RIPPLE SALVO… #607… General Maxwell Taylor provides the President a choice of “reset buttons” ( Stick-it-out; All-out; Pull-Back; and Pull-out) for pressing on…but first…
Good Morning: Day SIX HUNDRED SEVEN of a running commentary of the air war fought fifty years ago in Southeast Asia called Rolling Thunder…
3 NOVEMBER 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a very nice Friday in New York City…
Page 1: “U.S. Vietcong Could take Part In a Peace Parley–Goldberg Tells Senate Unit Washington Would Accept For Geneva On U.N.–Easing Of Stand Seen–More G.I.s Sent to Lochninh–463 Of Enemy Reported Killed in New Clashes”… Page 1: “Eugene McCarthy Presses Fight On Johnson–May Enter Primaries In Bid to Repudiate War Policy”...”…has committed myself to difficult role of trying to persuade the Democratic Party to repudiate President Johnson’s Vietnam policy before next years election.”… Page 1: “President’s Envoy And Nasser Meet–Anderson Said to Discuss Prospects For Egyptians Talk With Israelis”… Page 1: “Study Finds Gain In Negro Income–Worsening of Slums Seen–Johnson Asserts the Statistics Answer the Extremists”… “Negroes are moving into middle class income bracket. at the same time, Negro life in the hard-core city slums drawing new residents from the South–seems to be getting no better and often worse.”… Page 1: “Yale Faculty Votes to Abolish Its Numerical Grading System”... “…five-year experiment using four designations for their students: Fail, Pass, High Pass, and Honors. Most other colleges in the U.S. grade students A, B, C, D, or F with pluses and minuses to indicate shades of difference.”… Page 3: “Captured Papers Indicate Drop in Enemy Morale–But despite Lack of Supplies, Foe remains Unyielding On It’ Goal of Victory“… Page 6: “Israel Marks 50th year of Balfour Declaration”… “…pledged Britain’s help in establishing in Palestine a national home for the Jewish people…controversial statement includes…’it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.’ “…
3 NOVEMBER 1967… The President’s Daily Brief…
NORTH VIETNAM: Paul Doumer Bridge: (redacted) details of the latest attacks on the Doumer bridge. The 25-26 October air strikes dropped two spans of the bridge In addition, the central piling on the island in the middle of the river had been cracked… (redacted) a trip across the river on one of the ferries substituting for the bridge. Each ferry boat reportedly can carry 20 cars about 45 minutes, traveling upstream part way and then returning with the current. People wanting to cross the river must wait about three hours…
Effects of the Bombing: (redacted) bombing attacks against Hanoi and the coastal cities of Haiphong Thai Binh, and Hon Gai were devastating and that hardly a building in one of these cities remained untouched (redacted) the bombings have had a “telling effect” on production of coal at Hon Gai and that coal exports to Japan in 1967 will definitely be affected (redacted) although the bombing has adversely affected the lives of the North Vietnamese, they do not seem to be disheartened. They appear resigned to a prolonged war and “fully confident” of ultimate victory. (redacted) although not plentiful, food, plain clothing, other daily necessities, and even luxury items such as liquor and tobacco could be purchased from peddlers…
French Newsmen Arrive in Hanoi. A three-man team from the French television system arrived in Hanoi on 31 October, according to a French news service report from the North Vietnamese capital. The report stated that the team will remain in North Vietnam for about a month…
NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL ATTITUDES ON THE WAR:... A Hanoi domestic service broadcast on 1 November in Vietnamese summed up recent antiwar [protests in the US. the broadcast reported that Secretary of State rusk was jeered and booed at Indiana University on 24 October and that almost every sentence of his speech on Vietnam was interrupted by shouts of “murderer, stop bombing North Vietnam.” Hanoi also reported that the chairman of the 34 Democratic youth organizations sent a joint letter to the Democratic Party condemning President Johnson’s Vietnam policy. The broadcast cited an article by George Gallup in a recent issue of the Washington Post, which alleged that 25% of the people think the government canceled the truth about Vietnam….Hanoi reports remarks of American Visitor: Hanoi has again exploited the visit of an American who is opposed to the war by broadcasting his impressions of North Vietnam. On 1 November, in a broadcast in English to Southeast Asia, Hanoi reported the remarks of Robert Allen, a staff reporter for the National Guardian, who was recently in North Vietnam. Allen’s statement, which was read by a North Vietnamese announcer, indicates that he was greatly impressed by the North Vietnamese people, who have “strength, courage, and determination to win” despite the US bombing..
3 NOVEMBER 1967…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… The New York Times (4 Nov reporting 3 Nov ops) Page 4: “As bad weather eased over North Vietnam United States Navy jets returned after a 3-day respite to strike at railway sidings at Haiphong.”… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were three fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 3 November 1967…
(1) MAJOR JOHN CULBERT EGGER was flying an O-2A of the 20th TASS and 504th TASG out of Danang and controlling an air strike on an antiaircraft gun position about 5 miles north of the DMZ near Vinh Linh. He was hit by ground fire over the target area and his 0-2 was observed to come out of a climbing turn on fire and crash without MAJOR EGGER exiting the aircraft. MAJOR EGGER’s remains were recovered in February 1994 and identified in September 1994. Bold and brave fifty years ago and remembered this day for his sacrifice and service with admiration…
(2) LCDR PETER HERMAN KRUSI, LTJG HANS HUBER GRAUERT and LT RICHARD W. SANDIFER were launched from USS Constellation in a KA-3B of the VAH-8 Fireballers with a partial catapult shot as the bridle separated from the aircraft, which settled into the sea ahead of the carrier. Only the body of LT SANDIFER was recovered, LCDR KRUSI and LTJG GRAUERT remain where they perished fifty years ago this day… There are no easy days or nights in carrier aviation…
(3) MAJOR PHILLIP WARD BROOM, flying an A-37 Dragonfly of the 604th ACS and 3rd ACW out of Bien Hoa was killed in action while on a close air support mission in Bien Hoa province….
RIPPLE SALVO… #607… On 1 November 1967 the President’s Foreign Policy Advisors mustered in Washington. On the evening of the 1st this esteemed one-of-a-kind brain-trust shared views under the direction of the President’s Special Assistant Walt Rostow. On the morning of 2 November and working through lunch into the early afternoon these Wise Men were afforded the opportunity to give their best advice to the President. Included in the group were: Clark Clifford, George Ball (the number one Dove in the group), McGeorge Bundy, General Maxwell Taylor (Hawk), General Omar Bradley, Robert Murphy, Henry Cabot Lodge (Hawk), Secretary Dean Rusk (Fence-sitter), Secretary Nick Katzenbach, Governor Averill Harriman, Assistant Secretary of State William Bundy, Secretary of Defense McNamara, CIA Director Richard Helms, Dean Acheson, Justice Abe Fortas (one of LBJs oldest and dearest friends), Walt Rostow and two staffers…plus a few others…
Meeting notes and summary of comments at: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d377
Among the documents resulting from the historic meeting was a “Memorandum From the President’s Special Consultant General Maxwell Taylor to President Johnson.” The Memo was submitted in response to Walt Rostow’s request that General Taylor provide comments on Rostow’s proposed course of action, which General Taylor labeled “one form of the Pull-Back Alternative.” General Taylor supports his conclusion– “recommend strongly against adopting any such course of action” –in the one pager at:
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d381
General Taylor came back on 6 November with his personal analysis of the options available to both sides. Blue: U.S. Government and Red: North Vietnam. For Blue the options were stick it out, all-out, or pull-back to negotiate under favorable conditions. For Red he posed three options: escalate, pull-back, and negotiations. Taylor concluded that Blue should stick it out but be prepared to undertake expansion of the war effort only if Red chose to do so first. The General believed that Red would maintain the current tempo of ops awaiting a result –moving toward success or failure– of the new government in South Vietnam.
The President circulated the Taylor analysis and for the rest of November a consensus was developed to “stick it out.” The “reset button” was more of the same… “steaming as before”… of course, Tet changed everything…
RTR Quote for 3 November: JOUBERT: “Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than truth.”…
Lest we forget… Bear