RIPPLE SALVO… #931… LIGHT COPY… AND A BIT OF THE NIXON-AGNEW TICKET NON-POSITION ON VIETNAM…
GOOD MORNING…Day NINE HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE of a review of the “bombardment of North Vietnam” of 1965 to 1 November 1968 one day at a time…
HEAD LINES from The New York Times on Sunday, 22 September 1968…
THE WAR: Page 14: “U.S. MARINES ARE MEETING LITTLE OPPOSITION IN PUSH OUT OF DMZ”… “Two battalions of American marines pushed southward from the Benhai River today, working their way out of the demilitarized zone. Their progress in the mountainous jungles was slow, as it has been since last Tuesday when they were airlifted into the center of the demilitarized zone. The marines have met little opposition. Late this afternoon, a marine spokesman here in Danang said that one North Vietnamese had been killed and that there had been no American casualties. However, one of three battalions just south of the DMZ, serving as a support unit, reported late today that it had found a large enemy supply cache…. In the five days of the sweep…the Americans have killed 69 North Vietnamese and two marines have died and 20 have been wounded….While observing the action Brig. Gen. William C. Chip, the commander of the Marine task force, crashed in his helicopter and was seriously injured. He suffered a broken spine…Despite the lack of ground contact, the Marine command considers the push into the zone to be a success.”… ENEMY ASSAULTS OUTPOST… “The South Vietnamese command said that 138 enemy soldiers were killed this morning during an attack on an outpost near a village 50 miles northwest of Saigon…. South Vietnamese losses were described as 5 killed and 54 wounded. The fighting was very near the Cambodian border.”… DRIVE HALTED, HUONG SAYS… “Premier Tran Van Huong said in a letter published here today that American forces had completely thwarted guerrilla plans for a long-prepared offensive against South Vietnam’s towns and cities…the large scale sweep operations against Communist rebels had achieved considerable success. ‘These fruitful steps have completely thwarted the enemy plan for a general offensive against the more populated towns in Central and South Vietnam which they have been preparing with great effort for a long time.’ General Abrams replied that he was confident that the South Vietnamese, American and other allied forces would continue to rout the guerrillas.”….
Page 1 Head Lines:… “HUMPHREY SHUNS PLEA HE DISAVOW JOHNSON ON WAR–VICE PRESIDENT OPTIMISTIC AS HE DECIDES TO FOLLOW OWN STYLE IN STRESSING PEACE–Visits Truman At Home–Seeks New Campaign Image Reminiscent Of 1948 As A Scrapping Celebrity”… “NIXON VISITS NEGRO SLUM AND WARNS WHITE SUBURBS”… “Agnew Says Republican Ticket Has No Plan For Ending The War”… “REVOLT OF STATES SEEN BY WALLACE–HE SAYS IF HE ISN’T ELECTED THEY WILL SEIZE THE SCHOOLS TO HALT DESEGREGATION”… “Soviet Lunar Craft Is Said To Re-Enter Earth Atmosphere”… “CERNIK DECLARES BLOC WILL BEGIN EXIT IN A FEW DAYS–Czech Premier Says Nation Will Be Told How Long Other Forces Will Stay–Move Linked To Parley–Soviet Is Believed Earth To Pacify Red Parties At First Talks Tomorrow”…
22 SEPTEMBER 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (23 Sept reporting 22 Sept ops) Page 1: “North of the demilitarized zone, American planes flew 72 missions against suspected targets.”… (Humble host: How’s that for great Service Public Affairs Officer tub-thumping and NYT reporting?)…
VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 22 September 1968…
(1) MAJOR CHARLES FREDERICK KUHLMANN was flying an A-1H of the 602nd SOS and 56th SOW out of Nakhon Phanom as an escort on a RESCAP mission in the Barrel Roll area of Laos when he was downed and killed. The mission was flown in central Laos 15 miles northeast of Ban and MAJOR KUHLMANN ‘s Skyraider was hit by small arms fire while in an orbit awaiting employment against enemy AAA opposition. He was able to fly his aircraft clear of the area before it crashed and exploded on impact. He did not get clear of the aircraft before impact in the jungle.
The crash site was put at about 40 miles southwest of the city of Sam Neua in central Laos, an area noted for an extensive cave system. MAJOR KUHLMANN was listed as Missing in Action. On 14 October 1968 the Department of the Air Force reports that unspecified ‘evidence of death’ was received which indicated that MAJOR KUHLMANN died at the time his aircraft crashed. His status was changed at that time to Killed in Action. In February 1995 remains thought to be his were later, after positive identification lab work, were declared to be those of Major KUHLMANN. He rests in peace in Arlington National Cemetery 50 years after his final flight.
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) FOR THE FOUR 22 SEPTEMBER DATES OF THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION OVER NORTH VIETNAM…
1965, 1967, 1968… NONE…
1966… LT CHARLES ALLEN KNOCHEL, USN… (KIA)…
RIPPLE SALVO… #931… FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL…A REPORT FROM THE 22 SEPTEMBER 1968 NYT Page 1…
“AGNEW SAYS REPUBLICAN TICKET HAS NO PLAN FOR ENDING THE WAR” by Homer Bigart from Honolulu, Sept.21– Spiro T. Agnew said today that the Nixon-Agnew Republican ticket had no plan ending the wart in Vietnam. Yesterday he told the San Francisco Press Club that specific details of Republican policy on Vietnam were being withheld by Mr. Nixon for a more dramatic moment of the campaign. But today he said that neither he nor Mr. Nixon had available the daily flow of intelligence on which a strategy for military disengagement in Southeast Asia could be worked out.
“Mr. Agnew was greeted by a crowd of about 300 persons at the airport here in Hawaii. He was asked by the local press if he had the Republican plan for Vietnam that he had indicated at the press club appearance. ‘I’m sorry that the indication came out in that fashion as I never meant to indicate there was a plan,’ Mr Agnew said. ‘I simply meant to indicate that as the campaign progresses, Nixon and I will be speaking out in increased detail on the issues, including the problem of Southeast Asia. ‘He went on to say that without access to classified information, which Humphrey can get very quickly, we are not inb a position to make the judgments we will be able to make after the election is over.’
BRIEFING WONDERFUL
“Mr. Agnew conceded that he and Mr. Nixon had received a ‘wonderful’ briefing at the LBJ Ranch right after the Republican National Convention in Miami. But the military situation changed from day to day, he pointed out. By now, he said, that briefing at the LBJ Ranch was ‘as obsolete as a 1918 automobile.’ The Vice Presidential candidate was greeted with the words, ‘Nixon Nokaoe,’ which residents said meant ‘Nixon can’t be beat.’ He will spend three days in Hawaii, which has four electoral votes. He plans to play some rounds of golf.
EARLIER REFERENCE TO PLAN
“Mr. Nixon said in an interview in New York last March that he would resist pressure from friends and critics alike to explain in detail how he would end the war in Vietnam Mr. Nixon said then that to explain in detail how he would carry out such a pledge would fatally weaken his bargaining position if he became President ‘ No one with this responsibility who is seeking office should give away any of his bargaining positions in advance,’ he said. ‘Under the circumstances should a man say what he would do next January. The military situation may change, and we may have to take an entirely different look,’ Nixon said then.
“In the same interview he mentioned for the first time his conviction, since reiterated, that the Soviet Union was ‘very possibly the key’ to securing settlement in Vietnam. He said a new President should explore fully the various means by which Russia could be ‘enlisted on the side of peace.’ Mr. Nixon said there was no alternative to continuing the Vietnam war in an interview published in the July issue of Good housekeeping magazine, before he became the Republican presidential nominee. ‘We have to stop it with victory, or it will start all over again in a few years,’ Mr. Nixon said then. ‘Those who want to call a halt now,’ he remarked, ‘are thinking only in immediate terms.’ He warned that stopping short of victory would mean that the nation would ‘have to fight all over again’ later.
THE WAR MUST BE ENDED
“At Miami Beach on August 1 in a statement to the Republican platform committee, Mr. Nixon moved toward a dovish position on the war by calling for a new strategy permitting a “phasing out’ of American troops and a negotiated settlement of the conflict. On that occasion Mr. Nixon said tersely and emphatically: ‘The war must be ended.’ He offered no specific prescription on how the war should be ended. He called for greater emphasis on strengthening of South Vietnamese forces to relieve American troops of battle responsibilities. Until then he had generally supported Administration policy on the war. Observers thought Mr. ixon was shifting to a position where he could exploit the peace issue in the campaign following his nomination.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS
“In his speech accepting the Republican nomination, Mr. Nixon said he would make the end of the war in Vietnam his first order of business. Without offering specific solutions, Mr. Nixon suggested that only a new Administration ‘not tied to the mistakes of the past’ could bring a successful conclusion to the hostilities. following President Johnson’s announcement last March 31 that he was withdrawing his candidacy for re-nomination to devote himself to seeking peace in Vietnam, Mr. Nixon vowed to maintain silence for a time on the Vietnam war question on the ground that he did not want to interfere with delicate peace negotiations with Hanoi.”… End report…
RTR quote for 22 Sept: MAO TSE-TUNG, Principles of Operation #8: “Concerning attacking cities, resolutely seize all enemy fortified points and cities that are weakly defended. At opportune moments, seize all enemy fortified points and cities defended with moderate strength, provided circumstances permit. As for all strongly defended enemy fortified points and cities, wait until conditions are ripe and then take them.”…
Lest we forget… Bear