The Phoenix Program: from Vietnam to Black Sites - a legacy of torture

Abstract

During the Vietnam War, the United States attempted to defeat the North Vietnamese through assorted endeavors. One such effort was developed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1967 and referred to as the Phoenix Program. This covert operation combined existing counterinsurgency programs in a concerted effort to 'neutralize' the Vietcong infrastructure (VCI). Even though the program terminated at the war's end, Phoenix rose from the ashes to assist the United States across the globe. This research will explore Phoenix, its objectives, methods, and impacts, along with its application to contemporary practices utilized by the U.S. government against various adversaries. This analysis involves an examination of both primary and secondary sources related to Phoenix. Government documents from U.S. military and CIA archives, along with congressional hearings, explain the operation, its goals and effects. More recent secondary sources disclose aspects of the operation utilized as a mainstay of America's military and intelligence agency efforts to fight terrorism.