• gathered important intelligence information and caused the North Kore-
ans to activate their target-tracking radars at their missile units. This pro-
vided us with perfect location data, which was relayed to our artillery and
missile batteries. Had the North Koreans decided to actually launch a mis-
sile, we would have been able to destroy the launch site within moments.
The third element involved a massive mobilization of U.S. air power, which
was somewhat controversial. It called for launching F- and B- strate-
gic bombers, which would aim their direction of approach straight at
Pyongyang. These were nuclear-capable weapons platforms of which the
North Koreans were aware, although they could not know whether or not
they actually carried nuclear weapons. We also had large numbers of carrier-
based naval aircraft launched and were careful to make sure that all these
aircraft gained sufficient altitude to show up on North Korean radar screens.
The fourth and final element of the plan was ground action at
Panmunjom. This part of the plan would involve a ground force of approxi-
mately eight hundred men with the mission of entering the Panmunjom
area rapidly and with surprise, cutting down the tree that had caused the
original confrontation, and destroying two illegal gates that had been con-
structed by the North Koreans. It was hoped that the small force of about
sixty men actually involved in the tree-cutting operation would be able to
go in, complete its mission, and withdraw without making contact or pro-
voking an incident with the North Koreans.
The actual entry force comprised two platoons, one American and one
Korean, and a small engineer contingent with chain saws, which would
actually cut down and remove the tree. Since the armistice agreement for-
bade the use of heavy weapons inside the JSA, these men were armed only
with sidearms and ax handles. Backing them up, however, was a signifi-
cantly more capable force, including two artillery battalions, one Korean
and one American, that were instructed to fire on order at prearranged tar-
gets. These batteries actually had ammunition loaded in their artillery tubes
and were prepared to fire immediately. Also deployed on the ground just
outside the JSA was a South Korean infantry company. A U.S. infantry com-
pany was in position aboard helicopters just south of the DMZ. Other armed
helicopters and fighter aircraft were assigned to orbit the area in support of
the ground forces. The entire operation was codenamed Operation Paul
Bunyan.
Most of the detailed planning for this operation took place in Seoul, but
it could not proceed without approval from Washington.^5 As we reviewed
the operational plans during our approval process, our intelligence team also