married. So it was very hectic because they're throwing flares off the back, say, and they spiraled out of Saigon and off we went to the Philippines. 00:49:53:02 - 00:50:15:05 Unknown We landed at the Philippines and were there for a good six hours. And they're DEA guys here, but they really couldn't get on the base or they couldn't find us, or there were tens of thousands of people. And, as I understand it, Marcos had been told I'll take 10 or 20,000 while I was getting close to 50,000 people or I think he goes us out. 00:50:15:07 - 00:50:38:02 Unknown So that day when we were there, about five hours. So we go to Guam and the Seabees had built they knew we were coming. So we landed in Guam and I might as well finish because it it gets stuck. It's interesting. So I'm stuck. She and Mrs. Wong had a passport. I had no exit visas, nothing else and a passports. 00:50:38:02 - 00:50:58:29 Unknown Good. But I think all of it. You had to have an exit. We had none of that. And I go, who is this? Is my family. So they had some status, but where they are. And it's very clear because there's DEA guys in Guam and I haven't slept for about three days, so they're out to give me some clean clothes, but they they give me a heads up. 00:50:59:07 - 00:51:22:28 Unknown You've got to be careful. They're getting, they're thinking of quarantining this whole place because they're. I got medical problems, and I go out, I'm there and I can't leave. If I leave, who's going to be with these people? So I got these, you know, and, and again, I'm trying to be a little careful. My father had a very senior job for the Immigration service. 00:51:23:03 - 00:51:42:22 Unknown Never used as connects, but he was pretty senior. I think he was the number two the time he was acting. So and there were hundreds of State Department and immigration people trying to process this. Hordes of people, you know, who are you are you have sponsor. So I was able to go up there with my credentials. And could you guys do me a favor? 00:51:42:24 - 00:52:01:26 Unknown You know, my father works for the immigration service. Who's who is he? You know, and so they they sent a teletype to him. You know, you, you know, Stephen H. Green is here with his family. So they I was able to get a call and they had the phones and everything. And it was it was an interesting phone call. 00:52:01:26 - 00:52:25:19 Unknown Where the hell are you? Your mother's upset, her family's upset, and I'm in Guam. I may be a hero or something, but I got a little problem. You know, I had to bring this family out. Yes, and I had a Maria, and she said, you did what? Anybody? So he gets their name and everything. And within about five hours, a teletype comes in saying the, 00:52:25:21 - 00:52:49:08 Unknown And he knew DEA. DEA knew him because I think I asked him a few times, where is exactly is my son? So he gets his teletype or we get a teletype and it said, you know, full name. This is Wong and her daughter are paroled into the United States immediately under the custody of the Drug Enforcement Administration, who will sponsor them and take care of them. 00:52:49:10 - 00:53:10:07 Unknown That was said, I they had money or somebody had money, a little money. They put them on a plane, to San Francisco. Yeah. That was the last. That was the kind of people ask, well, what did you do with that? I didn't see him for months. I heard a lot from him, but he left and I went back to Bangkok. 00:53:10:09 - 00:53:38:01 Unknown Wow. Wow. So that that is quite a story. Yes. It was, it was interesting. Oh, more like a saga. Oh, yeah. But a wonderful story. In which you are able to, bring, Mrs. Lee, this is Lee and your daughter. Yes. And then you were reunited here in DC, right? Correct. Yeah. So would you like to tell us a little bit about that? 00:53:38:03 - 00:54:14:10 Unknown Yes. I you know, when they bought that ticket from San Francisco, from Guam to say, let's just go, and some of us just go to what was in DC. Yes. I was out there at the airport, welcome them. And I said, thank God that thanks to green that, you know, went through all this ordeal. Later on when I watched that movie The Killing Field, you know how that, you know, a Double Jeopardy reporter tried to get out, but I think, you know, Mr. Green's, story even more saga than than, those story there. 00:54:14:10 - 00:54:41:29 Unknown Yeah. Because, you know, he was under pressure from not the, the U.S. embassy, their family and everybody, but he stick to his, point get long family out of Vietnam. And he did that. I tell you what, I never forgot this, and, Steve, not only my comrade in, you know, drug law enforcement, not only a friend, but his, brother. 00:54:42:04 - 00:55:13:11 Unknown I mean, not, he you got my family, safe, regardless of what. So, Mr. Bartell was the one who raised fun for us because he know that I left Vietnam with nothing, so he, collect donation from the headquarters. Yeah, I know, so, Mr. Bartels was, DH's first. Yes, administrator. And he was well aware of all the work that you did. 00:55:13:11 - 00:55:35:01 Unknown And as we've mentioned him a few times already in this program, and it's amazing that he set up a trust fund for your family, that the employees, contributed to and helped you and your family get back on your feet, and then gave you a job? No, no, no less, which is pretty incredible. You certainly deserved. 00:55:35:01 - 00:55:37:11 Unknown what an incredible story. 00:55:37:13 - 00:55:44:03 Unknown And 50 years later, here we're here we are. And you're still friends? Yes. Yeah. That's my brother. Yeah. My life. 00:55:44:22 - 00:55:48:22 Unknown Thank you for tuning in to this DEA museum presents program. 00:55:49:11 - 00:55:54:14 Unknown We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Steve and Wong for sharing their oral histories 00:55:54:24 - 00:55:57:10 Unknown and their inspiring and heroic story. 00:55:57:27 - 00:56:02:00 Unknown Their story is an important part of U.S. and DEA history, 00:56:02:09 - 00:56:04:13 Unknown and highlights DIA's commitment 00:56:04:22 - 00:56:06:25 Unknown the safety and health of Americans 00:56:07:05 - 00:56:08:21 Unknown our global partnerships. 00:56:09:18 - 00:56:12:09 Unknown To learn more about our educational programs, 00:56:12:17 - 00:56:13:10 Unknown exhibits, 00:56:13:17 - 00:56:15:05 Unknown and historical resources, 00:56:15:16 - 00:56:18:20 Unknown please visit DEA museum.org