https://mediacommons.unl.edu/MediaManager/srvr?mediafile=/MISC/UNL~139~139/1794/363-08117+to+363-08121.pdf
Media
Part of Article about anti-Communist war effort in South Vietnam
- extracted text
-
/
llt
....
Baverly Deepe
101 Cong Ly
Saigon
SAIOON--Ten months ago,
a
or·ts:rn diplomat described the
anti-CoI!l!:1unist mr in l'ietnam as "a ship vd th all the sails fla:p:ping,
but
not going A11YWha1•e. �1
" c P et!'3,s c.nd sit,n.ii'icant
'J'�off.r-n�ter !I t"' o nil tn.ry co.:!t' d
�
ex l�0c1., 11!fow -�ho ship
Oommuniot' ;_:-"11:n"J--the came dir,lom::1t s
is si11king."
--
montht", the Commur.dstz in1 Viot _na:.i. have been
the help o:r Co
getting strong-er mili'taril�w.1.th
Rad China and North Viatnemr--a.ri.d poli tioall;1-w:l. th the
(Kore)
"We're locing st�ategica.lly in Southeast Asia,"
dipllaat groaned._
"And we•re losing taotioally in South Viet Bem."
0
During the current r� rainy season,
October,.
the gloom,;
which, continues until
high-ranking Vietnamese offioers (informatively onl7-prima minister
General !JSU7en Xhonh)
oonoeded the pro-Com,unist guerrillas
......_S� �
have the oapa.bill tJ'
and the intentions-of' e•�g ovarrunning�of the 43 proVinoie.l oapiitals
1n the oountrY,.
operations,
And they have the oapability of regimental-oontrollledl
a de:f::l.nita inoreaee in the scope of the war,x
in which th�
previous largest operating unit was a battalion.
Reliable sources indicate that the pro-Communist guerrillas
are now moving battalions from the lower •ekong Dleta Dellta-whioh they now believe
they dominate-to seven oruoiall pro'Vinoee
forming an arc,, south o� Saigon. ( See
enclosed map.)
(llore)
�-
_,
�
Deepe
War-3
Tho
TJlll".00 se
cf these troop movements is· neithor military attaaks
� nor increased'. terrorism 1n Sa:i.gon•
climate in Saigon. C
-
Q
Si:x: months a,eo
now they•re strong enough to
but
ak
"developing¢ the politioal
·thdr poll t:l.oal ::dm1 was ncutraliSDl}
expect abooluto accomodatiom to whatever they,
wish to dictate."
Reliable souroes l'llllll!llllll!mm. bollevo it will not be d.ifficul t.
:tor tho fO!llntmists to establish this politioal climate i17�igont
there is
@..lreedy increasing fear of politioal assassinations among high-ranking
governme nt of'ficials and milite.nt ant:J.-Corrimunists.
busin-ess oonmnmi ty elrendy renlects mo:r
fll.a1e Ohiness and lndian
:f'en:r. o:f -'che growing uncertaiutn
yo'llllg me.r:ried ooun]es t1re A.ttllffl'pting to serap r!;ogcthar the money to
buy
blaok-mark�t French ei tizen�hip pap ors or to cm'llf,·e;le their children a.gross the
Cambodian horder.
Erl t :permits nre ines,,;;�
"There1 s � orieis in· confidence;
the government side,"
inoroaoincly prized..
a cris�a in lead.crship oni
a ViP.tnrunesa businessman explained.
government poei tion has steadily .. ,
The Vietnamese
EW<>ded "and will eventually
be swept�e wham the plug i.s pul1ed out of the bathtub drain,"
foreign observer explained.
among themsel..'Ves;
prastigeJ
the
isi.
anotheJr
The genernla i:rl. thin the mill ta.ry junta are fighting
olltiee.l parties are agitati� more powe:n.· and
the
Catholics and Buddhists are stag.t.ng demonstrations wbiolh
undormine the strength of the governmerrt.
where the guts of the we,: is oentere4,,
has yi3 Im continually aa5ged,
'Unw:l.lline;nes� �� £ight
r
'il-
In the �1111111-a��M:Was
countryside
the ilJ.-ale morale o'f government troops
ing bringing ino� v·
(Kore)
Deepe
!he one rs::r of hope is
rmlulu oon:l'erenoe � of
�
high-ranking .Arnerioans--Secretary of State�Rusk and Defense SeoretarYi
Robert S.. Jlonamara--would result in "a policy of action rather.-tha n
But as the days pasfi,
reaction."
the American oommund.ty itself-also fraught w.l. th, its
lack of leadership and �
growing bu.stations and fa
faotionali sm-
is reaching 1 ts lowest point of depression, since 15,000 •�' ad.visors
w _ere conmd. tted here two years ago.
Observers here l:'eady concede/ that the
three dramatic alternatives facing �fA14:e:r1caJ/f.polioy makers are equal]}y
unaoceptable---tbta.l
Wl. thdrawil',
expansion of the war by bombing North Viet Nam11
oomnrl. tting American fighting troops.
In short•
the walifx: political-military war is desperate.
The question is whether it is hope:tsss.
"I've seen alot worse s1 tuations than th1s,"
diplomat conceded.
"I was in Burma when we held only the suburbs around
Rangoon+-and had seven itr:surgencies
almost had it won.. •• and then we had e.
N'ote,
�� 0tAJJ.t )�� Pive years later, we
;; by, pro-Pek1ng1ies and lost 1 t."
prinoipeli. source for this is Col. Serong,
training team.
the Western
head of the Australiam
He's one of the few who know so much of what' e going om
in the country-and is courageous enough to sq it..
Obviously fJ
he can't be
quoted by name or by country, since there• s such a small!. mmnunity of
tor &1 :a:-:
this is !fOT' � wan wantt
Australia ns here..
Let me know
:..__
.
�tiole and I,/!!-
7'7 A;'
� � / -,.-,- ·