Article about the defense system around the American advisors' compound

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363-05860 to 363-05864.pdf

Digital Object Identifier

363-05860 to 363-05864

Title

Article about the defense system around the American advisors' compound

Description

Original title: "Stalag 17 - Ak La Vietnam", Keever's title: "'There's no place to go - except to fight on the street corners,' laments a besiegned U.S. adviser in seaport town", article for the New York Herald Tribune about an eleborate defense system around American advisors' compound, article three of five-article series

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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.

Transcript

deepe all-around--article three of five-article series page 1 STALAG 17--AL LA VIETNAM TUY HOA, SOUTH VIETNAM--The motel-like, powder blue compound for the 85 American advisors based here--surrounded with wire and machinegun turrets--is perhaps a symbol of the state of siege which increased Communist political and military strength has imposed upon government cities north of Saigon. The American advisors have built a rather elaborate defense system around their compound by building [deletion: four] powder-blue turrets at the four corners of the compound. “Each fifteen minutes during the night, the Vietnamese guards pound a big gong to signal all’s well,” one American advisor explained. “We found they could hit the gongs by [deletion: sitting down] without standing up, so we had to raise the gongs higher. We always keep anti-personnel mines around the base of the turret in case we are overrun,” he explained. “We call our compound Stalag 17. It is a prison--except the machineguns are pointing outwards.” (More ) deepe all-around--article three of five-article series page 2 To the north and south of this seacoast town 230 miles northeast of Saigon, American army and marine units have landed in major pockets or so-called “enclaves” of military strength. But without American combat troops--the Viet Cong Communist guerrillas and subversives, reinforced by North Vietnamese Army units have created their own [deletion: enclave--long before the] enclaves along the South China Sea [deletion: as plus] and in the jungled mountain highlands in the rear. [XXXX indicating deletion] Only yards from the powder-blue American compound, [deletion: in] a crumbling, vine-covered French fort guarding the South China Sea serves as a painful reminder that the Americans are now in [deletion: exactly] almost the same position as the French forces were a [XXXX indicating deletion] decade ago [deletion: --with the exception of increase] On the military side, the only tactical weapon the Americans have which the French did not is helicopters, which have increased their mobility. (More) deepe all-around--article 3 of five-article series page 3 Hence, while French troops were [deletion: road-bl] bound, Vietnamese government troops, by forsaking the security of the roads in many cases, are virtually air-bound. “All roads leading to Tuy Hoa from any direction no longer exist,” one American advisor explained. “The Viet Cong wander between the blown out bridges--we try to put several government battalions around [XXXX indicating deletion] to hold it so that it’s not a Viet Cong valley [insertion: that] they can start farming themselves.” Around this small Vietnamese city of 25,000 population the [deletion: Viet] Communists have imposed a virtual state of siege. To the north, Vietnamese government troops can [XXXX indicating deletion] drive [XXXX indicating deletion] one mile (two kilometers) out of the city limits. Going south, they can drive [deletion: five] three miles (five kilometers). On the west, the Viet Cong attack government hamlets only 2½ miles (four kilometers) outside the city [deletion: limits] and the Viet Cong mine the road even closer than that. On the east is the South China Sea. The national railroad is usable for 15 miles (25 kilometers) to the next village, but is too expensive to operate and fuel is too difficult to import. (More) deepe all-around--article three of five-article series page 4 “In late May, the provincial highway to the west had 80 ditches and cuts in it within a five kilometer stretch,” one American advisor explained. “We used two [XXXX indicating deletion] Vietnamese army battalions [insertion: to] clear the road. It took them four days to secure it and to fill up the 80 holes. [XXXX indicating deletion] The morning after we left, the Viet Cong had put [XXXX indicating deletion] 35 new cuts in it. We haven’t gone back since. Within the city limits of Tuy Hoa, [deletion: the] a cement bunker with machinegun portholes has been newly built. It also serves as the government flagpole in the center of the city. The commanding general several weeks ago put out the order to defend the town on every street corner,” one American advisor explained. “There’s no place to [insertion: go] now--except to fight on the street corners. He also ordered government civil servants to [deletion: do] be armed to defend themselves; he said he was tired of having his troops defend clerks.” Even so, last month Viet Cong terrorists [insertion: within the city] threw satchel charges near the American military oil depot--the depot was saved but one armored personnel carrier was damaged. Other Viet Cong terrorists have planted mines on the [deletion: firing] practice firing range of American and government troops. One of these mines threw two American enlisted men out of their jeeps, but they escaped with only scratched legs. deepe all-around--article 3 of five-article series page 5 Because of the state of siege, the newly-constructed Shell gas stations throughout the city have no gas to sell. Cement for new construction is in demand. The price of beer has tripled. The black market price of rice is double the official government fixed price within the city--even though the surrounding valleys are a rice surplus area. [deletion: In] Some of the isolated [insertion: government] district towns [XXXX indicating deletion] have now depleted their [XXXX indicating deletion] government-controlled rice stocks. In these areas, the Viet Cong sell one kilo of rice to each peasant--at less than the black market price--if the villagers will move four kilometers into Viet Cong territory. [XXXX indicating deletion] to listen to a Communist propaganda lecture. TOMORROW: THE PLEIKU AIRLIFT.

Date

1965

Subject

Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Defensive (Military science); Fortification; Military dependents

Location

Tuy Hòa, South Vietnam

Coordinates

13.1057; 109.2950

Size

20 x 26 cm

Container

B187, 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