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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-01283 to 363-01288.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-01283 to 363-01288
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Title
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Article about quality of Viet Cong troops
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Description
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Original caption: "quality." Article about the declining quality of Viet Cong troops, 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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zcze sag
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quality 1 (normass/deepe)
Dmz.
DANANG, SOUTH VIETNAM, JULY 2-Allied intelligence sources in the northen
northern provinces around the demilitarized zone believe the quality of Communist
fighters has iminished dramatically in recent months-but, in return, the Communist
RES
high command has won time in funneling increasing quanties of men into battlefield
postens positions.
one Allied
"It looks as though the enemy's making his maximum effort now,"
intelligence source
cer explained. "He's speeded up his training witmen
schedules of men-so he's getting a poorer quality fighter. He's tenacious to
maintain contact and to keep pressure on Allied units. This gives the impression
in Vietnam he's in charge, but in fact, he doesn't have the overall military strength
to back up his position. But, the political aspects
:(of the Vietnam war war)
are such his military weake weaknesses might not matter."
more reuter
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Even cautious Allied intelligence sources-not known for voicing officially
optimistic viewpoints to Western jonra journalists--are surprised at the drop in the
quia ty or quality of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers. Allied units are capturing
more prisoners-some of them small-unit surrenders, which is unusual. More and more
top-quality Viet Cong and North Vietnamese officers--including some at battalion
and regimental command levels--are voluntarily defecting to the Allied side.
For example, on April 22, on American officer recalled that four North
Vietnamese soldiers who have just infiltrated with a 600-man unit into South Vietnam
near Khe Sanh flagged down an American helci helicopter and defe voluntarily defected
to the Allied side. They were not repeat not teenagers-as is often found among the
WEKE
Southern-born Viet Cong ranks-but were all four in their twenties. They had decided to
desert while they sere were still in North Vietnam because they believed their
military recruitment had deprived them of schooling and chances for indivian individual
betterment. They had never heard of the Vietnam government's Chieu Ho:
Chieu Hoi
-or Open Arms-
program in which Communist soldiers and cadre are given full aitz citizenship rights for
SW KHE-IL
Enig laying down their arms and switching sides.
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"The enemy forces are not repeat not as well trained and disciplined as
"This is a change. But ft is it a
earlier, an informed source explained.
significant change? I don't don't know. We are getting more and more prisoners and
this indicates either the enemy is being hurt, or else he has less control of his
troops." He added half-jokingly, "Or maybe there's just more enemy, so there8
there's more prisoners."
He continued, "Maybe thxx maintaining discipline isnot repeat not so important
to the Communist high command as is keeping his replacements coming in. If the
enemy shortens his training programs from three months to one month, for example,
he can keep his battalions filled up, despite heavy battlefield losses. And this is
what he's now doing. He's godt a good replacement program working and it is based
on his anticipated losses. The enemy can get his replacements in fast. I suspect
the enemy knows his discipline isn't as good as it used to be and he has sacrificed
this for gaining time."
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Allied
Another of our informed source explained:
"More enemy are surrendering now and leaving weapons behind on the battlefield
than ever before. In April, when the Allied broke the siege around Khe Sanh, the
North Vietnamese left more weapons on position than I'd ever have dreamed of....
Now, the enemy's battlefield policy is atrocious. It's even worse than the Americans.
The American troops never worry about losing weapons and battlefield geat gear because
they're from a rich nation and there's moreto replace losses. Now, the Communist
attitude is the samel-if we leave our weapons behind, there's more where these came
from. More than 2000 Communist
les were captured around the pat on the battlefield
around Khe Sanh when the siege was lifted and this is unheard of."
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The
But these battlefield trends provide only flickers of optimisn for Allied
field commanders, in this region of ery sustained, sometimes heavy fighting.
rapidity in which Communist battlefield losses are replaced is considered a frustrating
experience for Allied officers, especially in the northern provinces where the
Communists maintain their shortest ☑supply lines and infiltration routes to the
South.
WHICH
"In other wars, the dange damage, the Allies do to these North Vietnamese
From
battalions would be enough to cause it to disintegrate as a for fighting force,"
one Allied
NFORMED
med source explained. "These battalions would be
ineffective for a long period of time. But, in this war, that kind of damage
doesn't mean much. Within thirty days, these battalions are back up to strenght
I, VE
N
strength and fighting like they never lost a man.
We've wiped out
Saw it happen so many times here.
one battalion of a regiment, and then it's back fighting us again.
CASE.
"I'll never forget inxaxbians
xbaurau en inom one battle. Our unit killed
On E
three hundred North Vietnam; we 1 literally wiped out a battalion of that regiment.
We thought that regiment was really hurting.
The regimen remainder of that regiment mat
evaded us--and ten days later we got into a three-day battle. It was the same guys
we thought we had destroyed and it turned out that regiment had picked up replacements
as he evaded and had begun reconst reconstituting that regiment before the battle was
even ended."
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(Hank: Have returned returned from Bangkok and fell feel wonderful. Thanks
for the time off. Either Wednesday or Friday, I'll attempt to file a long piece
on the Saigon military situation,
Otherwise will probably be just shorties.
The so-called thrid third wave
does not appear imminent,
Americans here say,
but, I'll do a wrapup sort d to keep us covered--mommmen What is John
Hughes' planRegards Bev).
-end reuter
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Date
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1968, July 2
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Mặt trận dân tộc giải phóng miền nam Việt Nam; Soldiers; Military education
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Location
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Da Nang, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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16.0545; 108.0717
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B11, F6
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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
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Language
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English
