RIPPLE SALVO… #899… THE USUAL BUNCH GATHERED FOR LUNCH AT THE WHITE HOUSE ON TUESDAY, 20 AUGUST 1968… The agenda no longer included selecting Rolling Thunder targets in North Vietnam, although the bombing campaign in the North was always on the Tuesday Luncheon agenda. The driving issue on this day 50 years ago was readiness. Readiness in South Vietnam to meet and counter the anticipated “third wave” attack by the North Vietnamese and Vietcong on Saigon and the other major population cities of the South, as had occurred in the Tet Offensive and a subsequent and lesser offensive. (General Westmoreland: “Attacks are associated with a major offensive in Northern I Corps and near III Corps near Saigon. That is a prelude to a general offensive. I expect it about the 24th or 25th at the beginning of the (Democrats) convention.”… CIA Director Helms: “The enemy is in position to have 3rd wave. It will probably come out like measles in the next ten days to two weeks.”) And ready in Chicago, too. Readiness was at peak for the demonstrations and riots expected to erupt in the shadow of the Democrat’s Presidential Nomination Convention of 26 to 29 August. By 23 August the forces in Chicago primed to keep the peace included: 12,000 Chicago Police; 6,000 armed National Guardsmen; 6,000 U.S. Army troops; and 1,000 intelligence agents from the FBI, CIA, Army and Navy. (President: “We need to check the problems of troops in Chicago if riots develop at the time of the convention.”… SecDef Clifford: “We have had a group working on this for some weeks. All hell could break loose.”) Ready on the right, ready on the left– the last ten days of August 1968 made the history books. One exception–Rolling Thunder… all quiet in the air campaign. (Read State Department. Historical Document 333 dated 20 August 1968 at:
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d333
GOOD MORNING… Day EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY-NINE of a return to the years of Rolling Thunder to remember the events of history and the makers of that history in the skies of North Vietnam…
HEAD LINES from The New York Times on Tuesday, 20 August 1968…
THE WAR: Page 1: “JOHNSON BARS IN HIS TERM, ANY MORE ESCALATION UNLESS THE ENEMY JOINS IN–REAFFIRMS POLICY–FOOLHARDY GESTURES RULED OUT AS PERIL TO U.S.FORCES”… “President Johnson tonight ruled out any change in his policy on the Vietnam war, before the Democratic National Convention or after it. Addressing the convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Mr. Johnson reminded his audience that he would be President until Jn. 20 and explicitly rejected several ideas proposed for the Democratic platform by Senator Eugene McCarthy. These include a halt in the bombing of North Vietnam and an end of search-and-destroy missions by American forces in the South (See RTR for 19-Aug-68 for entire Johnson speech)… Pge 1: “DIVISION IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY–Platform Group Gets Compromise From Humphrey Camp”… “Backers of Vice President Humphrey presented to the Democratic platform committee today the outlines of a compromise Vietnam plank that would accept, but not demand, a cessation of the bombing of North Vietnam and formation of a coalition Government in South Vietnam.”… Page 1: ” 61% IN POLL OPPOSE HALT IN THE BOMBING”… Page 1: “ALLIED SOLDIERS PURSUE VIETCONG SOUTH OF TAYNINH–Repulse Enemy Assault On City–Level Of Fighting In Country Declines”… “United States and South Vietnamese troops pursued enemy soldiers though rice paddies and manloc fields south of Tayninh today after crushing an attack on the provincial capital in a night of savage fighting….The tempo of fighting has decreased in the Tayninh area as well as the 18 other areas around the country where the Vietcong and Vietnamese staged assaults yesterday….reports indicate that 15 to 20 American soldiers were killed last night and 43 wounded… Heavy fighting was reported near Pleiku…”
PEACE TALKS: Page 1: “HANOI AIDE, BY SILENCE, VIEWED AS FAVORING McCARTHY POSITION”… “A North Vietnamese spokesman, by his silence, gave today what Western diplomats regarded as more favorable treatment to the latest Vietnam proposals of Senator Eugene McCarthy than the positions of other leading Presidential contenders…. Ambassador Harriman in his interview made public by the American Embassy, said he was satisfied despite the prolonged deadlock that Vietnam talks here ‘will go on–neither side wants to break them off…there will be a way found to establish the fact that the North will not take advantage of the military deceleration of the war.'”…
Page 1: “EISENHOWER RESTS AS HEART SPASMS ARE LESS SEVERE–Transplant Possibility Ruled Out As Team of Doctors Since Condition Remains Critical”… Page 1: “MOSCOW STEPS UP PRAGUE ATTACK–Leaders Accused Of Failure To Stop Campaign Against Pro-Soviet Workers”… Page 10: “SIX BISHOPS RECEIVED BY CZECHOSLOVAKIA PRESIDENT SVOBODA–Conference On Church-State Relations First Since 1948–Prague Bouyed By Yugoslav And Rumanian Visit:…POLITICS: Page 26: “McCARTHY BACKERS PUSH COATTAIL THEORY–In Move To Attract Delegates–Aides Say ticket Would Aid Party –Assert Senator Could Carry More Democrats Into Office”… Page 26: “McGOVERN URGES BIG TROOP PULLOUT–Calls For Withdrawal Of 250,000 Troops”…
20 AUGUST 1968…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (21 Aug reporting 20 Aug ops) Page 1: “Enemy machine gun fire downed an F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber over the eastern end of the demilitarized zone at the border with the North Vietnam. Two wounded aircrew ejected and were rescued. It was the 879th fixed wing aircraft lost over North Vietnam in the air war. Helicopter losses stand at 804.”….. VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There were two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 20 August 1968…
(1) Two A-4Cs of the VA-36 Roadrunners embarked in USS Intrepid suffered a midair collision on a strike mission. One aircraft sustained minor damage and was able to return to and land aboard the carrier. The second A-4 was heavily damaged and the pilot was required to eject. He was rescued to fly and fight again….
(2) LT W.A. NEAL and LTJG D.C. BRANDENSTEIN were flying an A-6B of the VA-196 Main Battery embarked in USS Constellation and suffered a stuck slat on the catapult shot causing the aircraft to stall off the cat and go into the water ahead of the ship. Both aircrew ejected and were rescued to fly and fight again.
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) FOR THE FOUR AUGUST 20 DAYS IN THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION…
1965, 1966, 1967 and 1968… NONE… oohraah…
RTR quote for 20 August: GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER: “For every obstacle there is a solution. Persistence is the key. The greatest mistake is giving up.”…
Lest we forget… Bear