THEBLACKBOOK AUDIT
Investigations/CIA Crimes

The Phoenix Program: 26,369 killed by U.S. Army Provost Marshal General accounting

South Vietnam, 1967 to 1972. William Colby ran it. Then he returned to Langley and shut down the domestic program that killed the anti-war movement's ability to organize.

In production·Lead grade: FACT
IntelligenceMilitaryGovernmentAnticommunism

Summary

An interagency counterinsurgency program run by CORDS under CIA direction to neutralize the Viet Cong political infrastructure in South Vietnam. Colby's own July 19, 1971 sworn testimony established the U.S. military accounting: 81,740 neutralized, 26,369 killed. The database and full write-up follow Iran-Contra.

Last updated
2026-07-13
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  • OpenOf the 81,740 individuals Colby's 1971 testimony describes as 'neutralized' by the Phoenix Program, what happened to the roughly 55,000 not counted among the 26,369 killed?Help fill this →

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