The CIA's Secret War in Laos

Available for over a year

Radio producer Peter Lang-Stanton thought his father was a paper-pushing bureaucrat in the State Department. Then one day, his father revealed his double- life as a spy. Much of his father’s past was a lie; he never fought in the Vietnam War, as he said. Instead, he was involved in a covert mission in 1960s Laos under his codename: Pig-Pen. Peter Lang-Stanton’s father died soon after revealing these secrets, leaving family mysteries and unanswered questions. In this story, a son searches for the truth about his father’s role in one of the largest clandestine missions in US history. Through deep interviews with ex-CIA and a former Laotian soldier, Peter Lang-Stanton tells a story of lies and half-truths, of pride and regret. He uncovers tales of his father’s heroism and rumours of misconduct in this personal detective story of grief, identity, and inter-generational responsibility. Producer: Peter Lang-Stanton and Nick Farago. (Photo: Pig-Pen circa 1969 Photo courtesy of Peter Lang-Stanton)