ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED 13 JUNE 1967

RIPPLE SALVO… #465… DRAFT MEMORANDUM 194 of 12 June 1967 FROM SECDEF TO LBJ…but first…

Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE of a remembrance of events and brave men from 50 years ago…

13 JUNE 1967… HEADLINES from The New York Times on a toasty Tuesday in NYC…

SIX DAY WAR: “Eshkol Rejects return of Israel to Old Frontiers”… “Premier Levi Eshkol declared today that Israel would not retreat within her prewar frontiers and demanded that the Arab make peace with her. In a policy speech to the Knesset (Parliament) that laid down the hard-line being demanded by the exultant but war-weary Israelis, Mr. Eshkol, addressing himself to all nations of the world: ‘Be under no illusion that the State of Israel is prepared to return to the situation that reigned up to a week ago. Alone we fought for our existence and our security. We are entitled to determine what are the true and vital interests of our country and how they shall be secured, the position that existed until now shall never again return. The land of Israel shall no longer be a no-man’s land, wide open to acts of sabotage and murder.’…Premier Eshkol denounced the 1949 armistice agreement as ‘a time gaining expedient’ used by the Arabs to prepare for renewed warfare and accused the United Nations of having failed to condemn 19 years of Arab hostility toward Israel– a situation he described as unique and unparalleled in international relations. In his remarks, Mr. Eshkol said that ‘justice, logic and morality should have the courage to tell the Arab states that the United Nations Charter obligates them, just as it obligates every other member nation.’ “… Page 1: “Nasser To Attend Arab Summit”... “President Gamal Abdel Nasser has agreed to take part in  conference of Arab leaders that is to take place in either Algiers or Khartoum, Sudan.”... Page 1: “Direct Talks With the Israelis Rejected by Arabs at U.N.”... “Arabs rejected today the call by Premier Levi Eshkol of Israel for bi-lateral negotiations outside the United Nations to arrange peace settlements. They were unwavering in their demand for the retirement of the Israeli forces to the positions held before the war began a week ago.”… Page 1: “Israel Units Took Sinai Rocket Base”... “Israel forces captured intact an Egyptian rocket site for nine Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles during the Sinai campaign last week…they were captured between the Mitla Pass nd the Suez Canal…designated Type SA-2…in addition, five Soviet officials had been captured…a report later denied by the Israelis.”…

AT HOME: Page 1: “U.S. Panel Urges $2.5-Billion Fund to Curb Pollution”... “Americans must stop waging wholesale chemical warfare against themselves, a government report on environmental pollution stated today. the report called for a $2.5-billion in Federal spending in the next five years to deal with all manner of problems such as air and water pollution, urban noise, odors and crowding and large-scale introduction of new products presenting unknown potential hazards to man.”…

Page 1: “Libel Case Ruling Extends Press Protection in Suits”… “Supreme Court extended constitutional protection of freedom of press to libelous falsehoods about private individuals who willingly take part in public affairs…The court holds that public figures who hold no public office should be subject to derogatory criticism even when based on false statements.”… Page 1: “Justices Upset All Bans On Interracial Marriage”… “The Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that states cannot outlaw marriage between whites and non-whites…’There can be no doubt th restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the (Constitution’s) equal protection clause.’…It was an 9-0 vote.”… Page 1: “Bugging In State is Outlawed 5-4 by Supreme Court”... “The Supreme Court imposed strict new limitations today on two police investigative techniques…declared it was unconstitutional for New York state to permit court approved eavesdropping by the police and that suspects must have counsel when appearing in police lineups. Associate Justice Tom Clark: ‘Few threats to liberty exist which are greater than that imposed by the use of eavesdropping devices.”…

Page 1: “Rioters In Tampa Start New Fires”... “Hundreds of National Guardsmen and local policemen and sheriff’s deputies restored calm to one racially troubled area of this city tonight, only to have new rioting breakout in three other Negro residential areas…started 11 fires…rock throwing teenagers.”.. Also: “75 National Guardsmen patrolled Prattville, Alabama following arrest of Stokely Carmichael and gunfire between Negroes and policemen.”…

13 JUNE 1967 OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (14 June reporting 13 June ops) Page 3: “U.S. Jets Strike at Rail Lines Between Hanoi and Red China”… “United States bombers smashed again today at North Vietnam’s rail links with China. Attempting to cut off the flow of military supplies. Air Force pilots attacked yards and sidings on the northeast and northwest lines which come together in Hanoi. On the northeast line, the F-105 Thunderchiefs reported destroying 15-20 pieces of rolling stock, including tank cars filled with fuel, at the Kep railroad yard 38 miles from the North Vietnamese capital. Other targets were the major MIG base at Kep not far from the railroad yard, a barge construction plant 38 miles north of Hanoi, a fuel storage area 20 miles northwest of Donghoi and an ammunition depot 30 miles northwest of Haiphong.

“The Kep base where a late report said six MIG planes may have been hit on the ground, has been attacked several times over the past two months. The destruction of many planes on the ground has been reported here. Despite this, and the North Vietnamese losses in the air, replacement aircraft from the Soviet Union are keeping the NVN air force at about 100 aircraft. ‘That’s all they can man and service,’ the source said, ‘so there is no point in having more.’

“The loss of an Air Force F-4 Phantom in yesterday’s raids was announced. The plane crashed into the Gulf of Tonkin from the air base at Danang after it was hit by enemy ground fire. The two crewmen were rescued by helicopter. The plane was the 582nd aircraft lost over North Vietnam.”…    (bear#100NitetrucsVinh)

“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 13 June 1967.

(1) 1LT JAMES LEE CUMISKEY was flying an F-100D of the 308th TFS and 31st TFW out of Tuy Hoa on a close air support mission 20 miles south of Pleiku. 1LT CUMISKEY was delivering napalm at very low altitude when hit by automatic gunfire and perished, Killed in Action in the ensuing crash… So young, so brave… and gone fifty years ago serving his country in combat…

RIPPLE SALVO … #465… On 12 June 1967 the Secretary of Defense gathered up the results of months of brainstorming, boiled everything down to a few pages of discussion, identified his choice of options for the bombing campaign for the remainder of 1967, and delivered it to the President as a “Draft Memorandum (#194) From Secretary of Defense McNamara to President Johnson”… Hunble Host most strongly recommends a careful reading of this five pager. It represent a full discussion of the alternatives and choices considered by the Navy, Air Force, JCS, and others. The submitted choice of McNamara rejected continuing to do more of the same, rejected almost everything north of 20-degrees, and recommended “concentration of the bulk of our efforts on infiltration routes south of 20-degrees because this course would interdict supplies as effectively as the other alternatives, would cost the least in pilots’ lives, and would be consistent with effort to move toward negotiations.” Some of this was included in “The Pentagon Papers” but most remained TS for two decades… Read the document at:

https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d194

Lest we forget…     Bear