RIPPLE SALVO… #713… POOR LBJ. POOR UNCLE SAM. Surprised by the Tet Offensive, the seizure of the USS Pueblo by the North Korean pipsqueak, questioned by Senator Fulbright about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, Rolling Thunder weathered out and ineffective, Khesanh under siege and survival now nip and tuck, Gallup Poll scores the President’s popularity in a tailspin, and now, Captain Bucher and his 82 sailors have signed a full confession and broadcast it to the world. Humiliation: “Mortification by supercilious treatment.”… but first…
Good Morning: Day SEVEN HUNDRED THIRTEEN of a remembrance of the air war over North Vietnam as a part of interesting times fifty years ago…
16 FEBRUARY 1968… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a cloudy, cold Friday in New York…
TET OFFENSIVE/KHESANH: Page 3: “U.S. DEAD IN WEEK 400”... “The United States command said today that 400 American servicemen were killed and 1,494 wounded in combat last week. That was a decline in each case from the record total of the previous week–416 dead and 2,757 wounded--but still greater than in any earlier seven-day period in the war. No casualty figures were available for the last week for either the South Vietnamese armed forces or the enemy.”... Page 1: U.S. MARINES GAIN 200 YARDS IN DAY AT HUE’S CITADEL–Advance is Slow In Spite of a 2-Day Bombardment and Close Air Support–An Enemy Unit Routed–Allied Aircraft attack Foe Near Saigon and at Besieged Khesanh Base”... “An American Marine battalion renewed its drive against entrenched enemy forces in this city’s walled 19th-century Citadel today and advanced 200 yards. The enemy-held area had taken a heavy pounding by aircraft, artillery and naval guns for two days…. The Americans had suffered 11 killed and 45 wounded in an assault by the enemy two days ago… A total of 800 North Vietnamese and Vietcong are said to still hold heavily entrenched positions along the southern wall of the Citadel… Southern Hue is under Marine control…a sweep of the area revealed 127 enemy bodies.”….”The South Vietnamese report killing 1,300 of the enemy while losing about 200 dead…”
Page 1 : “At Khesanh, in the northwestern tip of South Vietnam, fighter-bombers continued to hammer at a force put at two North Vietnamese division which the command said, are slowing moving into position for an attack on the Marine base.”…. “Ambush Toll Is 12 Dead”...”An American Marine company lost 12 killed and 107 wounded Wednesday when it was ambushed south of Camp Carroll near the demilitarized zone.”… “Tunnel Hunt at Khesanh”... “A Navy corpsman goes out every night with a stethoscope and puts it to the ground at this base’s airstrip…”… Page 4: “42 Killed Near Saigon In B-52 Bombing Error”… Page 18: “A WEARY PRESIDENT–HE APPEARS TENSE AND AWARE OF U.S. FRUSTRATIONS”… Page 3: “Pentagon Steps Up Fight On Drug Abuse In Vietnam–Sharp Rise Noted In Inquiries Into Marijuana Cases For GI’s In Last Two Years”…
Page 1: “Goldberg Briefed By Thant On His Efforts for Peace”… Page 1: “FULBRIGHT QUERY ON POSSIBLE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN VIETNAM ATTACKED BY RUSK…But Senator Rejects Charge That Atomic Arms Debate is a Disservice to Nation”… Page 1: “U.S. Arms Stance Keyed to Soviets–Nuclear Weapons Advances Match Those of Russians–Pentagon Aide Charges”… Page 4: “Seoul Acquiesces On Pueblo Talks–Defers To U.S. On Meetings With North Korea”… NYT, 16 Feb reporting 15 Feb report: Page 3: “WHOLE CREW SORRY, NORTH KOREA SAYS”... “The North Korean radio said today (15th) that the entire crew of the captured United States intelligence ship Pueblo had submitted a joint statement saying they ‘deserve any punishment’ but asking the North Korean government for leniency.”…
16 FEBRUARY 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…New York Times (17 Feb reporting 16 Feb ops) Page 1: “In the air war, fighter-bombers attacked and damaged Kienan Airfield six miles west of Haiphong and bombed and strafed major highways throughout North Vietnam. An Air Force F-4 jet was lost over North Vietnam near the demilitarized zone and its crew was listed as missing (see RTR for 15 Feb)…A second Air Force plane–an F-100 Super Sabre–was downed in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam. Its crew bailed out and was rescued. (Hobson has this loss on 17 Feb)… Both planes were downed by ground fire, bringing American airplane losses during the war to 1,028–800 of them over North Vietnam.”… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 16 February 1968... NYT, 17 Feb Dateline 16 Feb, Page 3: “U.S. ends Search for Pilot Downed by Chinese Jets”… “The Pentagon said ;today that the search for a pilot (Dunn) downed by Chinese Communist MiGs off Hainan Island had been abandoned after more than two days. United States Navy carriers, destroyers and planes took part in the search… the Navy A-1 Skyraider piloted by LTJG Joseph Dunn went down last Wednesday.”…
On or about 16-Feb-68 “… a special presentation ceremony… at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, 55 Thunderchief pilots were awarded special certificates by Republic Aviation for completing 100 missions over North Vietnam.’ the ceremony included the award of the Air Force Cross to Lieutenant Colonel HARRY SCHURR for his lead of the first major strike on the Long Bien (Paul Doumer Bridge in August 1967… See rollingthunderremembereded.com for 11 August 1967… oohrah…
RIPPLE SALVO… #713… Humble Host goes on a pertinent tangent to Rolling Thunder with an excursion to the Pueblo incident and events in North Korea on 15-16 February 1968, 50 years ago. The roots of the humiliating issues the United States faces with North Korean leadership today date to the beating we took from North Korea on the world stage in 1968… A couple of days in February 1968 provide some beef for my assertion. I snipped the following from Ed Brandt’s “The Last Voyage of the Pueblo”…Pages 118-120… I quote…
The press conference was the first in a succession of moves designed by the Koreans to humiliate the Pueblo’s men and rob them of self-respect. The men were not in a mental or physical condition to resist. The Korean strategy, more importantly, was designed to humiliate the United States before the world, and the United States was equally incapable of doing anything about it. so in quick succession of events the men reached a nadir, and the people of the United States could only wonder what torture had forced them into cooperating. They would have been surprised to learn that a few simple things like fear, uncertainty, loneliness, and bewilderment mixed with moderate physical punishment applied by a people crafty in the way of pressuring captives, had worked wonders. No one hung by his thumbs, or was castrated or branded, or had his fingernails pulled out by the roots. There wasn’t even any brainwashing as the word was understood by Americans.
On February 15 Tim Harris (of the crew) was taken to interrogation the room. The other Pueblo officers were already there. Bucher was standing next to Super C (an interrogator), who announced that a petition of apology to the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea had been prepared. Bucher said he wanted everyone to sign the petition, which would ask forgiveness of the Korean people for the criminal acts of the Pueblo. The petition, written in English in longhand on plain whitepaper, was lying on a table.
Bucher began to read it while the Koreans tape-recorded the message and took films of him. It was dreary, damning reading:
“We the whole crew of the USS Pueblo frankly admit and truly repent…We deserve any punishment by the Korean people regardless if the severity for the crimes we have committed. … The Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has treated us in such a humanitarian way that there is little difference between our present life and our life before our detention except for our guilty conscience as criminals…. Our…grave criminal acts…our sincere deep apologies…beg your generosity…premeditated and prearranged acts of espionage…have mercy upon us…the real facts of our crimes…we firmly pledge…please take mercy on us and our kin…give us a chance…we will never join in such criminal acts again…. We openly admit to the world we intruded….To commit these acts is a serious crime against the Korean people.
“These acts are a sin against God….We may expect such a severe punishment as may deprive us of even the possibility of revival…We write this…for the sake of our families…for our children…for the sake of ourselves…that you will show us great mercy…. Our minds are united in our desire to open our hearts to the Korean people…make an earnest appeal…we beg…Eighty-two men of the Pueblo are on their knees…. We submit this letter of apology to the Government of the Democratic People’s republic of Korea, again entreating that it recognize the truth and honesty of our statements and forgive us generously and leniently.”
The officers signed the document. Then the enlisted men began to come in in groups of fifteen to twenty. Bucher told them what they were supposed to do. end quote…
The Pueblo remains in North Korea as a memorial and national monument. The humiliation of 1968 continues. With the addition of nuclear capabilities in 2018 the North Korean disrespect for the United States has become contempt. Contempt is contagious.
RTR Quote for 16 February: SAMUEL JOHNSON, Works, Vol. III : “Contempt is a kind of gangrene, which, if it seizes one part of a character, it corrupts all the rest.”
Lest we forget… Bear