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Part of Error: Making Americans Madder

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Error: Making · Americans Madder
This decision would have
terinsurgency war but to attempt to save Viet Nam by the effect of making Vietmaking the conflict more of nam a "little Korea," with
multi-national troops called
a conventional war.
in to support the anti-ComFragmentary evidence sug- munist government-a United
gests that the conflict will \be Nations command without
carried outside of South Viet the United Nations.
Nam-and that the war will
Vietnamese observers also
become more conventionalized. The arrival of a high- believe that American policy
ranking Filipino foreign min- changes may wen include
istry official in Saigon last massive aerial bombardment
we,ek has increased specula- of Communist supply bases
tion that Asian combat troops outside South Viet Nam. This
-Filipino, Thai, Formosan · would probably be centered
and South Korean-might be in the southern-tongue of
the next step forward en- Laos, through which run the
larging the war. This may key Infiltration and supply
or may not mean that Amer- routes from North Viet Nam.
Observers in Viet Nam beican combat troops will be
sent to Viet Nam, principally lieve this scheme to block Infor garrison duty to secure filtration from southern Laos
provinci-al rapitals and major may well be connected with
military installations - thus the current offensive of
releasing South Vietnamese right-wing troops against
troops for offensive opera- Communist
Patnet
Lao
forces on the Plain of Jars.
tions.

By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
SAIGON.

The Viet Cong Communist
attack on the United States
B-57 jet-fighter bombers a
week ago was a brilliant tactical victory but a major strategic miscalculation.
For the mortar bombardment of the Bien Hoa airfield,
only 18 miles from Saigon,
highlighted for officials in
Washington the fact that
with the current policy, the
war is being lost.
Very forcefully, the Bien
Hoa attack points to the need
. for a change in policy-and
soon. Major post-election policy changes were to be anticipated anyway, but the Bien
Hoa attack, according to observers, at the least "will
shorten the time in which
policy decisions can be postponed."
In Washington yesterday it
was made known that Ambassador Maxwell D. Taylor
would return for talks in a
week or so.
In Saigon yesterday, the
sound of explosions ratt1ea
windows and shook up citizens.
The Vietnamese Air Force
was carrying out massive air
raids on Communist strongnists may lose some of their
holds near the city.
mass support by promising
something that is still years
NO MEDALS
away in reality.
Whether the noise that
Hence, the Bien Hoa atstartled Saigonese stemmed tack is considered too . early
from tlhese raids, or from -it was a small-scale Dien
army troops blowing up old Bien Phu without the immediate prospect of final
ammunition, was not known.
What was known was tlhat mllitary or political victory.
"Bien Hoa has made the
the Vietnamese Air Force in
eight hours dropped 120 tons Americans madder," exof bombs on a variety of plained one reliable source.
Communist targets, some no "The Americans have not yet
further than 15 miles from decided to change thefr
the capital, in retaliation for strategy but Bien Hoa attack
makes that time come closer.
the Bien Hoa attack.
Although that attack on This is the significance of the
Nov. 1 demolished or dam- attack."
The attack came only days
aged 20 American jet-bombers, and inflicted the heaviest before a new Saigon governAmerican casualties tolls in ment had been announceda single incident in the war a government which Ameri-four k11led and 72 wounded can policy officially backs.
-observers here predict that "But the Americans are backthe Communist planners will ing a weak and inept governnot receive any medals for ment," according to one reliable source. "I'm not saythe feat.
Observers believe the at- ing it's weak and inept as a
tack-a psychological shock criticism. It's a fact."
The American policy is to
to Americans and Vietnamese
here-created the impression think that the American con"The Communists can take cepts of prosecuting the poliover the country now-but tical and economic war, of adwhy don't they?" The effect ministering the American
may well mean the Commu- multimillion dollar aid pro-

/gram, of implementing the
American-backed pacification
program-that all of this
must be done through the
machinery of the Vietnamese
government. The choices facing the Americans are to continue working through this
weak-and corrupt-government, to change that government or to work around it,
principally by using the Vietnames~ army and its leader,
Maj. Gen. Nguyen Khanh, as
a substitute · for the government appal'atus.
The weeks to come should
reveal which choice Washington makes in reality, although
American policymakers may
in effect officially continue to
support the newly-named
governme:at.
Officially, tne American
view is to work for an effective Vietnamese government
-and build all policy on
that. However, as long as
the
Communist - oriented
Buddhist movement is capable of attacking any Saigon
regime, there appears to be
little chance that the country will ever have a strong
government. Thus, there may
well be in the offing a shift

in the American tolerant
attitude toward the Buddhists, and the Vietnamese
government might decide to
crack down on known Communists within the movement.
The instabil!ty of the
three-day-old ·civilian government of Premier Tran
Van Huong was underlined
yesterday when the High National Council refused to
throw its prestige behind the
cabinet, under fire from students and Buddhists for not
reflecting their political power. The Council limited itself to stating support of the
Premier "in order to solve
this unrest with him." It also
confirmed the resignation of
its acting chairman, Dr.
Nguyen Xuan Chu, wno feels
the same way about the cabinet as the students and
Buddhists.
Premi!!r Huong, facing the
gathering opposition, took
care to note yesterday that
his government would not
tolerate any demonstrations.
His regime received support
from the man who counts,
Gen. Khanh. In a statement,
he said "only working in
union can we defeat the danger of Communist dictatorship."
In the most general terms,
American policymakers are
faced with two sets of
choices: to contain the con:flict within South Viet Nam