RIPPLE SALVO… #918… “NOW I WANT YOU TO KNOW ONE THING. IF I DON’T HAVE ANYBODY HERE EXCEPT ME (that wants to continue the bombing of North Vietnam until the North responds to the initial US reduction by 90% of the Rolling Thunder): I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE IN. AND ANY OF YOU NORMALLY KNOW THAT. SO THERE IS NO USE OF ANY PRESSURE SPEECHES OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS GOING TO DO ONE DAMN BIT OF GOOD UNTIL JANUARY 20 ON ADVICE ABOUT DOING SOMETHING THAT I BELIEVE IS WRONG. AND I AM WILLING TO GO 60% OF THE WAY, AND LEAN AND STRETCH, BUT I AM NOT WILLING TO STOP THE BOMBING UNLESS THEY MAKE SOME MOVE. I HAVE ALREADY STOPPED 90% OF IT AND I ALREADY STOPPED IT EIGHT TIMES. NOW I AM NOT GOING TO DO IT SO ALL WE CAN DO IS KILL A BUNCH OF MEN (our troops) BY DOING IT.”… LBJ, WHITE HOUSE, CABINET ROOM, 6 SEPTEMBER 1968… Meeting included Senate leaders Mansfield and Dirksen…. and that’s just a start… See RS below… but first…
Good Morning…Day NINE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN of daily posts commemorating the 50th Anniverary of the Vietnam War and remembering the men of fighting spirit who carried the war into North Vietnam where the enemy lived…
HEAD LINES from The Sunday New York Times of 8 September 1968…
THE WAR: Page 1: “ENEMY ASSAULTS OUTER DEFENSES OF DUCLAP CAMP–Attack Viewed as Prelude to a Renewal of Siege–Saigon Hit by Terrorism”… “North Vietnamese regulars attacked an American artillery base in the Central Highlands before dawn yesterday in what one senior officer said appeared to be a prelude to a renewed siege on the Special Forces camp at Duclap. At 3 a.m. today, other North Vietnamese swarmed through the cool darkness of the highlands to assault a South Vietnamese battalion two miles north of the camp…The enemy withdrew at 4:35 a.m… American losses were officially described as light, but among the dead were two senior officers of the base….Meanwhile, in Saigon Vietcong terrorist struck seven times in 24 hours, killing 10 persons and wounding 74. Terrorism has been increasing steadily in Saigon for the last week, and the number of incidents in the latest report was about three times higher than usual. No clear explanation for the increase has been given…. In the Mekong Delta yesterday the Vietcong fired seven mortar rounds into Mytho, 35 miles southwest of Saigon, and attacked an outpost 25 miles to the west. The mortars killed one policeman and wounded 18 others in addition to 2 civilians…the outpost was destroyed and 5 civilians there were wounded. The enemy lost 34 in the attack… There were 11 B-52 raids in South Vietnam, 9 of them in the military region surrounding Saigon. The closest strike was 37 miles to the northwest.”… Page 20: “THIEU GIVES LAND IN TOUR OF DELTA–Tells Peasants Government Seeks To Make Them Rich”… Page 21: “STRENGTH OF U.S. IN DELTA DEBATED–Build-up Of Forces Opposed By Pacification Aides”…
PEACE TALKS: Page 18: “GOLDBERG WOULD NOW HALT BOMBING OF NORTH VIETNAM”… “Arthur J. Goldberg, former United States representative at the United Nations, said today the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia made even more urgent an ‘honorable political settlement’ in Vietnam. Opening an eight-part series entitled ‘A Foreign Policy for America,’ copyrighted by the Chicago Daily News, Mr. Goldberg said: ‘I am convinced that the time has come to halt all American bombing of North Vietnam, in order to move forward to obtain an honorable political settlement of the war. The naked aggression by the Soviet Union in Czechoslovakia should intensify, rather than deter American efforts toward such a solution,’ he said.”…
Page 1: “REVOLUTIONARIES BLAMED BY DALEY–He Issues Report On Melee–American Civil Liberties Union Terms It Utterly Dishonest (77-page report)”… Page 32: “HUEY NEWTON PREDICTS ARMED REVOLT–Calls Rebellion Inevitable As Jury Weighs His Fate”… Page 38: “NAACP URGES INQUIRY ON POLICE–Convene Jury On Beating Of Black Panthers”… Page 77: “GALLUP POLL: FINDS MOST VIEW G.O.P. AS BETTER ABLE TO HANDLE ISSUES”… Page 78: “HUMPHREY HAILS ECONOMIC GAINS–Stagnation Laid to Republicans–Vice President Cites Gains Under Democrats”… Page 78: “REPUBLICAN BROOKS REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR NIXON–Massachusetts Senator Concedes That They Differ, But He Likes The Attention His advice Receives”… Page 78: “WALLACE AND NIXON VIE ON SOUTH–Conservatives Shun Humphrey Ex-Alabama Governor Thought To Lead in 9 of 11 States Of Old Confederacy With Total Of 91 Electoral Votes”… Page 78: “Wallace Hailed By Police On Tour–Extra Guards Applaud Him And Toss Out Dissenters”…
8 SEPTEMBER 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…New York Times (9 Sept reporting 8 Sept ops) Page 18: “The American spokesman also said that a Navy A-6 Intruder bomber was shot down four miles east of the coastal city of Vinh on Friday ( see RTR 6 Sept 1968: CDR KEN COSKEY, POW and LCDR DICK McKEE, rescued)…He said the bombardier-navigator was picked up by helicopter but that intense ground fire prevented the rescue of the pilot who was listed as missing.”… VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 8 September 1968…
(1) CAPTAIN M.H. BRANUM, USMC, and 1LT H.W. HIBBS, USMC were flying an F-4J of the VMFA-334 Falcons and MAG-11 out of Danang on a strike on a weapons cache location about 15 miles southeast of Danang. They were on their fourth low, high speed, napalm delivery pass when hit by ground fire. CAPTAIN BRANUM turned for home and almost made it. The aircraft suffered systems failures requiring they eject on final, one mile short of Danang. They were rescued to fly and fight again…(Four low altitude passes on the same target?… )
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) ON THE FOUR 8 SEPTEMBER DATES OF THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION OVER NORTH VIETNAM…
1966, 1967, 1968… NONE…
1965… LTJG ROBERT DAVID RUDOLPH, USN… (KIA)…
LTJG RUDOLPH was flying an RF-8A of VFP-63, Det G, embarked in USS Oriskany that was launched on 8 September 1965 to execute an escorted photo reconnaissance mission in the area of Thanh Hoa to locate and photograph SAM sites north of Thanh Hoa. Shortly after crossing the coastline he and his escort encountered heavy anti-aircraft and automatic weapons fire and LTJG RUDOLPH’s RF-8 was observed to be hit, roll inverted and enter a steep dive. His escort was forced to take evasive maneuvering to avoid the ground fire and lost sight of LTJG RUDOLPH’s aircraft. As a consequence, no ejection was observed, voice call or emergency beeper heard, or a fireball or smoke observed on the ground. An immediate and intense search was begun before a crash site was located and continued until all hope for finding LTJG RUDOLPH or his aircraft was lost. He was declared missing in action. His remains were returned to the United States in 1988 by the Vietnamese, positively identified and returned to his family for burial.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s “The Wall of Faces” has honored LTJG ROBERT D. RUDOLPH with a page of honor and remembrance, and an open opportunity for family, friends and others to “Leave a Remembrance” for this fallen warrior, who perished doing his duty 53 years ago this day… He is gone but not forgotten, and rests in peace in his homeland, finally…
RIPPLE SALVO… #918… THREE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS ARE REFERENCED FOR YOUR WEEKEND READING PLEASURE… “Notes from a meeting in the White House on 6 September where the President takes a firms and on the bombing decision; a very interesting memo from Walt Rostow to the President with his thoughts on the war and the peace talks; and, a telegram from Averell Harriman in Paris on the status of the Peace talks…. Humble Host found them highly informative and interesting… perhaps you will too… read at…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d5
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d6
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d7
RTR Quote for 8 September: MAO TSE-TUNG, “Our principles of operation” are: (1) “Attack dispersed isolated enemy forces first; attack concentrated strong enemy forces later.” … (nine more principles to follow in order)…
Lest we forget… Bear…