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Part of Article about the number of American troops in Vietnam

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Beverly Ann Deepe
64A Hong Thap TU
Saigon, Vietnam
Troops-page 1
July 14, 19671

SAIGON-Anrerioan commander General Willianue. Westmoreland has
requested a total of three-quarter million American troops for
Vietnam by mid-1969.
The request is one of the most momentous decisions facing
President Lyndon B. Johnson,

reliable sources here report.

The request may be almost as difficult for President Johnson
't

as his original decisions to send 480,000 American troops here-for
the next increment would demand quasi-wartime footing for AJDerioa,
with demands of more ._ money and men cutting

aoross the

1968 election yea:r.

f

Reliable sources here report that General Westmoreland
has already requested-and been promis,d-a�oopilevel of�
550,.000 American men here by mid-1968.

However,

he wants to xcic•

reo-eive authorization for 600,000 men JqJ,aa:bhm,+, before the
American election and a total of 750,,000 men by mid-1969,
sources say.

(More)

these

Troop s--page 2

The great center of decision for President Johnson now ies
how, many more .American troops can lil.e authorize after the 550,000,
he has already approved? A peripaera.1. question here iss

How much

longel!' will General Westmoreland be retained as commander of
American forces here?
While no immediate decision is likely
Secretary of Defense Robert

1-A:>

be announced,

s. McNamara, in his farewell press

conference here, indicated that American troops for Vietnam would
be increasingly difficult to�' commit.

Instead, he called

for more efficient use of the ome-millioa-plus troops in Vietnam
already-American troeps as well as the flagging Vietnamese forces .
Reliable observers here believe that, given the present
direction and pace of the military war, three-quarter million
.American troops wil1 still be too few by mid-1969.

They note an

increase in the strength and activity of the aommunist main-force
units, coupled With the inability of the Allied forces to defend
the Vietnamese villages from Communist guerrill,as and political
cadre.

These observers

concede,

however,

that if the Johnson

Administration or the Vietnamese government to be elected in
September enter into negotiations with the Comm�sts, �
requirements for more American troops might drop.
(More)

Deepe
Troops--page 3

The request by General Westmoreland for 750,000 American
troops in the next. two years � represents a sizeable increase over
the Administration's original estimates of the American manpower
f

needs for the Vietnam war.

Two yea.rs ago, American generals

here� reportedly estimated they would need only 350,000
American troops in Vietnam to continue pressure against the Communist
mai:n f'o:roe units,

plus securing major ina,tallations in thek key

oities.

the nassive Communist buildup of foroes--from

However,

local recruitment and infiltration--plus the inability of the
Vietnamese·armed forces to recover its fighting effectiveness

has

caused a major re-assessment.
Vietnamese sources believe the Johnson Administration
has created and followed a. "deliberate policy of confusion"
regarding the future American troop3 requirements for Vietnam.

Fer,

they explain,, on the one hand the official Administration statements
and leaks to newsmen-each quot�ferent buildup figures--is
designed to prepare American public opinion1 for more troops,

while ,.,

on the other hand, not giVing too much,information to the �ommunist
bloc.

:S-ased on reliable military sources here, this is the storys
(More)

Deepe
Troops-Qpage 4

eurrently,

there are 466, 00O .American troops in Vie tnam.

But,

more important than the actual in-country figure is the numiber
already authorized.

This

is �80., 000. som9 of
n: authorizbedut fi.J1:Ure
tl:rey are ueh1.n
schedule in

�
.
these are already "in the pipeline" e:nroute to Vietnam· several

the figure already approved for Vietnam was 47O, OO0--

months ago,

but with the heavy fighting along the demilitarized zone, WE&l&os
Westmoreland reportedly requested and received approval for another
inorement of

1i 1O OOO,
,i

the most significant "J'IC�!u portion

coming in the form of artillery units.
At this time,

requests. for more troops a.ne z based on

sliding timetables--which creates some of the confusion in press
From now until. June of next yea:r,

articles.

Westmoreland has

requested--and has beenp
•-•1111·mmvirtually promised-another 70, 000
troops.

This would raise the total comm. tment level to � 550, OOQ,

by mid-li68.
This increment of 70, 000 is important to American field
commanders,

because they would be mainly ground forces--whioh they

badly need to keep pace with the Oommunist builldup.

This chunk of

70, 000 troops is equivalent to two American divisions, one light

brigade, plus their organia supporting units.
{More)

arrivin0

Deepe
Troop a-page 5

During this same time period-from· now until mid-1968--a.uk
Westmoreland has requested another chunk of 50, 000 American troops­
mainly direct support uni ts,

such as helicopter companies, ..Ni�

artillery batteries and naval groups.

He D reportedly wants to have

in Vietn&m" a total of 600, 000 American troops before the American
Presidential election in 1968-.

He is not so sure to get this, a

however.
Then,

after the .AJnerican election through mid-1969,

we stmoreland has requested an additional 150,,000 troops-raising
the over-al� total to three-quarter million· .American �.fighting nsn.
And this is where President Johnson and Secretary McNamara have
dilemBas no computer can sollve.

More American men and money

vi?�t, may mean fewer votes and more criticism during the
election.
The tactical policy of sending American troops to Vietnam
in "tranches" (French for slices)

or "on the installmen:!; plan"

has raised some controversy within the official American community
� here.
(?afore)

Deepe •.. --�. ,..-.
Troops-page 6

One critie-a military officer-saids

"The idea of sending

American troops here on the installment plan is absurd.
talcing a bath.
and stand it.
hotter.

It's like

One can't jump into a tub-fulf of scalding hot water
But one can take it if the water :bl gradually gets

That• s '1J:::� the way the Oommunists are--they are adjusting

to our measured troops levels without feeling any heat."
One American civilian official,

speaking in private,

said

no more lulterican troops should be sent to Vietnam without radical
improvements in the efforts of the Vietnamese officialdom at all
levels and in all fields-the Vietnamese army, administration and
government.
An�ther souroe,

who believed more American ground troops were

needed--and needed fast-questioned the tactical uses General Westmoreland
has chose"rto use.

He suggested Westmoreland'
de-_ E.lhf' #fl S.''Ltrl>.

searoh-and-destroy

strategy be re-evaluated and

Another factor adding to the controversy and uncertainty here
is the increase in rumors that General Westmoreland will be replaced

CffR_L',;-e./

in the near :g future. '�i�l!l'rumors to this effect have been denied.

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