Rightist Hmong General Vang Pao is pictured holding hands with Thai Army Chief of Staff Surakij Mayalab at a site overlooking Hmong–CIA headquarters in Long Tien, Laos. To the left of Mayalab is CIA case officer Burr Smith (with shaven head). The rest of the men in the photo are Thai soldiers who served in Laos with Lao-Hmong forces. Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.

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Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: agency, america, american, asia, asian, central, cia, communism, historical, history, hmong, image, images, indochina, indochine, intelligence, lao, laos, maew, meo, miao, minorities, minority, mong, pictures, secret, states, united, usa, vietnam, war, wars