An Oral History of the CIA's Evacuation of the Hmong from Laos "Starting in 1960, Hmong guerrillas, under the command of General Vang Pao, functioned as operatives in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's secret war against communist forces in Laos. This enabled the CIA to maintain the perception of United States neutrality in Laos and engage North Vietnamese troops in Laos who would otherwise fight in South Vietnam. In exchange, the U.S. government pledged to care for the Hmong if Laos fell, and, in May 1975, the evacuated more than 2,500 Hmong soldiers and families. Many of those involved in the action provide herein a firsthand account of the 14-day evacuation and the events leading up to it, documenting the political and human aspects of this unusual historical event"--P. [4] of cover.
