Gougelmann retired from the CIA in 1972 and had departed South Vietnam before the Fall of Saigon and was living in Bangkok, Thailand as a civilian. When his family could not be evacuated from Saigon prior to the impending North Vietnamese victory, he returned on his own. Once there, he established contact with his family, but had difficulty finding a way to get them out of the country. In the environment of that time, his continued presence was very unsafe, as an American CIA Officer would be a prime catch for the triumphant North Vietnamese.