RIPPLE SALVO… #483… FROM THE ARCHIVES…Pertinent Memos and Telegrams dated 1 July 1967…

Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED EIGHTY THREE of a long look back to the air war over North Vietnam fought fifty years ago…

1 JULY 1967… HEAD LINES from the New York Times on a beautiful summer Saturday in NYC…

Page 1: “Draft Extended Under Old Rules Four More Years–Johnson Signs Bill Though He Loses Most Reforms–Marshall is Critical”…”...the extension known as Military Selective Service Act of 1967 and the Executive Order implementing it presented a distinct setback for the Administration plan to reform the draft… ‘In my judgement,’ said Burke Marshall, the Chairman of the now defunct Presidential Commission on the draft, ‘the new bill makes the system worse than it was before.’ “... Page 1: “FTC Urges Health Warnings In All Cigarette Advertisements”… “…on the grounds that the cigarette industry had not lived up to its promise to police its own advertising.”… Page 1: “Fiscal Year Ends With U.S. Deficit Put at $11-Billion–Figure Second Highest in 20-Years As War Cost Doubles Early Estimate”... Page 1: “Negro Among Four Chosen as Crew of Manned Orbiting Laboratory”… “Major Robert H. Lawrence, Jr. of the Air Force, a Negro, was selected for the nation’s space program today.”…

Page 1: “Buffalo Still Tense; Patrol Is Resumed”... “The police interrupted their massive patrolling of the East Side Negro ghetto for several hours last night then swarmed back… some shots were fired this morning when police were making an arrest.”… Page 10: “The Poor Protest Across the Country–Welfare Recipients Charge Inadequacies in the System”... “Thousands of welfare recipients in 58 cities and towns across the country staged demonstrations protesting what they called inadequacies of the welfare system. The National Welfare Rights Movement promises ‘direct action’ on the local level unless grievances are remedied. ‘I do not get enough money in my welfare grant to meet my family’s need,” one protester said.”…. Page 3: “Jetliner Crash Kills 21 In Hong Kong”… “A Thai International jetliner carrying 80 persons, 59 of them Americans, plunged into Hong Kong harbor as it was approaching the airport for landing. 56 survived. The known death toll was 21 with three persons missing. The plane was making an instrument approach in misty weather. (Add from 2 July NYT: 15 Americans were among the dead)… Page 3: “U.S. Surprised by Ky’s Decision”... “…but privately encouraged by political developments in Saigon.”…

Page 7: “Holy War Urged In Cairo–Return of Jerusalem Sector to Arabs Demanded”… Page 6: “War
Without Battles–Guerrilla Tactics Used by Lawrence of Arabia Could Pose Threat to Israel” (Hanson Baldwin)…”Defeated three times in twenty years in formal warfare the Arabs of the Middle East are being advised…to revert to a modern form of the guerrilla warfare T.E. Lawrence made famous in World War I.”… Sports: Tom Seaver, New York Mets rookie pitcher selected for National League All-Star Team.”…

1 July 1967…The President’s TS Daily CIA Brief… SOUTH VIETNAM: Ky’s acceptance of the vice-presidential slot on Thieu’s ticket, while appearing top reserve the “unity of the military,” will create a whole new set of problems for the Directorate. Ky almost surely considers his acceptance of the vice-presidential slot a compromise rather that a surrender, and will insist on a strong voice in all important decisions. Hence, the tensions built up between Ky and Thieu over the last months may be rekindled as they try to agree on the nature of their campaign, the division of power between them, and (assuming they win) appointment to the new government. Moreover, Ky claims he won an agreement from his peers that he should control the armed forces. This hardly seem like the sort of authority that a president would give up to  vice president for very long. The other generals may yet be hard pressed to keep the peace between their standard bearers in an election that has now taken on a civilian versus military coloration…

2 July 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…New York Times (2 July reporting 1 July ops) Page 1: “Navy Pilots Raid Haiphong Depots For A Second Time–Attacks On Two Petroleum Storage Areas Near Port Set of Secondaries”… “…the attacks were near another fuel dump bombed the day before…the Soviet Union charged that a Russian ship tied up at Haiphong was hit by bomb fragments during that raid…Both the new attacks were near the Cuacam River, a river that leads from the Gulf of Tonkin to the Haiphong dock area. Skyhawk fighter-bombers from the aircraft carrier Intrepid bombed the Kienan petroleum storage area seven miles west-southwest of Haiphong while Skyhawks from Bon Homme Richard attacked the Loidong petroleum dump five miles from the center of Haiphong. Two large storage buildings at Kienam were destroyed.

“Two Navy Skyhawks were reported downed by anti-aircraft fire and both pilots were reported a missing. The losses raise to 592 the number of United States aircraft listed as downed in North Vietnam. (These two A-4s were downed on 30 June as reported in Hobson. Pilots: Ogden, KIA; and McGrath, POW)

“During 115 missions over the North, Air Force Thunderhief pilots damaged two locomotives and a turntable in the Thainguyen railroad yard 35 miles north of Hanoi. Other Thunderchief pilots blasted a surface-to-air missile site 60 miles northwest setting off two explosions and several fires. Pilots reported destroying 20 boxcars, tearing up tracks and setting off 4 explosions in an attack on the Motrang railroad yard 39-miles northeast of Hanoi.

“Thunderchief and Phantom jet pilots knocked out construction equipment and caused a landslide near the Mugia Pass infiltration routes. They also attacked a truck convoy heading for the pass.”

“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 1 July 1967…

(1) CAPTAIN T.R. OLSEN and A2C ROBERT ARTHUR SAUCIER were flying an F-100F Super Sabre of the 615th TFS of the 35th TFW out of Phan Rang accompanying a mission providing close air support and attacking a Vietcong target in the Mekong Delta about 12 miles north of Viet Long. CAPTAIN OLSEN participated in the attack and was hit by ground fire. The aircraft was aflame but flyable and CAPTAIN OLSEN headed for Bien Hoa. The plane was crash landed two miles short of the runway, unfortunately killing A2C SAUCIER, fifty years ago this date…

RIPPLE SALVO… #483… FROM THE ARCHIVES… I cleaned out the mail box and found four 1 July 1967 documents worth a look:

(1) Document 228: This is a former TS eyes only “memo for the record” (sort of like the FBI Director Comey note to himself recording what he says the Pres whispered to him). It was found in McNamara’s personal files but was written by Harriman. It starts out: “Bob McNamara said (1) it is impossible for us to win the war militarily…” That’s the teaser. The rest is worth the read–it is a frank conversation and talk about the Secretary of State… read at:

https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d228

(2) and (3) Documents 229 and 230: These are formerly secret telegrams from Ellsworth Bunker, the Ambassador in Saigon reporting back to Secretary Rusk and the President with (a) his take (“preliminary comments and his plan of action”) on the agreement struck by Ky, Thieu and “the Junta” on the “Military” ticket for the 3 September elections in SVN, and (b) a conversation between Bunker and Ky on 1 July at Ky’s home in Saigon…  read at:

https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d229

https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d230

(4) Document 231: This is a memo from the Secretary of the Air Force to the Secretary of Defense with his recommendation for future conduct of Operation Rolling Thunder: Secretary Brown opts for “Alternative C.” Specifically: “Alternative C proposes 20% of attack sortie effort north of 20 degrees.” This is a must read for the guys who were Rolling Thunder in 1967… read at:

https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d231

RTR QUOTE for 1 July: THOMAS JEFFERSON: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”… (Translation by Humble Host: at the point where the tyrants gain control the government at the expense of the people’s liberty, the patriots will be required to spill some tyrant blood. In that battle for freedom many patriots will fall in the defense of liberty.)

Also JEFFERSON: “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.”

Lest we forget…     Bear