In early May 1961, a U.
S.
The Army Security Agency was on duty..
Military Assistance Advisory Group-Vietnam.
Its operatives were intercepting Viet Cong manual Morse communications, analyzing it for the intelligence it contained and passing the information to the U.
S.
The unit\'s operation was housed in a heavily-guarded compound near Saigon, and within two days of its arrival, Phase I was implemented.
It was given a codename, a cover identity to hide the true nature of its mission.
The unit was so highly classified even its name was top-secret. military unit arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam.
In such clandestine fashion, the first fully operational U.
S.
The men held copies of their orders and records in identical brown Manila envelopes, and each man\'s medical records were stamped If injured or killed in combat, report as training accident in the Philippines. diplomatic passport inside his breast pocket.
The men were dressed in indistinguishable dark suits with white shirts and dark ties, and each man carried a new red U.
S.
On board the aircraft were ninety-two members of a specially selected team.
The tropical night air was heavy and dank, and the moon shone dimly through high thin clouds.
The plane slowed to a halt; steps were maneuvered up to its side, and the door was pulled open. military aircraft taxied toward a well-guarded terminal building.
In early May 1961, a U.
S