RIPPLE SALVO… #792… NEW YORK TIMES, 5 MAY 1968: “The United States had a reasonable case for holding firm on the site issue (Hanoi choices of Laos or Poland were rejected by U.S. before agreeing to Paris). But there would be no justification in delaying serious talks now by again exaggerating the value of the bombing. The air offensive against North Vietnam was a mistake from the start. It has hurt the United States more over the last three years than it has hurt Hanoi. It must not be permitted to block negotiations now as it did so many times in the past.”… Ambassador to South Vietnam Ellsworth Bunker and Friends have a few words on the subject…but first…
GOOD MORNING: Day SEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-TWO of a visit in the past to look for lessons for the now and forever… 1968 was a good year for learning from mistakes and misfortune… it was “The Year the Dream Died“…
HEAD LINES from THE NEW YORK TIMES on a sunny Monday, 6 May 1968…
THE WAR: Page 1: “VIETCONG PRESS SAIGON ATTACKS–4 NEWSMEN SLAIN–Surviving Reporter Tells How 4 Died–Bonn Aide Killed”… “Four of the five newsmen riding through Saigon’s Chinese section were killed toy by the Vietcong, who later booby-trapped the bodies. The fifth correspondent escaped after pretending he had been killed.”… Page 1: “AIRFIELD SHELLED–MORE THAN 600 OF FOE ARE REPORTED DEAD–CURFEW PUT ON”… “Fighting continued on the fringes of this frightened capital this morning, and enemy troops shelled a handful of cities and military installations across South Vietnam in the wake of a series of attacks that swept the country yesterday. The Vietcong shelled the sprawling Tansonnhut air base at 6:30 A.M. Early reports indicated that five 122-mm rockets inflicted only minor damage on the base… the base’s South Vietnamese commander was killed… Only five attacks outside of Saigon were reported, in sharp contrast with the 119 strikes yesterday….44 military and civilian personnel were killed and 308 were wounded in the attacks yesterday…according to the United States command more than 600 of the enemy were killed yesterday, most of them in battles in the countryside….although the Vietcong and North Vietnamese attacks were widespread, they were generally light in intensity and there were no reports of major invasions in the cities… Of the overall Mini-Tet offensive a senior American officer said: ‘It was exactly the kind of attack we expected. a lot of smoke and not much fire. But they won’t quit on one try. We think that they’ll continue their attacks by fire for a few days and somewhere along this line they’ll mount a ground attack.’ Brig. Gen. Winant Sidle, chief spokesman for the United States Command in Vietnam: ‘It’s a far cry from the Tet offensive.’ For weeks allied intelligence officers have been predicting a sequel to the Lunar New Year offensive. Late in April, statements from a defecting North Vietnamese officer and several captured document indicated that a large attack was imminent. General Westmoreland said: ‘There’s no question that our milling around the country messed up their attack plans. It looks as if someone told them, ‘Go with what you got,’ and they went. It was pretty half-hearted.'”… Page 1: “U.S. OFFICERS FIND SOME IMPROVEMENT IN SAIGON’S ARMY”… “…when Secretary of Defense Clark M. Clifford declared in Washington last week that the South Vietnamese army would take over more and more of the fighting,’ military men began pondering President Thieu’s proposal to start sending American troops home by the end of next year with new interest.”…
Page 1: “BALL LINKS TALKS AND INFILTRATION–He and Other Officials See Effort By Hanoi to Raise Its Bargaining Power”… “North Vietnam has made a ‘desperate effort’ to rush men and supplies into South Vietnam in the last few months, according to Administration sources who made new figures available today on infiltration. Officials said that Hanoi was probably attempting to improve its bargaining power for the preliminary peace talks that are expected to get under way in Paris this week. George Ball, who is to become United States delegate to the United Nations, declared on the television program ‘Meet the Press’ on the National Broadcasting Company network that the North Vietnamese infiltration had totaled 80,000 to 100,000 so far this year. Defense and State department officials explained that there was no sure estimate yet how many of those troops entered the war zone and how many were holed up in the demilitarized zone along the line between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.”…
Page 1: “COLUMBIA HALTS FORMAL CLASSES FOR ITS COLLEGE–Each Unit Varies–Policies Up to Facilities–Examinations Off, Marks Optional”… “the faculty fo Columbia College decided yesterday to end formal classes immediately and leave it up to individual teachers and their students to determine how they should best use their time for the rest of the current semester.”... “5 TO STUDY CRISIS–ARCHIBALD COX, HEAD OF INQUIRY–Will Open Hearings on Wednesday“… “Archibald Cox, former Solicitor General of the United States, was designated chairman of a five-man fact-finding commission appointed yesterday by the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Columbia University to investigate the recent turmoil on the Columbia campus.”… Page 1: “McCARTHY SCORES KENNEDY BACKERS–Says Citizens’ Campaign Office Distorted Portion of His Voting Record”… “…McCarthy said: ‘I am surprised not only by the distortions of my voting record by the Citizens for Kennedy but also by the positively false statements about my record. If any such thing had been issued in my name, I would have repudiated it at once and set the record straight.’ ‘… Page 1: “MARX ACCLAIMED IN WEST GERMANY–Events Held in Home Town on His 150th Anniversary”… Their, West Germany, 5 May…”Karl Marx, whom Communist countries hail as the prophet of ?Socialism, was honored in his own country toddy on the 150th anniversary of his birth.”… Page 9: “SENATE PANEL FINDS MILITARY SHORTAGE”… “The Senate Preparedness Subcommittee reported today that it had found significant problems and deficiencies in personnel and equipment of three of six Army and Marine divisions stationed in the United States.”…
6 MAY 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times…No coverage of air war north of the DMZ… “Vietnam: Air Losses”(Chris Hobson) There were three fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 6 May 1968…
(1) and (2) Two Marine A-4 Skyhawks collided in midair and both pilots safely ejected. One A-4 was leaving a target area near A Shau Valley and the other was entering the area to work with a FAC. The two Skyhawks collided at 10,000-feet.
(3) An F-4D of the 433rd TFS crashed in Thailand due to pilot error. Both crewmen survived the experience.
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) ON 6 MAY FOR THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION…
1965… NONE…
1966… LCOL JAMES LESLIE LAMAR, USAF… (POW)…
1967… LTJG ROBERT EARL WIDEMAN, USN… (POW)…
1968… NONE…
Humble Host Flew #154 on a clear day #3 in division led by CO (Bob Thomas). We put 3 Mk-83s each on a purported SAM site about ten miles west of Cape Mui Ron…
RIPPLE SALVO… #792… In the week preceding the initial meeting of the United States and North Vietnamese delegations to start the dialogue on how to end the Vietnam war, a legion of the President’s advisors were met and queried for their best advice on how the United States should proceed. The following quotes have been extracted out of the historical documents of inputs to the President between 5 and 12 May 1968 that address the role of Rolling Thunder–the bombing of North Vietnam– in the peace talks in Paris… Ambassador Bunker’s 10 May telegram to Secretary Rusk:
“…The arrogance of their (NVA) May 1 reply–to arrange for the complete cessation of bombing and other acts of war–was part propaganda and part bravado. All the evidence suggests they are going to be tough in the negotiations and are out to obtain the colossal concession of coalition government. They, or at least some in the North, must be arguing that the United States regards its bargaining position as weak, and therefore that they are in a strong position. Unless we act with genuine confidence in the strength of our bargaining position, I am fearful of the outcome.
“Washington knows my position as a result of my visit. I think we are in a very strong position to negotiate, and that it is Hanoi which is worried, or at least some in Hanoi are worried, for I suspect they have their hawks and doves just as we do.
“The conclusions I draw from all the foregoing are clear:
A. Harriman’s orders to agree to a full cessation of bombing in the North should be amended.
B. We should demand as a condition of full cessation a substantial reduction in the unprecedented NVN movement South, which we are in a position to observe.
C. We should demand a reduction now to the level of violence in the South.
D. Most important, we should under no circumstances agree to full cessation of bombing in the North, while Saigon is under harassment and attack. I can think of nothing more calculated to cause despair here than to agree under these conditions. The suspicion in the South as to our negotiating intentions is that we are ready to go far, even to coalition with the NLF or its new alliance, to stop the war. If we cease our bombing of the North while Saigon is under attack, this suspicion would enormously increase and could establish a new and broader government shortly and we must not handicap it at the outset. A full cessation of bombing under Harriman’s present instructions would encourage the hard liners in Hanoi to think we are ready to call it quits, and in the debate which must be taking place in the North they would be justified in their view that the thing to do is to keep the pressure on Saigon.
“I myself would go further, and even while the talks proceed, I would bomb power stations, and military installations near and in the cities below the 20th paralled, adding to their troubles in the North, creating more refugee problems for them, and putting new strain on their facilities.
“In short, until they reduce the movements south and call off the campaign against Saigon, we should not agree to a full cessation, and at some stage we should let Hanoi know why. As a footnote, we would look ridiculous if we agreed to a full cessation, and a few days later had one of our American installations blasted by sabotage with heavy American casualties.”…
Nitze to Clifford… “…agreed that the re-establishment of the demilitarized zone and diminution of violence in the South had to be agreed upon prior to a complete bombing halt…”
General Maxwell Taylor to President: “In his cable of May 10 Ellsworth Bunker makes a case against a total cessation of bombing of North Vietnam for an inadequate return which I heartily subscribe. To gain the advantages from a total cessation which he seeks nd to avoid the adverse consequences he foresees (suspicion and despair in South Viet-Nam, encouragement to increased violence in North Vietnam), I would suggest the adoption of the following Negotiation position, immediately or progressively as the talks develop: “… it is impossible to consider a further reduction of our bombing until these escalatory acts (ongoing Mini-Tet) of the enemy cease and we receive some tangible evidence indicating the adoption of appropriate restraints in compensation for the present restrictions on our bombng.”….”Resumption of bombing between 19th and 20th parallel: We have this action available to us at any time. We would be justified in taking it now. But I would prefer holding it for use at some point during negotiations when it will produce maximum effect if our adversaries reject our demand for the restraints mentioned in the preceding, that would be an excellent time to renew our bombing up to the 20th parallel.”… “Discussions of total cessation of bombing… The foregoing actions would not preclude a continuing discussion of a total cessation of bombing but we should try to keep it within the confines of the total package of issues to be negotiated. The bombing is our primary “persuader” and should be retained to the last to make a maximum contribution to “prompt and productive” discussion and agreements. We should not be reluctant to resume bombing in the Hanoi-Haiphong area whenever it becomes apparent that the enemy is increasing his activities in the South or deliberately stalling the negotiations.”…
Rostow to the President: “… we cannot stop the bombing if infiltration continues at 30,000 a month.”
Finally, Rusk, at a meeting of the negotiating team, identified the issues that Ambassador Harriman should be ready to answer “on the spot.” His short list of issues included: “Cessation of bombing. This is the heart of the matter.”…
RTR quote for 6 May: DWIGHT EISENHOWER: “For every obstacle there is solution. Persistence is the key. The greatest mistake is giving up.”…
Lest we forget… Bear