Vietnam War Crimes Working Group Files
Encyclopedia
The Vietnam War Crimes Working Group Files is a collection of documents compiled by Pentagon
in the early 1970s during Army investigations into atrocities by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War
. They detail 320 alleged incidents that were substantiated by United States Army
investigators — not including the 1968 My Lai Massacre
. The documents are housed by the United States
National Archives and Records Administration
and were declassified in the mid 1990s. Journalists such as Nick Turse and Deborah Nelson have written about the files, using them to show that atrocities were more extensive than had been officially acknowledged.
, where they went largely unnoticed. Nick Turse, a freelance journalist
, discovered the archive while researching his doctoral dissertation for the Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health at Columbia University
. He managed to examine most of the files, and obtained copies of about 3,000 pages — representing roughly a third of the total — before government officials removed them from the public shelves in 2002, stating they contained personal information that was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
in the early 1970s during Army investigations into atrocities by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. They detail 320 alleged incidents that were substantiated by United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
investigators — not including the 1968 My Lai Massacre
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children , and...
. The documents are housed by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
and were declassified in the mid 1990s. Journalists such as Nick Turse and Deborah Nelson have written about the files, using them to show that atrocities were more extensive than had been officially acknowledged.
Declassification and access
In 1990 Kali Tal, the editor of a small-circulation journal called Vietnam Generation, was tipped off to the existence of the Vietnam Working Group records by an archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration. She sent in a FOIA request and eventually received access to some of the records in 1992. After viewing them, she wrote a brief article about their extraordinary content in a Vietnam Generation newsletter, but did not have the resources to pursue the matter. The records were declassified in 1994, after 20 years as required by the Freedom of Information Act, and relocated to the National Archives in College Park, MarylandCollege Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
, where they went largely unnoticed. Nick Turse, a freelance journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, discovered the archive while researching his doctoral dissertation for the Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He managed to examine most of the files, and obtained copies of about 3,000 pages — representing roughly a third of the total — before government officials removed them from the public shelves in 2002, stating they contained personal information that was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.