BAN-AN-NINH

The elite security and intelligence infrastructure of the Vietcong during the Vietnam War, the Ban-an-ninh had an estimated membership of 25,000 and was responsible for the enforcement of security measures within the  Vietcong cadres. Feared because of its ruthless reputation, the Ban-an-ninh maintained a grip on discipline within the support groups upon which the provincial guerrillas depended for food and logistical supplies. Directed from  Hanoi, the Ban-an-ninh succeeded in penetrating to the heart of the military and political establishment in Saigon  and remains arguably the most effective intelligence apparatus of all time. Dependent on assassination, abduction, reprisals, and  terror tactics, the organization was jeopardized only by its own defectors, who were amnestied to  participate in the controversial PHOENIX program.