From the National Security Adviser’s Memoranda of Conversation Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

DATE AND TIME: April 8, 1975 9: 00 a. m.

PLACE: The Oval Office

PAR TICIPANTS: President Ford,

Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs

Lt. General Brent Scowcroft, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs

President Ford: How is Eagle Pull going?

Kissinger: It’s down to 50 AIllericans.

President Ford: How long will they stay?

Kissinger: Until your speech at least. If there’s no action by the Congress by Monday or Tuesday, pull them out. It is a disgrace. In all justice, I should tell you what Ron Nessen says – – that you should lead the way out.

President Ford: That is not the way I am. I couldn’t do it. If I were to go to the Hill, we should wipe our hands of it. I can’t do it. I will ask for the $700 Illillion, economic aid and a deadline of We need authority from the Congress to evacuate.

Kissinger: We have two nutty Ambassadors. Dean wants to bug out. Martin wants a new version of the Easter Rebellion. He is supporting Thieu too strongly.

President Ford: Supposing Ike, Kennedy, Johnson or Nixon were President, what would they have done?

Kissinger: Kennedy would have ratted out. Nixon may have bombed -­ he was vicious in these things. The Pentagon have continuously put some distance between you and them.

President Ford: How about Johnson?

Kissinger: He wouldn’t have bugged out. His advisers would have tried to bug out…

President Ford: Without appearing to do so, Kennedy probably would have bugged out – – with some famous statements which would disguise it.

——————————————————————————————————————–

1 January 1975: The Year of the Cat (1975) dawned with a feeling of helplessness in South Vietnam. Despite the extensive equipment and training provided to the South Vietnamese Armed Forces over the years,
the South Vietnamese found themselves in a continuously
defensive posture. The reduction in US military assistance funds
under the FY 1975 appropriations had complicated an already
serious situation. North Vietnamese Army (NVA) strength was
growing in manpower and war materials. Six North Vietnamese
Army divisions hovered north of the Demilitarized Zone, ready to
move out. For a long time, things had been going from bad to worse for the
Republic of Vietnam and the pace was quickening.

1975 found the 374 TAW stationed at Clark AB, RP with control of three C-130E squadrons. The 21 TAS, commanded by Lt Col Myles A. Rohrick, and 776 TAS, commanded by Lt Col Maturo, were also located at Clark AB. The 345 TAS, commanded by Lt Col Kinney, was located at Kadena AB, Okinawa. Lt Col Harold W. Reed would assume command of the 345 TAS on 16 June 1975. Each squadron was authorized a total of 32 crews, two per UE aircraft, for a total of 96 C-130 crews for the 374 TAW.

The 21 TAS also controlled E Flight, who had five specially configured C-130E aircraft for the purpose of supporting highly sensitive and classified missions for several US government agencies. The 374 TAW was authorized a total of 48 C-130E aircraft. (16 per squadron) and four C-9A aircraft. The 16 UE aircraft based with the 345 TAS at Kadena AB, Okinawa, were maintained by Kadena’s host wing, the F-4 equipped 18 TFW. This was not a good arrangement as the F-4s received priority. Although authorized 32 C-130E aircraft at the Clark AB /Utapao locations, an average of 38 C-130Es were assigned. The five excess aircraft assigned were Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery System (AWADS) aircraft on loan from the 317 TAW at Pope AFB, NC. They were in support of Project Scoot-CE (Support Cambodia out of Thailand- Contract Expansion). These AWADS aircraft were used by Bird Air Corporation aircrews flying out of Utapao RTNAF to airdrop supplies to the beleaguered Khmer forces. The AWADS were vital to the air drop i due to their ability to airdrop supplies in marginal weather or darkness

8 January1975: Delegates to a Politburo conference in North Vietnam agreed that the US was not going to intervene militarily in South Vietnam and therefore North Vietnam had the opportunity to “destroy and disintegrate” the South Vietnamese military. For a brief spell after the fall of Song Be, there was a lull. During the “breather” the political activity was intense. President Thieu sent a delegation to Washington. Ambassador Martin himself made the long journey to the US capital to enter yet another plea for more materiel aid for South Vietnam. The new President, Gerald Ford, was very much in favor of an affirmative answer and the Congress had a moment of hesitation.

Jan. 15, 1973. The Air Force suspends all mining, bombing,
and other offensive operations against North Vietnam.

Jan. 27, 1973. The United States, South Vietnam, North
Vietnam, and Viet Cong sign cease-fire in Paris. It becomes
effective Jan. 28 in Vietnam.

Jan. 28, 1973. Cease-fire in Vietnam.

Feb. 12, 1973. Operation Homecoming, the return of 591
American POWs from North Vietnam, begins. All of the exPOWs, who come from all military services, are processed
through Clark AB, Philippines, to military hospitals in the
United States, and, from there, they are quickly reunited
with their families.

Feb. 21, 1973. Laotians sign cease-fire. Bombing operations
are halted, but communist cease-fire violations lead to B-52
strikes, which continue into April.

March 29, 1973. MACV disestablished. Seventh Air Force
moves to Nakhon Phanom AB, Thailand, takes on dual role as
US Support Activities Group and 7th Air Force. Seventh/13th
Air Force reverts to Det. 7 of 13th Air Force.

April 17, 1973. Taking off from Guam, B-52s make the last
bombing missions over Laos, attacking targets south of the
Plain of Jars because of communist cease-fire violations.

Aug. 15, 1973. B-52s fly last Arc Light sortie in Cambodia.

Aug. 15, 1973. Air Force A-7Ds fly last US combat mission
of the war, attacking targets near Phnom Penh late in the
afternoon. An EC-121 from Korat, landing after the A-7s
return, earns the distinction of flying the last US mission
of the war.

April 30, 1975. Saigon falls to North Vietnamese forces,
finally bringing the long conflict in Southeast Asia to an end.

The 374th TAW had moved from Naha AB, Okinawa to CCK AB, Taiwan effective 31 May 1971, replacing the 314 TAW which had moved to Little Rock AFB, Ar. 374 TAW C130 squadrons in January 1973 were:

• 21st Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130E) (May 1971 – November 1973) (Tail Code DY)
• 50th Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130E) (May 1971 – November 1973) (Tail Code DE)
• 345th Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130E) (May 1971 – November 1973) (Tail Code DH)
• 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130E) (May 1971 – November 1973) (Tail Code DL)

They were all under the control of PACAF. On 13 November 1973, the 374th TAW was reassigned to Clark AB Philippines.

 While American combat participation in the Vietnam War ceased with the 1973 ceasefire, airlift continued to play a role in the ongoing war in nearby Laos and Cambodia. Throughout 1974 and into 1975 the United States maintained a major airlift of supplies to the besieged Cambodian city of Phnom Penh from the U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield.

Although the Air Force had halted bombing missions in Cambodia, U.S. C–130 cargo planes from the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing continued to fly military supplies from Thailand to Lon Nol’s forces. The U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh requested an emergency airlift of rice in addition to ammunition already being flown to the city. In October, C–130s began hauling rice from Battambang, an area of Cambodia where rice was still plentiful, to Pochentong Airfield near Phnom Penh. Between October 2 and 12, the planes hauled 847 tons of rice to the capital. By Christmas, they had delivered 3,000 tons.

The food airlift faced hazards. On 8 October 1973 Khmer Rouge forces fired a Strella SA–7 surface-to-air missile at a C–130 as it departed Pochentong. Although the missile did not hit the plane, the incident halted the rice airlift for two days. Monsoon rains also delayed operations.

Despite such problems, the rice airlift succeeded in temporarily ending the food shortage in the Cambodian capital. Opening of land routes to Phnom Penh and boat deliveries up the Mekong River from South Vietnam increased rice stocks and made further food deliveries by air unnecessary.

Fearful of the loss of an Air Force crew, the United States turned to the use of civilian contract crews, as they had done during the French IndoChina War. A company known as Bird Air recruited former military airlifters to fly USAF C-130s provided “on loan” from the Air Force for the resupply effort. In spite of the airlift effort, Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge on 17 April 197

The C-130s of the 374 TAW was a major participant in the evacuation of both Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Saigon, Vietnam. April 1975 was almost all Vietnam or Cambodia missions. On April 1975, the 50th TAS arrived to assist, after flying from Little Rock AFB, AR. These are the stories of people involved in those missions.

On 1 April 1992 the 374th absorbed the personnel and mission of 475th Air Base Wing, which was inactivated under the objective wing organizational concept and became the host unit at Yokota Air Base.

For an excellent account of the evacuation from the beginning, the USAF has published an account “Last Flight From Saigon ” that may be found at the link below. https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/28/2001330140/-1/-1/0/last_flight_from_saigon2.pdf