a pproved for Release: 2019/04/17 C00010551 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ' Directorate o! Intelligence 5 February 1965 : 'iNTEbLIGENC1 MEMORANDUM The Situation in South Vietnam No. 15 �Ur Wr77110�/CVTEXTT� � 1. Allied forces appear to have regained the initiative In many of South Vietnam's urban areas. Most of the major provincial capitals were reported relatively quiet throughout the night of 4-5 Ifeb-: ruary and into the morning. Bitter fighting still continues in Hue, however, as well as in isolated sections of Saigon and in several large cities and district towns. The Communists also hit at Ithe Sauh after a long period of relative quiet. 2. There have been no significant political developments since those reported in the 5 Feb- ruary Cent *1 Xhe Sanh 3, Early on 5 February, US Marines drove back some 200 to 300 North Vietnamese regulars during an assault on the defensive position atop strategic MA11 861. The attack was staged In conjunction with a four-hour artillery, rocket, and mortar barrage on the main base camp of Xbe Sanh. 4. Communist losses totaled 100 killed in contrast to American casualties of seven killed ^ and 44 wounded. Ito major damage to the base was � reported and the airstrip remains open. . SANITIZED Authority 8y a=i MRS, Date ti-v_S-46 � Ik,"��1 � � COPY Lydon B. Johnson Libr Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 C00010551 Aperoveil for Release Date .....a_SEP 1985 � .Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 C00010551 I Corek 5. Bitter, doer-to.door fighting as reported continuing.ln Rue as US and South Vietnamese soldiers exert increasing pressure on pockets of enemy re- : sistence In several sectors of the city. Progress is slow, with determined Communist elements clinging to isolated strongpoints In the citadel and on the south bank of the Perfume River. G. Beatty fighting erupted in the market place of Trion Phong, a district capital just to the north of Quang Tri city, at mid-morning today. Additionally four, possibly eight, Communist battalions are re- ..ported moving toward Quang TO. city from the south- Vest, and it Is possible %hat a neW attack is upcoming in this area, although there is no other centime. tion of the report. 7. � Other reports state the Communists are planning to strike the provincial capitals of Tam xy - and Quang Vgai city and several district towns some- time before .10 January. Although such reports of imminent enemy action may be part of a Communist scare campaign, the enemy still retains the potential to mount at least limited attacks, supported by mortar and rockot�forays throughout I Corps. *8. There IWO no developments on the massing of North Vietnamese forces, including the entire 2nd Division, In the Da Nang area reported in our Sitreps of 3 and 4 February. 'II tbrPs. 9. During the night of 4.5 February and up to mid-morning today, there was relatively little enemy offensive activity throughout the central part of South Vietnam. Allied forces continue to flush out .areas vhero small elements are holed up in several cities such ao Ty Rea, Ban Me Thuot, and Dalat. In Kontum and Pleiku, the situation VAS reported Pvery quiet." Sporadic, light mortar attacks were directed at a few cities last night but damage and casualties were reported light. Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 CO0010551 � ' � 4.� _1!ysicton B. Johnson Librar � �� 2 - 0 � � *.� ..... � '4 VD Pr - Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 C00010551 � 10. Communist. military forces in the western . highlands, under the direction of the B-3 Front, continuo to pose a substantial threat to kek.cities and major allied outposts there. Three regiments . of the North Vietnamese 1st Division have beet relocating to the flak To area in .con ra on um rovinco. This maneuver was further . confirmed by two prisoners purportedly from the North Vietnamese 32nd Regiment which, according to .the captives, is about to launch a three-pronged . attack on flak To, together with the 66th and 174th regiments. A rocket and mortar attack there on 3 February was reported earlier. Other Communist main. =force unite remain active in the vicinity of Kontum and Pleiku cities, and another major round of fight-," ing could develop there. . 11. No new attacks were reported in the III Corps area last night or early this morning. � Saigon The hea vie gh ng est nigit was n Cholon, the Chinese quarter in the southwest corner of the capital, but firing incidents have boon reported in nearly every. section. . 13, US intelligence sources in Saigon feel that a relatively small number of Viet Cong are responsible . for the most recent terrorist activities. At noon on 5 February (local Vietnam time) US officials esti- _ mated that less than 100 Viet Cong "action agents" remained in the city with probably three-four bat-- talions-on the boundaries of the. western precincts. = . .14. Strong enemy main forces, in addition, still appear to be deployed within striking range of the capital. There is further evidence that the Viet Cong 9th Division has moved towards Saigon from northwest III Corps, a movement which was reported earlier based on eaptuted documents 3 - - � COiY Lydon B. Johnson Libr T y Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 C00010551 � Oa Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 C00010551 The US Command disclosed last night that prisoners'rem all three regiments of the 9th Divi- sion have been captured in recent days in the general area north and west of Saigon. � 18.. Information has come in from a number of prisoner Interrogations which tends to support the theory that, in general, the Communists may have be- lieved that the people of Saigon and other urban -- areas were "ripe for revolution.". Low level cadre, for example, apparently wore not provided with with- drawal plans since their superiors told them there could be no question but that a "general uprising" would be sparked. 16. Nevertheless, the Communist high command was prudent enough not to commit all of their reserves to the first assault. Thus, it is possible that the viewpoints expressed by the prisoners mainly reprc... sent exhortative propaganda pumped into them by tho hardcore cadre, and are not true representations of the real Communist estimates and intentions. IV Corps 17. US forces remained in contact with an esti- mated 100 Viet Cong within the provincial capital of .Vinh Long early this morning. Fighting also continued within or on the outskirts of a number of other prov- incial capitals and district towns in the delta. � 18. At Go Cong a small Viet Cong force released over 100 prisoners from the provincial jail; Tra Vinh continues to be surrounded -by some 2,000 of ..the enemy. � � cOPY � . Ly 0n B. Johnson ry Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 CO0010551

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THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM NO 15 - HILL 861 - BITTER FIGHTING - POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS - KHE SANH - SOUTH VIETNAMESE SOLDIERS - COMMUNIST ELEMENTS - 32ND REGIMENT - SAIGON - ACTION AGENTS - 9TH DIVISION - CHOLON - REVOLUTION - IV CORPS