RIPPLE SALVO… #290… and CHANGING ROLE and IMAGE…but first…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED NINETY of remembering the days, events and warriors who carried the war to North Vietnam fifty years ago…
17 DECEMBER 1966…HEAD LINES ON THE HOME FRONT from the NYT on a sunshiny Saturday…
Page 1: “U.N. Council Votes Mandatory Curbs On Rhodesia 11-0″… Compulsory sanctions are the first for U.N., oil embargo included. Major exports are barred. African’s voice bitterness over failure to condemn South Africans and Portuguese. Bans the purchase of 12 key Rhodesian exports and the supply of oil and oil products to Rhodesia. Issue is majority rule. Rhodesia is stalling.” … Page 1: “NATO Vows Moves to Increase Ties With Soviet Bloc”… Ends Paris talks by asking for more contacts between the two Germanys. NATO calling for more and freer friendly reciprocal exchanges between East-West countries of different economic and scultural systems.”… Page 1: “President Searching For New Leaders of DNC”…”John M. Bailey seeks relief. New Jersey’s Robert J. Burkhardt a top prospect.” …
Page 2: “U.S. Pressure on North Vietnqam Held Rising, Slowly and Quietly”… “Without public announcement the military pressure upon North Vietnam is being slowly increased. This is the opinion of informed military officers in Washington. They noted that some of the restrictions on target selection and on other aspects of air and sea operations against North Vietnam have been gradually lifted. The air and sea war against the North is still closely controlled from Washington, though not so closely as it was a year ago….North Vietnamese anti-aircraft defenses now consist of 5,000 anti-aircraft cannon of various calibers above 12.7mm and about 12 battalions or about 72 launchers of Soviet SA-2 surface-to-air missiles. The anti-aircraft guns are radar controlled. There are at least 100 prepared missile sites and SAM mobile units normally move from one site to another every 48 hours, or more frequently if the Communists expect a United States attack.” … Page 2: “China Charges U.S. Bombed its Embassy in Hanoi” …”Charge that four United States planes dive bombed its Embassy in Hanoi Wednesday and destroyed the nearby office of Hsinhua, the Chinese news agency, that called the attacks ‘deliberate war blackmail’ and ‘U.S. imperialism cannot intimidate or fool the heroic Vietnamese people or the great Chinese people.’ …the four planes repeatedly dive-bombed the Chinese embassy, whic was seriously damaged.”…
17 December 1966… The President’s Daily Brief…CIA (TS sanitized) As of this date in 2016 the entire brief is still classified and stamped “Page Denied.”
17 DECEMBER 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (18 December reporting 16-17 Dec ops) Page 2: “Low cloud cover and storms restricted the air war over the North Friday. No raids were reported in the Hanoi area. Air Force and Navy fighter-bombers flew 61 missions against lines of communication, supply depots and anti-aircraft installations in the northwest and the south of North Vietnam. The Air Force dropped 3.9 million leaflets over the heavily populated Red River Valley.” … “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 17 December 1966…
(1) An F-105F (two-seater) of the 354th TFS and 355th TFW at Ubon was launched on a strike but while still over Thailand the engine failed and the crew ejected and were rescued…
RIPPLE SALVO… #290… NEW YORK TIMES Editorial of 18 December 1966: “The Presidency– Johnson’s Winter of Discontent”… I quote…
Lyndon Johnson is suddenly taking so many lumps that his critics are running the risk of arousing public sympathy for him as an underdog. It is admittedly an unlikely role for a man whose pursuit of power has been overshadowed by his displays of power. But a number of persons around Washington are saying–only partly in jest– that they are beginning to feel sorry for the President.
Lumps came from several sources last week. As the President wrestled with his new budget due in Congress next month he had serious trouble finding money for both guns and butter. He was severly criticized during Senate hearings for failing to give more attention to problems of the cities. Democratic Governors, meeting in caucus, linked the party’s losses in the November 8 elections to a growing national hostility toward the Johnson Administration. And Bill Moyers, the President’s intimate friend, advisor and press secretary quit the White House staff.
A great many things have converged to bring on the mid-term doldrums. First and foremost, of course, is the Vietnam War–an unpopular, costly and indefinite involvement from which there appears to be no exit or relief.
Besides posing many direct problems the war has greatly eroded public confidence and tolerance for Mr. Johnson. It has grossly distorted the public economy, crippled the Great Society programs, upset all long-term economic planning and thus has compounded the Administration’s political problems. It has also cast a large shadow over most other foreign policy problems, depriving Mr. Johnson of the chance to seek popularity, or at least tribute, in many parts of the world.
IMAGE HAS CHANGED…
Above all the war has altered Mr. Johnson’s role and his image from that of master manipulator and master of circumstances to that of a President buffeted by events and unable to find his way back to the command post.
All this has magnified Mr. Johnson’s traditional personality problems and his reputation as an imperial taskmaster who will not toerate dissent, who burns out talented subordinates, and hoodwinks the public dealing more with the politics and appearances of problems than the problems themselves. The resignation of Mr. Moyers, an aide with a reputation for idealism, honesty and liberalism, was thus interpreted as a loss exceeding even the considerable loss of talent involved … the men who remain are still expected to be on tap at all hours, but most of them have more clearly defined professional funtions. Most of these men, including a number of young and energetic fellows, are being given special assignments.
Outside the White House and the Government of course, are the special counselors such as Abe Fortas and Clark Clifford–who are often called upon by the President. They not only give advice but also help unscramble particularly thorny issues–anything from a debate about a bombing pause in Vietnam to the problems of drafting legislation to curb strikes that effect the national security… end quote…
Humble Host comment: I have included this editorial in my review of Rolling Thunder as an indication of the state of mind of the President as 1966 came to a close. At a time when bold action was required– the President chose to remain on a course –gradualism– that was going nowhere. On the same day the President read that his “image had changed” in the NYT, George Wilson wrote a column for the Washington Post that summed the dollar cost of the war under a head line that read: “U.S. Spends $332,000 in War for Each Vietnam Enemy Killed.” And the cost in blood? Six thousand Americans of brave heart Killed in Action (1961-66) in the mud and jungles of Vietnam… 52,000 young American warriors to go…
I suggest our President-elect and his choice for SecDef use the Johnson situation in December 1966 — a great nation bogged down in a quagmire in Southeast Asia– as a case study as they ponder and choose a future course and strategy for the United States starting in January 2017 for resolving our national interests in the quagmire of the Mid-East. There is a importnat lesson to be learned from LBJ’s “Winter of Discontent” by our 2017 National Security team…
Lest we forget… Bear -30-