Barry Wirth

A hook.

Well, no, no, no, that's not exactly right. So the operation was this. They were to fly in low and slow, almost at stall speed, a treetop level at midnight. And on the first pass, drop a supply bundle so that the people on the ground could erect a kind of goalpost. And then the courier on the ground had a harness on. He was connected to the upper kind of elastic strap from one side to the other.

Well, no, no, no, that's not exactly right. So the operation was this. They were to fly in low and slow, almost at stall speed, a treetop level at midnight. And on the first pass, drop a supply bundle so that the people on the ground could erect a kind of goalpost. And then the courier on the ground had a harness on. He was connected to the upper kind of elastic strap from one side to the other.

Well, no, no, no, that's not exactly right. So the operation was this. They were to fly in low and slow, almost at stall speed, a treetop level at midnight. And on the first pass, drop a supply bundle so that the people on the ground could erect a kind of goalpost. And then the courier on the ground had a harness on. He was connected to the upper kind of elastic strap from one side to the other.

And that's what they had to hook.

And that's what they had to hook.

And that's what they had to hook.

It was harebrained to say it had never been used. But this was the level of intensity about the project. Also, once they got going on these things, hubris took over and they felt like, They were the CIA. They were Americans. They could pull off anything. So what happens? So what happens is they drop the supply bundle.

It was harebrained to say it had never been used. But this was the level of intensity about the project. Also, once they got going on these things, hubris took over and they felt like, They were the CIA. They were Americans. They could pull off anything. So what happens? So what happens is they drop the supply bundle.

It was harebrained to say it had never been used. But this was the level of intensity about the project. Also, once they got going on these things, hubris took over and they felt like, They were the CIA. They were Americans. They could pull off anything. So what happens? So what happens is they drop the supply bundle.

They make a long circuit, takes almost an hour so that the team on the ground could set up this goalpost. They'd seen a video of this where a cigar chomping colonel was lying on the ground and they showed how it worked. And there were great concerns that they could

They make a long circuit, takes almost an hour so that the team on the ground could set up this goalpost. They'd seen a video of this where a cigar chomping colonel was lying on the ground and they showed how it worked. And there were great concerns that they could

They make a long circuit, takes almost an hour so that the team on the ground could set up this goalpost. They'd seen a video of this where a cigar chomping colonel was lying on the ground and they showed how it worked. And there were great concerns that they could

decapitate this guy the plane was going to have to accelerate and climb very quickly so that you didn't bounce along the ground but but so they're flying in and there are three fires set they're following them in and just as they get close enough the chinese communist pull back tarpaulins They've got American-made machine guns. They crossfire into the cockpit, kill the pilots immediately.

decapitate this guy the plane was going to have to accelerate and climb very quickly so that you didn't bounce along the ground but but so they're flying in and there are three fires set they're following them in and just as they get close enough the chinese communist pull back tarpaulins They've got American-made machine guns. They crossfire into the cockpit, kill the pilots immediately.

decapitate this guy the plane was going to have to accelerate and climb very quickly so that you didn't bounce along the ground but but so they're flying in and there are three fires set they're following them in and just as they get close enough the chinese communist pull back tarpaulins They've got American-made machine guns. They crossfire into the cockpit, kill the pilots immediately.

And Jack and another guy, Dick Fecteau, also a young CIA officer, are in the back of the plane, plane levels. And then they're flying in flames through the treetops. Jack can't understand why the plane doesn't cartwheel when they hit the ground. They just pancake. They get themselves out of their rigging. They climb out. They don't know where they are. They're incredibly... They're not wounded.

And Jack and another guy, Dick Fecteau, also a young CIA officer, are in the back of the plane, plane levels. And then they're flying in flames through the treetops. Jack can't understand why the plane doesn't cartwheel when they hit the ground. They just pancake. They get themselves out of their rigging. They climb out. They don't know where they are. They're incredibly... They're not wounded.

And Jack and another guy, Dick Fecteau, also a young CIA officer, are in the back of the plane, plane levels. And then they're flying in flames through the treetops. Jack can't understand why the plane doesn't cartwheel when they hit the ground. They just pancake. They get themselves out of their rigging. They climb out. They don't know where they are. They're incredibly... They're not wounded.

One of them had been bruised by a bullet, but incredibly, they're fine. And they stumble out of the plane and immediately they're surrounded by Chinese soldiers. And they yell at Jack, you are Jack. You're in China. You are Jack. They knew it was an ambush, as Jack said, like in the movies. And they knew who he was and that he was coming. And it was an enormous prize for the Chinese.