RIPPLE SALVO… #453… Conundrum: Something to be solved with reason. A riddle…but first…
Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE of another look at an interesting chapter in American military history…
1 JUNE 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a mostly sunny Thursday in NYC…
ARAB STATES-ISRAEL Conflict: Page 1: “Backing Reported For Plan to Test Aqaba Blockade”… “Diplomatic sources reported today that Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal had pledged support to a concerted effort to contest the Egyptian blockade of the Gulf of Aqaba. This coordinated effort, proposed by the United States calls for the establishment of an international naval force that could provide armed escort, if necessary, for Western merchant ships attempting to test the blockade imposed by President Abdel Nasser…The United States Navy carrier Intrepid was ordered today to go through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and was reported tonight to be starting her passage through the waterway. The move will place her in the vicinity of the Gulf of Aqaba…The carrier is en route to Yankee Station, not to support the proposed international naval force.”… Page 18: “Admiral Says Soviet Shadowing Often Imperils Ships in 6th fleet”… “Vice Admiral William Martin commander of the Sixth fleet asserted today that Soviet vessels closely monitoring his fleets movements ‘frequently endanger our ships.’ America and Saratoga remain in the Med with accompanying battle groups. Intrepid was on station briefly passing through.”… 1 June 1967: The President’s TS Daily CIA Briefing for Arab States-Israel: No major new developments have occurred over night, and the danger of an explosion has not diminished. Israel Prime Minister Eshkol is being hard pressed by the hawks within and outside his government. Political leaders were deliberating most of yesterday on possible cabinet changes. The result, according to late press reports was the naming of General Moshe Dayan as defense minister, a post which has been held by Eshkol. Appointment of a hero for the 1956 campaign against Egypt would seem to be a clear gain for the activists critical of Eshkol’s moderate line on the crisis. The Egyptians continue organizing military support among their Arab allies. A high-powered delegation from Cairo made quick visits to Iraq and Syria yesterday. Even Morocco has now joined the list of Arab states promising to place troops at Egypt’s disposal if war comes… Jordan: King Husayn told Ambassador Burns yesterday that he had felt absolutely compelled to sign the pact with Nasir in order to buy insurance for his regime. He went on to say that he had reluctantly come to the conclusion that the US Air Force training unit in Jordan should be withdrawn. He pleaded for US understanding and said he wants continued close ties with the US…Husayn describing his talks in Cairo, reported that Nasir is completely convinced that if Israel attacks, it will only be because the US has given it the green light…SOVIETS: We still believe the current Soviet naval activity in the Mediterranean has no direct relationship to the crisis, despite newspaper headlines. the Soviets can nevertheless be expected to make the most of their naval presence to indicate support of the Arabs….
NYT: Vietnam: Page 3: “Representative Richard Ichord (D-MS) said today the only thing wrong with the M-16 rifle was that there were too few of them. He said the continuing controversy over the weapon could cause a morale problem in Vietnam. He said there was shortage of 20,500 M-16s due to sales of the weapons to Singapore ahead of United States requirements.”…Page 1: “Pope and De Gaulle Confer on Vietnam and Mideast”… “De Gaulle tells Pope Paul VI… ‘World peace has never been more blindly threatened.'” …
NYT: Other News: Page 24: “Hoover Scores Rights Leaders Who Name Possible Riot Cities”… “J. Edgar Hoover said today that civil rights leaders who named cities where riots might occur this summer were issuing an open invitation to violence. The Director of the FBI did not mention any civil rights leaders by name but alluded to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael.”… Page 1: “Medicare Studies Wider Coverage of Drug Expenses“… “A special panel to recommend within six months whether to include prescription drug costs in the Medicare program.”…
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… HEROISM AND EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT…COMMANDER JERRY CLYDE PATTERSON, U.S. Navy…DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS… 19 MAY 1967…
“In the name of the President of the United States the Commander-in-Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet takes pleasure in awarding the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS to COMMANDER JERRY CLYDE PATTERSON, United States Navy, for HEROISM AND EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT as a pilot attached to Attack Squadron EIGHTY-FIVE embarked in USS KITTY HAWK (CVA-63) during a daring daylight coordinated strike against the Van Dien missile supply and support facility located five miles south of Hanoi on 19 May 1967. Commander PATTERSON, the strike leader, astutely planned and skillfully led the strike group over 120 miles of enemy territory which was heavily defended by active missile sites, MIG interceptors and anti-aircraft gun emplacements. As pilot of the lead A-6 in the formation, he courageously and aggressively pressed on the attack through a fusillade of more than 30 missiles prior to, during and immediately after the bombing run. Commander PATTERSON positioned all aircraft at the optimum point for perfect visual dive bombing attack and personally scored direct hits on his target, despite the heavy anti-aircraft fire and continuous missile firings. His masterful planning and airborne leadership were responsible for 22 aircraft retiring safely as a unit through the heavy fire and constant threat of pursuing enemy fighters. By undaunted courage, inspirational airmanship and resolute determination in the face of awesome enemy fire, Commander PATTERSON upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”…. oohrah….
1 June 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (2 June reporting 1 June ops) Page 2:”In the air war over the North, 112 missions were flown. The major strikes were against the Loidong and Con My oil storage areas on the outskirts of Haiphong. Pilots also struck at the Kep army camp and railroad yards 38 miles northeast of Hanoi, as well as at bridges and roads in the southern panhandle.”… Page 2.”American aircraft losses over North Vietnam reached a record figure in May. Thirty six aircraft were downed, 21 by ground fire–either missiles or AAA guns– 2 by North Vietnam fighters and 13 from unknown causes. A Navy rescue helicopter was also downed–it was the 6th helicopter to be lost over the North. At the same time American pilots scored the largest number of aerial victories, shooting down 27 MIGs. Several other MIGs were listed as probably destroyed on the ground.”…
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft losses over Southeast Asia on 1 June 1967.
RIPPLE SALVO… #453… On 20 May 1967 Secretary of Defense McNamara’s desk was piled high with studies, fact sheets, opinion pieces, operation reports, letters and briefing papers with advice and recommendations on the future of Rolling Thunder. Conundrum.
Something to be resolved with reason… So he boiled all the inputs down to two alternatives. One, concentrate 120 missions per day on Route Packages 1, 2, and 3 and terminate the bombing in the rest of North Vietnam unless there was reconstruction of important fixed targets destroyed by raids to date.
Or, two, terminate bombing fixed targets in Route Package 6 (a and b) and expand armed reconnaissance in Route Packs 6 (a and b) and authorize RT strikes whenever and wherever, except within 2 miles of the centers of Hanoi and Haiphong, to include strikes against all air fields. In both options the port of Haiphong remains off-limits.
The Secretary asked JCS, CIA, Air Force, and Navy to choose the way forward and respond with their answer to the ‘riddle’ by 1 June 1967.
The CIA response on 1 June 1967 was that the goal of interdicting supplies to the South was an unachievable goal. “In general, we do not believe that any programs presented in your memorandum is capable of reducing the flow of military and other essential good sufficiently to affect the war in the south or to decrease Hanoi’s determination to persist in the war…. the excess capacity on the road networks in Route packages I, II, and III provides such a deep cushion that it is almost certain that no interdiction program can neutralize the logistics target system to the extent necessary to reduce the flow of men and supplies to South Vietnam below present levels.”…
The JCS response was submitted on 2 June. JCS opposed any restriction on opposing the flow of material and held that continued bombing of the north was the way to go. Plus, JCS made another pitch to close the ports.
The Secretary of the Navy opted for an interdiction program of greater intensity below 20-degrees holding this would be more effective than current program. However, the most effective path would be to close the ports and continue the current program.
On 3 June the Air Force response supported current program with addition of more armed reconnaissance in RP6 and closing the ports. They held that this “would have a substantial effect on the NVN economy and logistic net and would …force enough additional diversion of resources to reduce NVN infiltration and support.”… On 9 June Secretary Brown submitted another memo that made a case for interdiction bombing of the entire “funnel” without closing the ports.
The conundrum remained. From The Pentagon Papers (page 187, Gravel Edition): “Thus the responses to the SecDef’s questions on bombing north versus south of the 20th parallel divided about evenly, with the JCS and Air Force strongly opposed to a cutback to 20-degrees and backing the more escalatory route, and the Navy and CIA concluding that interdiction, whether north or south, difficult if not impossible goal but that a cutback would cost little.”
The result of the Secretary’s drill? Four more folders added to his stack of air war — Rolling Thunder–conundrums… Poor guy should have asked for a fifth input, a tie-breaker…
And that’s the way it was fifty years ago this day…
CAG’s QUOTES for 1 June: KARL VON CLAUSEWITZ: “Theoretical knowledge must become practical skill.”… PATTON: “Leadership consists in knowing what you want to do then doing it and getting mad if anyone steps in your way.”
Lest we forget… Bear