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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-06895 to 363-06903.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-06895 to 363-06903
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Title
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Article about increasing Communist strength
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Description
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Original title: "offensive", Article draft about the increase of the number of Communist forces in South Vietnam prior to a planned monsoon season offensive, for the Christian Science Monitor
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AI Usage Disclosure
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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.
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Transcript
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csm.
Sairad
Proreuter Tokyo
offensive
Offense 1 (normass/deepe)
Saigon, May 5-Communist forces are expected to reach a record
twelve combat divisions in South Vietnam by July when they launch their
monsoon military offensive, intelligence sourcos roport.
simultaneously, and far more significant, the fiamminen Vietnamese
Communists are expected to initiate a political counter-offensive "bot
both internally and internationally,
these sources said. The Communists
are predicted to ask for peace-on their terms by restating and olaborating
on their original five-point statement definii defining their basis of
negotiations with the Allied side.
Sources said they do not expect the National Liberation Front for
South Vietnam-the political backbone of the Viet Cong--to soften their
position on negotiations, Butt they would
would
ottempt to make their position
more plausible and appealing as a means to undercut the
and
success OI
the
and legitimacy of the September Presidential elections to be held by the
American-backed Vietnamese government.
More Reuter
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Sairad
Prorouter Tokyo
Offensive
me 2 (nominssyncope)
Saigon (normass/deepe)
On the militery side, the Communist forces now have a con med
total of ten combat divisions in South Vietnam, with each division thought
estimated to avorage roughly ten thousand men. of these ten division,
seven are considered to be predominantly of North Vietnamese origin, two
are gz largely recruited in the South by the Viet Cong and one is mixed,
intelligence sources reported.
as the
The Communist
om division strength is expected to rise to twelve
annual northeast monsoon rains lash at the Laotian side of the
thus crippling
northern highland mountains and the southern Mekong Delta,
the use of Allied airpower and armor.
OD
Seven of the Communist divisions--six of mom of North Vietnamese origin--
are now roving through the northern half of South Vietnam, in an area called
where
the First and second military corps, were only twelve or thirteen Allied
division equivalents of grac
Companies are opposing them, This 2 to 1
military ratio of maxihinemingen combat ground troops on tile ground
is s
considered unsatisfactory and American commanders are
noticeably
worried about the military situation there.
The gravity of the situation appears to be rebot reflected in
General William C. Westmoreland's plea for more American troops and his
prediction for floreer, bloodier fighting in the coming months.
More Reuter
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Sairad
Proreuter Tokyo
Offensive 3 saigon (normass/deepe)
The steady, significant rise in Communist division strongth is
considered one of several indices reflecting the Communist escalation in
ground war capabilities. On February 7, 1965,--at the time of the first
American bombing raids on North Vietnam-there were no confirmed Communist
division headquarters in South Vietnam, although the first North Vietnamese
prisoners of war, captured in July, 1964, confirmed infiltration at the
PROBABLY
company-sized level.
Sources said the expected Communist offensive would not repeat
REIR
MAR
not entail spectacular division-sized attacks, but the
the
math strategy
BE
appeared to intensify the war of attrition against American, I Korean
and Australian forces while attempting to "smash" the already-weary
Vietnamese troops and is to foil the important Revolutionary Development
program by "annbilitating"
teams in working in the hamlets.
the
To prepare for this military thrust, the North Vietnamese
are confirmed to be using two transport
battalions totalling 400 V Soviet-made trucks to channel supplies
and men from the Communist-held city of Attopeau in the southern Laotian
panhandle directly tommnacross the border into South Vietnam near the
ruins of the former Ashau Special Forces camp west of the cold old imperial
capital of Eue.
Sources said that American B-52 SAC raids regularly pour their
abing roads loads along the red caly Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos, but
nist bulldozors
succeed in filling the gigantic craters within 24 hou
MORE
ER.
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Sairad
Prorouter Tokyo
Offensive 4 saigon (normass/deepe)
The rise in Communist strength is also refe reflected in their
ER
small organized units since the 1965 bombing raids began,
Intelligence
sources said at in February, 1965, the Communists maintained five
confirmed atom autonomous regiments in the Soulit; South
by July
of this year they are expected to have forty five such regimonts. By the
end of this year they are expected to climb to at least fifty regiments,
which operate at the corps level.
The Communist battalion strength is also s soaring, indicating
their whole pyramid military structure is growing bigger and stronger.
In February, 1965, the Communists had formed roughly fifty autonomous
mobile battalions; they are expected to have 200 by the time of their
July offensive this year and 215 at the end of the year, intelligence
sources report.
More Reuter
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Sairad
Proreuter Tokyo
Offensive 5 Saigon (normass/deepe)
As significant and dramatic is the increase in Communist heavy
weapons battalions--which barrage strategic installations and shoot down
American aircraft. In February, 1965, six Communist heavy weapons battalions
had been officially confirmed ich by intelligence sources; they are expected
to have 105 repeat Ent
105 by thin July and 135 by the
end of the year,
sources reported.
More Router
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Sairad
Prorouter Tokyo
Offensive 6 Saigon (normass/deepe)
Even more worrisome to American field commanders is the escalation
sophisticated and lethal Communist weaponry.
in Commuru a point.
Two years ago,
the standard long-range weapon used by the Communists was
the mortar, with a range of morn two milos--and even then their supply
of ammunition was
limi tode
Today, however,
military officials, have
MORTOR
confirmed the use of Soviet-made rockets, which increases their radius
of attack by two and half times.
more plentiful.
Their stooks of ammunition are much
American pilots have confirmed shooting elephants carrying
even longer-range artillery.
More Reuter
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Sairad
Prorouter S Tokyo
Offensive 7 Saigon (normass/deepe)
American officials have said they would not repeat not be surprised
to see the Communists Ten launch rocket attacks on the heart of
Saigon during their coordinated political-military offensive-possibly
before the Presidential elections this September.
Vague
Intelligence sources listed these communist divisions
and their
rough locations in the northern half of south Vietnam, comprising the First
and second military corps areass
The North Vietnamese 2nd Division in Kontum-
Ploiluz Phu Bon
provinces in the central highlands noor the Laos-Cambodian border; the
North Vietnamese 3rd division in Quang
Truong on zong Ngoi ng
Tin provinces o
outside of Denang city along the South China Seas
North Vietnamese 5th Division from Some southern Binh Dinh province to
down the seacost to Binh Thuan provinces
In the two northernmost provinces along the demilitarized zone,
three North Vietnamese divisions are 324B, 325 and 341.
the
Viet Cong 1st division is Considered to be located in a
The
80 MILES
the "Three Frontiers" area near the Cambodian borders near
Northwest r
of
Saigon D
More Reutor
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Sairad
Prorouter Tokyo
Offensive 8 saigon (Normann/deepe)
In the the Third military corps area, nigam throe
Viet Cong divisions are located. The Viet Cong 9th and 10th division are
5
northwest of the capital in their stronghold areas of War Zone C and Ds
the Viet Cong 7th Division--called the Capitol Division--oncircles the
SAIGON
intelligence sources said.
Communist strength in the Fourth Military corps, comprising the
Mekong Delta, has yet to reach division strength.
regiments have been confirmed in the Delta region.
Sight Communist
More Reuter
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Sairad
Proreuter Tokyo
Offensive 9 Saigon (normass/doope)
Intelligence sources said they were skooping their eye
on another North Vietnamese division--number 620-which appears to be
poised for infiltration into South Vietnam through the
BOR DERing
mountain area area 180 miles northwest of Saigon
border.
"Three Frontiers"
along the Cambodian
(Note to Editor: I plan to write a separate story on herbsflam
Communist political offensive for you. Do you publish on Sunday?)
End Router
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Date
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1967, May 5
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam (Democratic Republic). Quân đội; Offensive (Military science); Mobilization; Strategy
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B7, F3
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Format
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dispatches
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Collector
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
