RIPPLE SALVO… #694… Q. SENATOR MARGARET SMITH: “Mr. CLIFFORD: do you favor cessation of bombing of North Vietnam?… A. MR. CLIFFORD: I do not. I believe that each time the question of the bombing of North Vietnam has come up, I believe it has to be evaluated under the circumstances that exist at that time. In the past, when it has come up, and on the occasion I have been present at some of the discussions, I have suggested that we ascertain what we believe the result of such cessation would be. Up until now I have felt that it would be damaging to our cause. The time might come, Senator, and I would hope that it would, when it would be presented to us in such a manner that I could agree that it was appropriate for there to be a suspension in the bombing. That time certainly has not yet arrive as far as I am concerned.”…to be continued below… but first…
Good Morning: Day SIX HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR revisiting OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER, the air war with North Vietnam fought fifty years ago by warriors of brave heart and fighting spirit…
28 JANUARY 1968… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a mild, partly cloudy Sunday in Central Park with snow all about…
Page 1: PUEBLO…”SECURITY COUNCIL BEGINS PRIVATE TALKS ON PUEBLO; NORTH KOREA REBUFFS U.N.–U.S. AID ASSAILED–Pyongyang Rules Out Security Council Plea On Seizure Of Ship–Washington Retains Hole of Soviet Assistance On Vessels Return–Canada Has Plan–Urges Naming Envoy to Open Negotiations With Korea”... “North Korea today (27th) denounced the United States appeal to the United Nations Security Council over the North Korean seizure of the American intelligence ship USS Pueblo. It was announced that it would reject any resolution ‘concocted to cover up the United States imperialist aggression’ as ‘null and void.’ …’The United Nations should not repeat again the disgraceful history of having been utilized by the United States imperialists as a tool in the aggression war in Korea provoked by them,’ the North Korean statement said.’ “… “CANADA HAS A PLAN… The Security Council today accepted Canada’s proposal to hold private diplomatic consultations over the weekend aimed at resolving the issue of the seizure of the… Pueblo and easing tensions between North and South Korea.”… Page 1: “MORE U.S. PLANES GO TO KOREA–Navy Halts Reserve Discharges–Some Moves Also Reported–Ship Moves Also Reported”... “New United States air strength has continued to pour into the Korean area since the North Korean seizure of…Pueblo on Tuesday…”
Page 1: GROUND WAR: “15,000 U.S. TROOPS IN VIETNAM SHIFT TO HELP MARINES–Westmoreland Says Enemy Mounts ‘Sizable Invasion’ From The DMZ and Laos”... “The United States Army is shifting 15,000 paratroopers and other men to the northern-most area of South Vietnam to help the Marines there meet what General William Westmoreland described today as a ‘sizable invasion ‘ by the North Vietnamese. ‘The massive invasion up there is more than the Marines can handle,’ a spokesman said. ‘That’s pretty obvious. They need help.’ General Westmoreland said: ‘The North Vietnamese Army has mounted a sizable invasion from the demilitarized zone and from Laos. I am confident in the ability of the Republic of Vietnam’s air force, United States and free-world military forces to handle the situation.’… The 15,000 men, including three combat brigades, would be in the northern provinces to assist the area’s permanent force of 41,000 First and Third Division Marines… There are at least two enemy divisions (32,000 men) in the Khe Sanh area… Page 25: “U.S. Concedes Death Toll Data of Foe Is Inexact–But Pentagon Says Figures May Underestimate Losses”…
Page 1: “Riot Panel Urges Insurance Help on slum Policies–Unit Of President’s Advocacy Agency Asks U.S., State and Industry To Act”... “A Presidential panel today urged a five-point attack on slum insurance problems that, it said, were aggravated to a ‘intolerable degree’ by riots and fear of riots. The seven-man advisory group, whose recommendations will be presented to Congress, was headed by Governor Richard Hughes of New Jersey.”…. Page 2: “Apollo Moon Project Gains Momentum Year After Fire Fatal To Three”… Page 3; “Pilot Says Fire Forced Crew to Quit B-52 (with 4 H-bombs aboard) In Arctic”… Page 4: “Computer May Ease Overflow of Physics Data For Scientists”… Page 13: “Hopes Fading For Israeli Sub–Mediterranean Search Fails To Locate Sub and 69 in Crew”… Page 18: “Johnson Bids Newsmen Stress ‘Goals Of A Fee Society’ “… Page 18: “Anti-War Ads Go Up In Chicago Subway”… “...War is not peace; Tyranny is not Freedom; Hate is not Love…End the War in Vietnam.”… Page 43: “President’s Gain In Poll Continues–Gallup Data Show Johnson Up By 10-Points In Popularity”…
28 January 1968… (For History Majors Only) State Department, Office of Historian, Historical Documents: Foreign Relations,of U.S. 1964-68. Volume 29, Part 1, Korea: Six documents of interest concerning the Pueblo Incident are reference here. Together the series gives an excellent sense of how the business of the Secretary of State is conducted. Humble Host includes these since the friction between the U.S. and North Korea is of as much interest today as it was 50 years ago. These unclassified, formerly Top Secret, exchanges provide insight to the TS (Eyes only) exchanges ongoing with North Korea… Readers need only link to the 233 document, then use the forward carrot on that page (right margin) to access the next document in the series of six 28 Jan 68 documents. Read/peruse at:
Document 233. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v29p1/d233
28 January 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… The New York Times… Page 22: “U.S. Plane Downed in North”... “United States Air Force spokesmen said today that a Navy A-4 Skyhawk was shot down by North Vietnamese ground fire Thursday (25th) It was the 793rd combat plane lost in the North.” The pilot was rescued. (The pilot was Commander Tom Woolcock, VA-153)… “Hanoi Says Pilots Will Be Freed”… “…three captured American pilots would be released. The agency said the pilots ‘had shown a repentant attitude during the period of detention and were being set free in connection with the Lunar New Year.” … “U.S. Makes No Comment”… “The State Department had no independent confirmation today (27th) of a North Vietnamese offer to release three captured American pilots… defer comment until the airmen had been handed over.”…
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 28 January 1968…
(1) CAPTAIN CHARLES W. BROWN of the 606th ACS and 56th ACW out of Nakhom Phanom was night flying a T-28 Trojan to relieve an O-2 FAC directing air strike ops on a group of trucks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail when he lost oil pressure to his one-and-only engine, which failed minutes later. CAPTAIN BROWN successfully bailed out–went over the side– and came down in very hostile country. He evaded detection over night and was rescued from the perimeter of an NVA troop encampment the next day following RESCAP suppression fire and the laying of a smoke screen… Leave no man behind… oohrah… who were those helo guys?…
From the compilation “34TFS/F-105” by Howie Plunkett: 28-Jan-68… THE THANH HOA BRIDGE TAKES MORE HITS… “Major Kenneth W. Mays and Major David C. Dickson, Jr. from the 34th TFS, 388th TFW, were two of the pilots from Korat on today’s strike against the Than Hoa Bridge (JCS 14). It was Major Dickson’s 74th mission into North Vietnam.
MAJOR MAYS described the attack (Unpublished memoir, “Tour at Korat–July 67 to Feb 68). “On January 28th I flew my last big mission up North. The target was the Thanh Hoa Bridge. The weather had been lousy, so the target was scheduled for the AM and then for the PM depending on the weather. If it went in the AM the 469th would lead the mission and in the PM the 34th would lead the mission. The mission was weather cancelled in the morning so the 34th led the mission in the afternoon. I was selected for Mission Commander and planned the mission together with a very dear friend of mine and classmate from Texas A&M, Steve Long of the 469th...Steve was to be the Mission Commander if the mission went in the morning.
“Again, 7th Air Force had the mission planned for us and had us headed straight from the refueling track to the target. During the mission planning, we came up with what we thought was better mission execution. Permission was received from our squadron commanders and the DO to ignore the 7th AF suggested route. We planned the mission like we were headed for a target near Hanoi. When we hit the river that runs under the Thanh Hoa Bridge we turned down the river and headed for the bridge… The mission was executed as planned. Good bombs were put on the target; however, the most significant target was a secondary target. As I rolled in, I saw train cars marshalled in a rail yard waiting to cross on a ferry. I called them out to the flights behind us and good bombs were put on them. Takhli also hit the rail cars. With the diversion down the river we had no MiG threat and very little flak… In fact, on our way into the target, MiGs launched and headed northwest thinking we were headed for Hanoi.
“Steve still gives me a hard time about stealing his mission. There are some things one has to laugh about. On this mission, Jim Daniel (…the 34TFS Operations Officer) was the Deputy Mission Commander. When I called to go ‘hot,’ Jim accidentally hit his jettison button and dropped his stores before we got to the target. He did not want to miss the fun and continued on to the target.”…
RIPPLE SALVO… #694… THE CONFIRMATION OF CLARK M. CLIFFORD AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE…
“In confirmation hearings the Senate Armed Services Committee during January 1968, Secretary of Defense-designate Clark M. Clifford answered questions on the Vietnam war. In testimony on January 25, Clifford opposed a halt to the bombing under the current circumstances, citing the need for reciprocal actions on the part of the North Vietnamese. In response to a question on whether the North Vietnamese had to end all military activity as a condition of a cessation of bombing, Clifford responded that under the San Antonio Formula, postulated by the President the previous September, the only conditions were that the North Vietnamese engage in negotiations promptly following a halt and not take advantage of it militarily. ‘Their military activity will continue in South Vietnam, I assume, until there is a cease-fire agreed upon. I assume that they will continue to transport the normal amount of goods, munitions, and men to South Vietnam. I assume that we will continue to maintain our forces and support our forces during that period. So what I am suggesting is, in the language of the President, that he would insist that they not take advantage of the suspension of the bombing.’
Clifford’s testimony was reported in The New York Times, January 26, 1968. The Senate unanimously confirmed Clifford’s nomination on January 30,1968.”… https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d27
NYT, Opinion Editorial, 27 Jan 68: WHAT SAN ANTONIO FORMULA? “Clark M. Clifford, President Johnson’s longtime advisor and his nominee for Secretary of Defense has publicly indicated that the President’s San Antonio formula for stopping the bombing in North Vietnam does not require North Vietnam to halt its ‘normal’ supply of men and material into South Vietnam. All the Administration demands, he suggests, is that North Vietnam refrain from taking advantage of a bombing suspension by increasing the flow of men and supplies into the South. This is a very important concession, and if it now represents the official Administration position, as it is fair to assume from Mr. Clifford’s status, it shows a significant and positive shift in American policy.
“But on the same day Mr. Clifford was speaking before a Senate committee, Secretary of State Rusk was asking in Brooklyn; ‘Do they really expect us to stop half the war while the other half of the war goes on?’ The rhetorical question, often put by the Secretary, certainly suggests a much tougher interpretation of the San Antonio Formula than Mr. Clifford’s. It suggests that the United States cannot be expected to stop bombing unless the other side makes or at lest promises some form of reciprocal de-escalation.
“Meanwhile in Saigon, south Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu said the bombing of North Vietnam could be stopped only if the North Vietnamese halted ‘all its aggressive action.’
“We urge the Administration to get-together with itself and its allies to formulate a clear and consistent policy on this crucial issue that could virtually affect the question of peace or war.”
NYT, Opinion Editorial, 20 Jan 68, page 28: MR. McNAMARA’s SUCCESSOR… “In naming Clark Clifford to succeed Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense, President Johnson has replaced a brilliant doubter with a competent confidant. The choice of Mr. Clifford seems particularly uninspiring in the shadow of the predecessor, who was able thoroughly to overhaul the defense establishment and eventually bring it under stong civilian control. Mr. Clifford probably won’t even try to emulate Mr. McNamara, though much of what the latter will–and should–endure. Nor is Mr. Clifford likely to exercise an independently critical role in his new post at the Pentagon.
“Mr Clifford does bring to the job his experience, of two decades in and out of government as an assistant and consultant to Presidents, and a political astuteness that may serve to smooth over some of the sharp edges that develop in relationships between the Defense Secretary and the military and between the Secretary and Congress.
“The new Secretary is no stranger to the defense establishment, having drafted the act unifying the services and setting up the office of the Secretary of Defense for President Truman in 1947. As chief of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and as a close friend–sometimes termed ‘crony’–and frequent diplomatic troubleshooter for President Johnson, he is presumably privy to the nation’s current defense problems.
“Above all, Clark Clifford has long enjoyed the President’s confidence ad is said to share his views on defense matters, particularly Vietnam. Rapport between Pentagon and White House is likely to be greater than ever. This is no comfort for the many who had hoped to see a shift in Vietnam strategy toward de-escalation and negotiation.”
Humble Host calls on historian Edward Drea for a look ahead and a conclusion on how Clark Clifford did in his year -1968- as the Secretary of Defense… Here’s the quick answer... “While both McNamara and Clifford ultimately concluded that the Vietnam war was not worth the price in American lives and treasure, Clifford aimed to reduce the U.S. role and even withdrew American troops. For all his cogent memoranda against further expansion, McNamara never reached that point. To the end of his tenure, the argument with the Joint Chiefs was always over how many more troops to deploy. Clifford broke that pattern, first by persistently and outspokenly counseling Johnson to end the bombing of much of North Vietnam and then by encouraging a sometimes faltering president to cap the number of U.S. troops in South Vietnam. Clifford insisted that Vietnam could not continue as before and continually clashed with Johnson, Abrams,Rusk, and Westmoreland by challenging that more-of-the-same approach. Finally, McNamara seemed oblivious to the political implications of his advice, while Clifford considered every piece of counsel in terms of the domestic political influence on national security policy. Clifford, however, became so enmeshed in getting the United States out of the war that he ignored the consequences for South Vietnam….“(Drea: “McNamara, Clifford and the Burdens of Vietnam, 1965-1969,’ pages 536-37)….
RTR Quote for 28 January: WINSTON CHURCHILL: “A nation that forgets its past has no future.”….
Lest we forget… Bear