-
derivative filename/jpeg
-
363-06509 to 363-06516.pdf
-
Digital Object Identifier
-
363-06509 to 363-06516
-
Title
-
Article about the immediate reaction to the Tet offensive
-
Description
-
Keever's title "Communist Fiery Extravaganza in Saigon Pivots War on Peace", Article draft about the immediate reaction and aftermath to the beginning of the Tet Offensive, for the Christian Science Monitor
-
AI Usage Disclosure
-
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
-
--------------------
- Page 1
--------------------
telex to 94521 Alphomega Boston
-DEEPE-PAGE ONE.
j
SAIGON, January 31--The unprecedented Communist Commando
this tense CAPITAL.
raids into the Vietnamese government's heartland of sites and provincial
cities. (beginning of the
capes marks the pivotal politico-military showdown between the two
blocs here.
Strategically,
military
the unparalleled/moves would seem to
indicate the Communist side is attempting to either set the stage for
negotiations on their terms-close to an American political capitulation--
or else continue the war am with
swifter pace.
deadlier blows and
In short the beginning of the end of the war via negotiationse
beginning of a bigger war.
or the beginningcefchty
the ham extravaganza of attacks indiewi
marks a major turning point for these reasons:
Both
1. It means the war in South Vietnam has moved/sideways
and downwards simul simultaneously--and a skyrocketing upwards
escalation is expected soon.
RAIDS HAVE
The ceeredine coordinated, spectacular
carried the war laterally from the countryside into once
relatively secure cities, including their most defended strongpoints, such
as Tan Son Nhut airhase,
American billets filled with officers or enlisted men,
the Vietnamese high command,
of Vietnamese tanks and paratroopers. More Deepe
to several
and the cantonments
Beverly Deepe; RCA card no. 78903
Ben
--------------------
- Page 2
--------------------
telext to 94521 Alphomega Boston
DEEPE-PAGE two
The downward movement of the war is the armed
And Psychological
propaganda pounding of the Viet Cong into the urban centers, especially
into those higher economic and educated levels of society which were formerly
solidly anti-Communist, and now are becoming frightened, if not panicked.
A week before the dramatic attacks in the , cities, e Viet Cong
SAUE
commando propagandists ve half-hour speeches and
pulled up the
flag at the Central Market area in the heart of Saigon, in the Su Van Hanh
section of the Chinese twin-city of Cholon, in the Hoa Hung section
armed
near Tan Son Nhut airbase and Saigon's military garrison. And in the Khanh
Hoi area near the Saigon port, Viet Cong women guerrillas knocked at the
homes of government informers and officials, killed one policeman and
wounded several others.
The upward movement of the war is expected soon along the
Domilitarized zone at and in the oth northern provinces where full-fledged
positional warfare of the classical Phase Three level would be conducted
on a sustained basis. This would presumably be roughly similar to
the Dien Bien Phu-the conventional-styled battle which marked the
political-military defeat of the French in the French Indo-China War axt
fourteen
years ago. More Deepe
Beverly Deepe RCA Card no. 78903
я доста
Вилия
--------------------
- Page 3
--------------------
W
telex
to 94521 Alphomega Boston
DEEPE-PAGE 3
The Communist military commando raids ramminum into the
cities and towns also is in contrast, or counter-balance,
to the American
strategy of conducting the war.
pin the Communists down in their isolated stronghold areas and along the
While the American troops are attempting to
xx borders of South Vietnam; the Communists have then hit into the
relatively safe enclaves in the Allied rear. More Deepe
Bauly Derpe
RoA and no. 978903
--------------------
- Page 4
--------------------
telex to 94521 Alphomega Boston
DEEPE - PAGE 4.
2. The extravaganza ERK is the beginning of the
Communist "general offic offensive", but not yet of the "general uprising. W
In Communist terminology,
and countrywide uprising.
"general"
means countrywide--countrywide offensive
The general in offensive which has began
has been coordinated from the hot northern provinces to the southern
Mekong Delta, antix from the countryside into the cities.
The Wars commando attacks into the cities
empted
expected to be the sf "softening up" phase Tro the for the general
uprisings in the future-economic strikes, anti-American or anti-government
in which the central question becomes the continuation
of the elected government of President Nguyen Van Thieu
demonstrations,
Communist commande
The imamaksheman in mentment forenznati
sent a ok shock wave through Saigon.
to one
H
IN.C
E
and the constitution
The initial reaction to Vietnamese
was the firings, indicated another coup d'etat, but then it turned int
into dismay The cynical suit-and-tie Vietnamese elite commonly
explained,
"How can the Americans protect us if they can't protect
their own Embassy or the Independence Palace?"
or "The Americans allowed
the Viet Cong into the city so they could impose stricter measures on the
Vietnamese people," or "How can we rely on the protection of the Vietnamese
soldiers--they were supposed to be on guards, but alot were shot in their
heds?"
More Deepe
Beverly Deepe, RCA card no. 978903
Bene
--------------------
- Page 5
--------------------
telex to 94521 Alphomega Boston
€ 4
DeepE PAGE 5.
In an international sense, the xm Communist
assaults handed the Allies a propaganda gift with red bouquets wrapped
around it-breaking the Tet ceasefire which the Communists had
themselves announced. The Communists in their radio
broadcasts claim this the attacks were launched in retaliation
for the Allies initiating offensive operations against them, but this
will probably get lost in the shuffle of their dramatic attacks themselves.
TEOR THE VIETNAMESE
used the attacks to argue convinongly
Internally, President Thieu
People
that the word of the Communists can not be trusted--an argument he will
probably use time and again in the rare future as evidence that Communist
GOVERN
men
promises on negotiations and coalitions are worthless. But,
this
argument is also a little obscure for the Vietnamese people who are
daily harrassed by the effects--and now the bombardments of the war.
More Deepe
Beverly Deepe RCA card no. 978903
--------------------
- Page 6
--------------------
telex to 94521 Alphomega Boston
DEEPE - PAGE
3.
6.
The extravaganza symbolizes not simply the failure
of the mix high-priority pacification program--but also its
obsolence. obsolesence.
A
PARTIAL.
The commaon commando raids are considered
the preolude prelude to bigger attacks in the cities in the future,
even though the Tet truce period opened to them the easier opportunity
for the move. The cancellation of the Vietnamese midnight to 4 a.m.
curfew, plus increased family vit visitations allowed the Viet Cong
to filter into the city at the most advantageous moment. But, they
have also gained the advantage of testing Allied defenses and
oBining
gaining a knowledge on their tactics and reactions.
Even so, many
of the Viet Cong are presumed to have been living in Saigon before
the truce periods. Many of the dead wore civilian clothes-not uniforms.
The importance of coordinated country-wide attacks would
AINED Frilave
tam indicate despite the Alli
soupation with the pacification
program in the countryside--the narrow belt of hamlets surrounding cities
and strategic areas it has failed to make any significant inroads
there. Likewise, both the Vietnamese government and Allies have filt
2pm for too long ignored the plights and problems of the cities,
which have themselves been turned upside-down by the war without feeling
This week
its bombardment before. In thises this sense, the extravaganza may
produce the rafayro favorable government-Allied reaction of m
supplementing the pacification of the countryside with the social
welfare escalations in the cities. More Deepe
અવસાન પમ જેનું 550 +000c4
Beverly Deepes RCA Card no. 730 78903
--------------------
- Page 7
--------------------
telex to 94521 Alphomega Boston
Deepe- page 7
The strategic principle of Communist guerrilla warfarexi
the
is to conquer the countryside and then encircle the cities until they
crack and fall, taking the existing government with them. Now,
Communists have cracked the cities with military thrusts--but not yet
with political insurrection.
More Deepe
Валя Декор
Banal
RCA Cod # 78903
--------------------
- Page 8
--------------------
telex to 94521 B Alphomega Boston
DEEPE - PAGE 8.
6
The most significant development may well be tax not the
attacks themselves--militarily,
they did not account for a high casualty
or equipment total-but the naixgoxen Vietnamese government's reaction
By EnActing.
to the attacks in the form of government rule by decree.
BY
This strong
reaction of Tax President Nguyen Van Thieu and his government will be
a significant move, if the decree-rule lasts for a long time,
for it
effectively casts aside the Vietnamese constitution and the legislative
the existence--
if
not
Pwer powers of the duly-elected House of Representatives and Senate.
In short, Thieu has undercut the legitimacy of his own
existence and his legislature--which President Lyndon Johnson
While details of the decree-rule are still obscure
so strongly supported.
Hamboginningmwithhxonandamommyismencexminimum.ym.mxalxounce
and preliminary here, if they are sustained for a long period,
Fabnmarxxxmxrxmembmxdxem
ext
Thieu
may well find himself not so much a President as just another junta
general, just another zum "dictatory
andmannen as anti-government
And hence, he
in the future, as his predecessos
oppositionists hage have said about his many predecessors.
runs the risk of becoming more "dumpable"
may become more "dumpable"
predecessors have in the past.
in the future.
(Hank: sorry for the rush job. on this.
thiggle
I'm belexing this because Le
ore fill
with
Reuters is close to palace where there's still rifle firing./ Appreciate
any suggestions on this and tips on Washington moves.
Regards Bev).
Beverly
ROA
Cod # 945 21.
-
Date
-
1968, Jan. 31
-
Subject
-
Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Mặt trận dân tộc giải phóng miền nam Việt Nam; Tet Offensive, 1968
-
Location
-
Saigon, South Vietnam
-
Coordinates
-
10.8231; 106.6311
-
Size
-
20 x 26 cm
-
Container
-
B9, F10
-
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
