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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-04918 to 363-04928.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-04918 to 363-04928
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Title
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First article about military developments in South Vietnam
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Description
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Original title: "upsurge", Article draft about an expected North Vietnamese offensive while the Paris peace talks were occuring, for the Christian Science Monitor, page 1-11
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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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- Page 1
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3, Vo Tanh
Saigon, South Vietnam
November 29, 1968
Up surge-page 1
(This is the first of a two-part series on military developments in
South Vietnam as the new peace talks are batham scheduled to begin
in Paris).
BIEN HOA,
SOUTH VIETNAM--Communist forces in the eleven provinces
ringing Saigon are frenetically preparing for another wave of their general
offensive and/or general uprising, military sources here report.
American military sources at this field command headquarters 18
miles north of the capital believe the expected Communist offensive-
uprising might reach the magnitude of the Communists' country-wide T
BL. 2
ep into the South Vietnamese cities during Tet in January of this year.
The American military command E expressed confidence that
smash or pre-empt the
Allied troops could successfully counter,
Communist offensive, if and when it is unleashin unleased.
Some ma informed members of the diplomatic corps here are also
predicting a new round of Communist military-and perhaps political
activity in South Vietnam.
Communist radio broadcasts daily explain
their traditional winter-spring campaign has already begun and is to be
climaxed again with another general offensive and uprising.
==more
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- Page 2
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Deepe
Up surge-page 2
However,
another school of thought in official American circles
is that the Communists will continue to de-escalate their hig
spectacular big-unit war, keeping portions of their large main-force
units a6 outside the borders of South Vietnam,
because this move
would be more likely to precipitate bilateral Washington-Hanoi
agreements on mutual military disengagement and withdrawal of both
American and North Vietnamese troops.
HERE
Among those publicly holding that another Communist military offensive
PERHAPS A
and political uprising are in the works are South Vietnamese Prime Minister
Tran Van Huong and Fresident Nguyen Van Thieu.
Revel Recently,
in a
closed-door session, President Thieu reportedly ordered 1,200
Vietnamese political warfare cadre to visit government outposts and
units throughout the countryside.
These cadre were to explain to
South Vietnamese troops to be alert for the expected--and perhaps decisive--
Communist-led political disorders and military activities,
especially in the cities including Saigon and that they should be
prepared to smash these activities "at all costs."
==more
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- Page 3
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Deepe
Up surge--page 2
Informed Western
sources believe that the South Vietnamese
battlefield-swinging towards either heavier fighting or a more
pronounced main-force lull-is
taking on a critical new political
dimension as the new Paris peace talks open and as the new American
administration is about to be inaugurated in Washington.
However, Communist
radio broadcasts explain that this period is one of the most favorable perrod's
their general offensive and uprising because of
for then the erosion of American political will and economic
resources to continue fighting the war in Vietnam,
South Vietnam,
discontent within
squabbling thin growing frictions within the American
government and between the American government and its other * Allies,
including the South Vietnamese.
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- Page 4
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Deepe
Upsurge page 4
initial break through
In so short, atless unless there is a dramatic,
towards military disengagement at the conference table in Paris,
military developments in South Vietnam are moving towards the edge
the
more than ever
of a critical, perhaps even decisive political point;
before the Communists can be expected to whipsaw their military machine-
not simply for military victories, but to create high-impact political
and psychological shockwaves either it internationally or internally.
Military officials here cite two reasons for their assessment that the
Communists are preparing to launch another general offensive and uprising
Thes The first reason is basketsfuls of
of the Tet magnitude.
documentary evidence and prisoner interrogations;
the second is the disposition
of and increase in numbers of Communist main-force units in the 11 provinces
surrounding Saigon, some of which are currently--and perhaps only temporarily
hibernating i across the borders in Cambodia.
#=more
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- Page 5
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Deepe
Up surge--page 5
The
One piece of evidence considered highly significant by these sources
was a captured directive from the Viet Cong high command (called COSVN or
Central Office in South Vietnam) in which Hanoi predicted an American
bombing halt in November, zs and as of late October, spoke of a general
offensive and general uprising--without specifying in detail which
directive also ordered political cadre to intensify troop indoctrination
with a target date of complete completion by December 31 of this year.
Extensive political indoctrination generally precedes a new, major
Communist military thrust.
#more
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- Page 6
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Deepe
Up surge-page 6
"With the bombing halt, the document says the Communists should
increase military pressure with the ultimate goal of setting up a
coalition government," one informed source explained.
"In
the Communists
constanance with Communist main force units,
said in the document they would launch eith a large-scale offensive
oir ceasefire and coalition
so the Americans would go along with a.
government or else you can interpret the document that, depending
on political developments in Paris,
these main-force actions will or
will not take place. But, it specifies that the Paris peace talks
will dictate moves of the main-force units as well as the sub-regional
commander five of WHICH SURROUND SAgon
= =more
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Deepe
Up surge-page 7
Masses of other captured documents and prisoner interrogations,
however,
give in great detail not simply general ic directions, but also
specific unit instructions for implementing another Communist blitz-styled
war.
Informed sources report "the temperature chart" of leaned
Communist plans to intensity the war has risen so sharply simply in
the volume of captured documents "moving across the desks of American
Saptured
commanders" that few consider the material as planted hoaxes.
The second reason cited by these sources is that the disposition
of Communist main-force units are fanned out--as they have been since
September-north and northwest of Saigon in a wide are astride the jungled
Cambodian border area, where they are in a favorable posture for resupply,
refitting, regrouping and receiving replacements. Three The three
traditional Communist divisions perched in this area--the 5th, 7th and
9th are now assessed to bax have had their military troop strength and
equipment requires requirements brought
beginning an offensive.
sufficient capability for
==more
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- Page 8
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Deepe
Up sur ge-page 8
Intelligence sources have also confirmed that these three divisions
have been joined by a new regiment--the 95C Regiment of the 1st North
This regiment, which suffered a severe defeat
in the battle of Duc Lap in II Corps in September,
Vietnamese Army Division.
have moved into
was confirmed to
border provinces outside of Saigon recently when it
was again severely mauled after attacking a South Vietnamese Ranger
battalion. Allied officials credit the South Vietnamese Rangers, plus
American firepower,
bodycounty and hence,
combat ineffective.
with killing 278 Communists--based on battlefield
American sources believe the regiment is currently
Since mid-September,
Communist main force strength has jumped from
77 to 84 battalions in the 11 provinces around Saigon--but the
any effectiveness from this increase has been greatly reduced by the
introduction of the U. S. Army 1st Air Cavalry Division into the border
area.
==more
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- Page 9
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Deepe
Up surge-page 18
GROUND Saigon
Local force guerrilla companies and other units) have to date
been largely inactive in the provinces surrounding Saigon, and many
of these units are known to have broken down into smaller squad-size
units or aller in order to step up tamxxxm a campaign of terrorism,,
kidnapings, taxation, proselytzing, harrassing attacks on cities and
tows towns and and also foi diversionary attacks designed to open up
corridors of infiltration for movement of men and supplies towards Saigon.
Smalle
==end
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- Page 10
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Deepe
Up surge-page 10
CommuniST RADIO BROADCASTS Regularly
Call for Another
offensive. UPRISING
CAMPAN
REPEATED
announced
One recent radio broadcast from Liberation Radion Radio,
on Radio Hanoi on November 25, callednfem related:
"Now, the general offensive and general uprising is underway...
Never is the situation so favorable-
to our people as today. The American
imperialists have suffered bitter defeats.
in an extremely difficult situation;
Has Been
They are bedd bogged down
their will of age aggression is
shaken violently. Continuing to be sucked into this war in Vietnam,
which is consuming more men and money and gate them bigger and bigger
defeats, the American people as well as people throughout the world are
protesting against the this war. The American allies are taking advantage
of the Americans
the American system of control. On the other hand, if the Americans want
this
who are bogged down in t a wary in order to get out of
to end this aggressive wars they will lose the pas prestige before
the world. The American pehle back home are insulting each
officials
other.
The American boss and the Vietnam beg betrayers, Thieu-Ky-Huong,
fish
are
quarreling like people in the market... The people in the city have been
revolution-ized.
They are waiting for the coordination in order to stand
up and liberate themselves.
The intermediary class (i. e. middle class)
has turned towards the revolutionary side.
opportune time is very favorable to us.
This is very clear that the
This opportune time is more solid
unetime
than ever....and the enemy has put down on the table all his trump cards..**
==more
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- Page 11
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Deepe
Up surge-page
//
"We know very clearly that the American imperialists and their
i quislings are very stubborn people and we have no illusion about them.
They are
They will never accept to be defeated until they are defeated.
torpodoeing the four-way conference in Paris even though the conference
has not been held yet. Only when our armed forces will be victorious
on the battlefield, then all the people will uprise to be the
master of the villages, hamlets, inter-blocks and sub-precincts to
AND
to defeat the American pirates, to knock out the
liberate the countryside,
puppets. At that time, the enemy will admit his defeat regarding the violent
revolution of the people who are uprising everywhere in Vietnam.
the decisive factors of the situation...
That is
"Our military and the people shoud should take advantage of this
most favorable, opportune time to carry out the general offensive and
to over throw
to chase away the American aggressor,
general uprising,
the Thieu-Ky Huong clique,
to take over the government in order to move
forward to achieve our basic objective of the revolution in the South.....
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Date
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1968, Nov. 29
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Subject
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Mặt trận dân tộc giải phóng miền nam Việt Nam; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Guerilla warfare; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Peace; Peace treaties
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Location
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Biên Hòa, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.9574; 106.8427
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B10, F39
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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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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
