Project 404 was the
code name
A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
for a
covert
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controvers ...
United States Air Force advisory mission to
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
during the later years of the Second Indochina War, which would eventually become known in the
United States as the
Vietnam War. The purpose of the mission was to supply the line crew technicians needed to support and train the
Royal Laotian Air Force
The Royal Lao Air Force (french: Aviation Royale Laotiènne – AVRL), best known to the Americans by its English acronym RLAF, was the air force component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Royal Lao Government and ...
, while
Raven Forward Air Controllers were brought in to supply piloting expertise and guidance for running a tactical air force. The two programs together comprised
Palace Dog.
Project 404 began in 1966, as a successor after the completion of
Operation White Star, was smaller in scope, and was an adjunct to the various covert ground operations succeeding White Star. Because Laos was ostensibly a
neutral party to the conflict between the United States and North Vietnam, the airmen did not wear
United States Air Force uniforms, but instead worked in civilian clothing.
See also
*
First Indochina War
*
International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos
*
Laotian Civil War
The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...
(also known as the ''Secret War'')
*
Operation White Star
*
Ho Chi Minh Trail
*
North Vietnamese invasion of Laos
North Vietnam supported the Pathet Lao to fight against the Kingdom of Laos between 1958–1959. Control over Laos allowed for the eventual construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail that would serve as the main supply route for enhanced NLF (the ...
*
Royal Lao Army
*
Royal Lao Air Force
The Royal Lao Air Force (french: Aviation Royale Laotiènne – AVRL), best known to the Americans by its English acronym RLAF, was the air force component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Royal Lao Government and ...
*
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Lee Lue
Major Lee Lue ( RPA: ''Lis Lwm'', Pahawh: '; 1935 – 12 July 1969) was a Laotian Hmong fighter bomber pilot notable for flying more combat missions than any other pilot in the Kingdom of Laos. Lee Lue flew continuously, as many as 10 missi ...
*
Major General Vang Pao
Vang Pao ( RPA: ''Vaj Pov'' , Lao: ວັງປາວ; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a major general in the Royal Lao Army. He was a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States. He was also known as General Vang P ...
*
Vang Sue
Major Vang Sue (Su, Seu) (also transliterated as Vaj Xwm) (January 30, 1945 – October 18, 1972) was a Laotian Hmong fighter pilot. Recipient of the USAF Distinguished Flying Cross. He flew over 4,000 combat missions as a T-28 bomber pilot. V ...
*
William H. Sullivan
William Healy Sullivan (October 12, 1922 – October 11, 2013) was an American Foreign Service career officer who served as ambassador to Laos from 1964 to 1969, the Philippines from 1973 to 1977, and Iran from 1977 to 1979.
Early life and care ...
U.S. Ambassador
*
Vietnam War (aka the Second
Indochina War)
References
External links
Senate Committee on POWs "
Covert Operations"
Air America, CAS, Project 404, etc. websiteAir America Association web site
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20140321094655/http://www.dcothai.com/product_info.php?products_id=382 Air America by Christopher Robbins
The Ravens, Pilots of the Secret War in Laos
by Christopher Robbins
Vietnam War
Counterinsurgency
Military operations involving the United States
History of Laos (1945–present)
20th century in Laos
Military history of Laos
Laos–United States relations
Laotian Civil War
{{laos-hist-stub