Article about anti-Communist war effort in South Vietnam

Item

derivative filename/jpeg
363-08117 to 363-08121.pdf
Digital Object Identifier
363-08117 to 363-08121
Title
Article about anti-Communist war effort in South Vietnam
Description
Original title: "War", Article draft about anti-Communist war effort in South Vietnam, for the London Daily Express
Date
1964, Jun. 10
Subject
Vietnam, 1961-1975;
Location
Saigon, South Vietnam
Coordinates
10.8231; 106.6311
Size
20 x 26 cm
Container
B2, F5
Format
dispatches
Collection Number
MS 363
Collection Title
Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
Creator
Keever, Beverly Deepe
Collector
Keever, Beverly Deepe
Copyright Information
These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
Publisher
Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
Language
English
extracted text
/

llt

....

Baverly Deepe

101 Cong Ly
Saigon

SAIOON--Ten months ago,

a

or·ts:rn diplomat described the

anti-CoI!l!:1unist mr in l'ietnam as "a ship vd th all the sails fla:p:ping,

but

not going A11YWha1•e. �1
" c P et!'3,s c.nd sit,n.ii'icant
'J'�off.r-n�ter !I t"' o nil tn.ry co.:!t' d

ex l�0c1., 11!fow -�ho ship
Oommuniot' ;_:-"11:n"J--the came dir,lom::1t s
is si11king."

--

montht", the Commur.dstz in1 Viot _na:.i. have been
the help o:r Co

getting strong-er mili'taril�w.1.th

Rad China and North Viatnemr--a.ri.d poli tioall;1-w:l. th the

(Kore)

"We're locing st�ategica.lly in Southeast Asia,"
dipllaat groaned._

"And we•re losing taotioally in South Viet Bem."
0

During the current r� rainy season,
October,.

the gloom,;

which, continues until

high-ranking Vietnamese offioers (informatively onl7-prima minister

General !JSU7en Xhonh)

oonoeded the pro-Com,unist guerrillas

......_S� �

have the oapa.bill tJ'­

and the intentions-of' e•�g ovarrunning�of the 43 proVinoie.l oapiitals
1n the oountrY,.
operations,

And they have the oapability of regimental-oontrollledl

a de:f::l.nita inoreaee in the scope of the war,x

in which th�

previous largest operating unit was a battalion.
Reliable sources indicate that the pro-Communist guerrillas
are now moving battalions from the lower •ekong Dleta Dellta-whioh they now believe
they dominate-to seven oruoiall pro'Vinoee

forming an arc,, south o� Saigon. ( See

enclosed map.)

(llore)

�-

_,



Deepe

War-3

Tho

TJlll".00 se

cf these troop movements is· neithor military attaaks

� nor increased'. terrorism 1n Sa:i.gon•
climate in Saigon. C

-

Q

Si:x: months a,eo

now they•re strong enough to

but

ak

"developing¢ the politioal

·thdr poll t:l.oal ::dm1 was ncutraliSDl}

expect abooluto accomodatiom to whatever they,

wish to dictate."
Reliable souroes l'llllll!llllll!mm. bollevo it will not be d.ifficul t.
:tor tho fO!llntmists to establish this politioal climate i17�igont

there is

@..lreedy increasing fear of politioal assassinations among high-ranking
governme nt of'ficials and milite.nt ant:J.-Corrimunists.
busin-ess oonmnmi ty elrendy renlects mo:r

fll.a1e Ohiness and lndian­

:f'en:r. o:f -'che growing uncertaiutn

yo'llllg me.r:ried ooun]es t1re A.ttllffl'pting to serap r!;ogcthar the money to

buy

blaok-mark�t French ei tizen�hip pap ors or to cm'llf,·e;le their children a.gross the
Cambodian horder.

Erl t :permits nre ines,,;;�

"There1 s � orieis in· confidence;
the government side,"

inoroaoincly prized..

a cris�a in lead.crship oni

a ViP.tnrunesa businessman explained.

government poei tion has steadily .. ,

The Vietnamese

EW<>ded "and will eventually

be swept�e wham the plug i.s pul1ed out of the bathtub drain,"
foreign observer explained.
among themsel..'Ves;
prastigeJ

the

isi.

anotheJr

The genernla i:rl. thin the mill ta.ry junta are fighting

olltiee.l parties are agitati� more powe:n.· and

the

Catholics and Buddhists are stag.t.ng demonstrations wbiolh

undormine the strength of the governmerrt.
where the guts of the we,: is oentere4,,
has yi3 Im continually aa5ged,
'Unw:l.lline;nes� �� £ight
r

'il-

In the �1111111-a��M:Was

countryside

the ilJ.-ale morale o'f government troops

ing bringing ino� v·
(Kore)

Deepe

!he one rs::r of hope is

rmlulu oon:l'erenoe � of

high-ranking .Arnerioans--Secretary of State�Rusk and Defense SeoretarYi
Robert S.. Jlonamara--would result in "a policy of action rather.-tha n
But as the days pasfi,

reaction."

the American oommund.ty itself-also fraught w.l. th, its

lack of leadership and �

growing bu.stations and fa

faotionali sm-

is reaching 1 ts lowest point of depression, since 15,000 •�' ad.visors
w _ere conmd. tted here two years ago.

Observers here l:'eady concede/ that the

three dramatic alternatives facing �fA14:e:r1caJ/f.polioy makers are equal]}y
unaoceptable---tbta.l

Wl. thdrawil',

expansion of the war by bombing North Viet Nam11

oomnrl. tting American fighting troops.
In short•

the walifx: political-military war is desperate.

The question is whether it is hope:tsss.
"I've seen alot worse s1 tuations than th1s,"
diplomat conceded.

"I was in Burma when we held only the suburbs around

Rangoon+-and had seven itr:surgencies
almost had it won.. •• and then we had e.

N'ote,

�� 0tAJJ.t )�� Pive years later, we
;; by, pro-Pek1ng1ies and lost 1 t."

prinoipeli. source for this is Col. Serong,

training team.

the Western

head of the Australiam

He's one of the few who know so much of what' e going om

in the country-and is courageous enough to sq it..

Obviously fJ

he can't be

quoted by name or by country, since there• s such a small!. mmnunity of
tor &1 :a:-:
this is !fOT' � wan wantt
Australia ns here..
Let me know
:..__
.
�tiole and I,/!!-

7'7 A;'

� � / -,.-,- ·

Item sets
Keever
Site pages
1964 Articles