Overview

Vang Pao was a Royal Lao Army general and the leader of the Hmong people's military resistance during the Secret War in Laos (1964-1975); one of the most significant covert operations in CIA history. Recruited by the CIA in the early 1960s; Vang Pao commanded an army of approximately 30;000 Hmong fighters (including boys as young as 13) who served as American proxies fighting the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao communist forces along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The CIA funded; armed; and directed his operations through the "Secret Army" program while publicly denying U.S. involvement in Laos. The war decimated the Hmong population; with an estimated 30;000 Hmong soldiers killed and approximately 100;000 Hmong civilians dead from the conflict and related displacement. When the U.S. withdrew from Southeast Asia in 1975; Vang Pao was airlifted to Thailand and eventually resettled in the United States; where he became a community leader for the Hmong diaspora. In 2007; he was arrested by federal authorities and charged with plotting to overthrow the Laotian government in violation of the Neutrality Act; though the charges were eventually dismissed. His legacy remains deeply contested: hero to many Hmong for fighting communism; but also criticized for leading his people into a devastating proxy war that served American rather than Hmong interests.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports