RIPPLE SALVO… #604… Assistant Sec of State Bundy questions effectiveness of JCS campaign to isolate Haiphong and raises concern about civilian casualties…”…little by little we may be making large parts of Hanoi and Haiphong uninhabitable.”… but first…
Good Morning: Day SIX HUNDRED FOUR of recalling a chapter of history long forgotten by most, but proudly and permanently embraced by those who made that history, the warriors who flew the skies of North Vietnam in Rolling Thunder…
31 OCTOBER 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a sunny Halloween Tuesday in New York…
Page 1: “Two Russian Craft Linked In Orbit: Both Unmanned–3 1/2 Hour Docking Exercise Called Prelude to Creation of a Large Space Station Technical Feat hailed–Soviet Science Chief Notes Approach Systems and Complicated Maneuvers”… “After docking exercise, the two craft separated to resume their separate paths…”… Page 1: “Dr. King Gives Up In Alabama to Start 5-Day Jail Sentence… stemming from 1963 contempt of court conviction.”… Page 1: “Israel Indicates They Will Stay on Occupied Areas– Nation Will Consolidate Her Position in Captured Lands, Prime Minister Eshkol Tells Knesset”…
VIETNAM: Page 1: “Allies Repulse Second Attack on Town North of Saigon”...”…backed by artillery and air strikes, troops of the U.S. First Infantry Division and South Vietnamese militiamen reportedly killed more than 100 Vietcong. More than 200 were reported killed on Sunday.”... Page 1: “Thieu Sworn In–Stresses Peace, But On a Tough Line–Reiterates Plan to Talk With Hanoi But Bars Concessions–Lawyer Named Premier–Colorful Inaugural Ritual Under Heavy Guard is Witnessed by Vice President Humphrey”… Page 3: “Kosygin Adamant On Hanoi’s Terms–He Rejects Soviet Support and Rejects Bids For Talks”… Page 3: “Officer Tells Humphrey of Vietnam Corruption–Says Most District Officials Are Dishonest and Hinders Pacification Program”…
President’s Daily Brief… NORTH VIETNAM: North Vietnam lost or evacuated nearly all of its fighters as a result of US air action during 24-27 October…(large section still classified) North Vietnam still has substantial reserves of fighter aircraft in China and presumably could receive additional MIGs from Peking if requested. Hanoi’s ability to resume fighter operations will depend less on the repair of runways and revetments than on replacement of equipment and personnel probably lost in the raids on Phuc Yen… Photography of North Vietnam: showed unusual buildup of supplies in Haiphong. This indicates that the North Vietnamese had still been able to move supplies out of the port city. The pictures do show, however, that the Hanoi-Haiphong rail line remains blocked at Haiphong and at a point midway between the two cities (Hai Duong???)... Agence France-Presse news agency in Hanoi has reported on yesterday’s (28th) bombing raids near the city. The article states that US planes dropped their loads straight above the center of the city, but that the bombs angled north, falling around the Paul Doumer Bridge farther north. The report claims that bombs fell in a residential area and states that it was announced that a projectile hit offices of the Government Cultural Services. The article also notes that the population of Hanoi watched as two planes were shot down, one by surface-to-air missile and the other by anti-aircraft fire. (F-105s of 388th TFW, Korat) The correspondent said one span of the Doumer bridge had “sunk sideways into the water.”… LAOS: The annual movement of supplies from North Vietnam into the Laos panhandle appears to be under way as the rainy season draws to a close. Supplies moved through the panhandle road network are estimated to have risen during each of the past three years, reaching a high of about 30,000 tons during the 1966-67 season. The Communists probably intend to ship this much or more during the coming dry season (West of the Annam range of mountains and through Mu Gia, Nape and Ban Karai passes).
31 October 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (No report on the air war in the North Vietnam). “Vietnam Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft losses in Southeast Asia on 31 October…There was significant flying on both 30 and 31 October but weather covered most of the North. Two missions flown by Major Sam Armstrong of the 34th TFS and 388th TFW out of Korat provide a typical flight profile and report for bad weather days…Quoted from LGEN Armstrong’s unpublished log of 100-Missions:
“30 Oct 67: The weather was bad in Pack VIA where we were…to go on primary so we launched on our second alternate. L/Col Smith was Mission Commander of the force on only his 17th mission and briefed a good mission. Unfortunately for him, when we went to our 2nd alternate target, we went as flights of 4 aircraft and there was on mission commander. We were sent to a FAC in Northern Laos, just south of Dien Bien Phu. He had some 37-mm guns down there he wanted knocked out. Just before we got ready to bomb, Lefty lost his radio and I had to bring him back home. Fortunately we had swung into PacK V going in so it was a counter.”…. 31 Oct 67: “On mission #16, I got to be the flight leader. Mission commanders and flight leaders were picked upon their demonstrated ability to make decisions in flight while flying their own aircraft. Seniority and time at Korat was purely a secondary factor. Bob Smith had already been singled out as a future mission commander. (Humble Host comment: the Navy did the same thing, but we called it Alpha Strike lead vice Mission Command)… On this mission the target was in Northern Laos about 80-miles South of Dien Bien Phu. An A-1E FAC marked an area where some 37-mm guns had been firing on him. We were carrying CBUs, which was providential for this type of target. They fired on us but we got three large secondary explosions so we must have hit the ammo cache. We had already gotten a counter (some flight time in Pack V or VIA/B) as we had swung through Pack V on the approach to the target…
RIPPLE SALVO… #604… Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Walt Bundy memoed his boss, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, on 31 October 1967 with two messages: (1) the JCS are overstating the effectiveness of the Rolling Thunder 57 campaign to isolate Haiphong in order to improve our demonstrated ability to cut the flow of material going south. Bundy is specific in his criticism. And (2) He is so concerned about the civilian casualties the pounding of targets close to the center of both Haiphong and Hanoi (“Little by little we may be making large parts of Haiphong and Hanoi uninhabitable.”) that he recommends careful study of the JCS proposals to sustain the RT57 campaign.
Humble Host found it interesting that Mr. Bundy’s concerns were the effectiveness of the bombing and the civilians manning guns to the exclusion of our losses in aircraft and aircrews who were doing the bombing. An omission that reflected the State Department order of priorities throughout Rolling Thunder. That’s my conclusion. What’s yours?…
Read the memorandum, Document 372 at:
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d372
RTR Quote for 31 October: TACITUS, Annals Book xv: “Great empires are not maintained by timidity.”
Lest we forget… Bear