WEEKLY SUMMARY - 1967/12/08

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03187830
• Document Creation Date: July 27, 2018

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY SUMMARY
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3.5(c)
8 December 1967
No. 0319/67 3.5(c)
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3.5(c)
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CONTENTS
(Information as of noon EST, 7 December 1967)
Far East
THE WEEK IN PERSPECTIVE
Page
VIETNAM 2
Recent developments in the area surrounding Khe Sanh
in western Quang Tri Province suggest that the Com-
munists may be preparing for another major offensive.
The recent friction generated over the attempted
resignation of Police Director Loan and the convic-
tion of some generals that the new government is
inefficient and vulnerable to Communist infiltra-
tion appears to have eased for the moment.
SE
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8 Dec 67
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SEPT
FAR EAST
Military activity in South Vietnam remained
at a relatively low level last week but there were
indications that Communist forces are preparing a
new offensive in northwestern Quang Tri Province
near the Demilitarized Zone. There was further evi-
dence of closer coordination between Viet Cong and
North Vietnamese operations, with Viet Cong harass-
ing attacks at widely scattered points aimed at
relieving allied pressure on Communist main force
units.
With the approach of holiday truce periods,
Soviet spokesmen have renewed efforts to persuade
the US to prolong the projected bombing pause.
They have privately intimated that Hanoi would
promptly agree to talks if the US refrained from
setting a terminal date for the pause. The North
Vietnamese, however, have not joined this effort
and there is no indication that the Soviets are
acting at Hanoi's behest.
Cambodia's heightened concern that the war
might spread into its territory was evident in
Phnom Penh's reaction to President Thieu's state-
ment reserving the right to pursue Communist forces
into Cambodia. A Cambodian statement denounced
Thieu's warning as an attempt to "bring the war
into Cambodia on false pretexts" and again denied
that there are Communist forces on Cambodian ter-
ritory.
Page 1
WEEKLY SUMMARY 8 Dec 67
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Ask
Recent developments in the
area surrounding Khe Sanh in
western Quang Tri Province sug-
gest that the Communists may be
preparing for another major of-
fensive.
ET
VIETNAM
US reconnaissance patrols
staging from the US Marine gar-
rison at Khe Sanh have encoun-
tered numerous small enemy forces
in the mountains northwest of
their base. Additionally, the
Special Forces camp at Lang Vei
and other nearby friendly field
positions have been repeatedly
attacked by mortar and recoil-
less rifle fire in recent weeks.
This increase in Communist-ini-
tiated activity may be a prelude
to a large-scale offensive.
Heavy monsoon rains have
disrupted overland allied supply
lines and have limited the tacti-
cal movements of Long range recon-
naissance patrols. Route 9--the
only access road into Khe Sanh and
Lang Vei from supply points to
the east--is presently closed to
vehicular traffic and will not be
reopened until the current mon-
soon rains taper off in January.
The movement of men and materiel
is now limited to airlifts when
weather permits.
In the Mekong Delta, US
troops and South Vietnamese Ma-
Page 2
rifles achieved a significant
tactical victory over the Viet
Cong 502nd local force battalion
early this week. About six miles
east of Sa Dec some 235 enemy
soldiers were killed in a fierce
day-long battle. Forty-one South
Vietnamese and 13 Americans were
killed.
The engagement resulted from
an allied probe deep into Viet
Cong - controlled territory--the
first in this particular area
since 1961. US military offi-
cials credited the strong lead-
ership and aggressiveness of the
South Vietnamese Marines with
turning what threatened to be
a costly ambush into a success-
ful encounter that cut deeply
into the strength of the enemy
unit.
Politics in South Vietnam
The recent friction gen-
erated over the attempted
resignation of Police Director
Loan and the conviction of some
generals that the new government
is inefficient and vulnerable
to Communist infiltration ap-
pears to have eased for the
moment.
WEEKLY SUMMARY 8 Dec 67
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104
V 1 E\T N A A4
GOLF
F
TONKIN
VIEN ANE
emilitarized Zone
9
BANGKOK
A M B �D I A
TONLE
SAP
GULF OF SIAM
,
ET
0 100 150 Miles
50 100 150 Kilometers
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The moderating influence
so far exerted by Vice President
Ky, who reportedly headed off
a more serious crisis by persuad-
ing Loan to withdraw his resigna-
tion and by asking the other gen-
erals to give the government a
chance, may have a stabilizing
effect.
The government has announced
that some 20 leaders of the 1966
Buddhist struggle movement, which
centered in Hue and Da Nang, will
be brought to trial on 19 Decem-
ber. The 20 include several army
officers and Nguyen Van Man, the
former mayor of Da Nang. The
trial is likely to raise a furor
among opposition elements, par-
ticularly the militant Buddhists
and opposition deputies in the
Lower House.
The Lower House has joined
with the Upper House in calling
for a review of the government's
mobilization decree. Both houses
have claimed that the decree's
promulgation was unconstitutional
because it lacked legislative ap-
proval and have invited govern-
ment representatives to appear
before them to defend it.
A new political party is ap-
parently in the making. Senator
Nguyen Gia Hien, leader of the
Catholic Greater Solidarity
Forces, has reportedly reached
agreement with General Nguyen
Duc Thang to integrate some of
his local supporters into Revolu-
tionary Development teams in re-
turn for furnishingThang some
needed data on which to base fu-
ture development planning. Hien's
own cadres would be permitted to
do party organizational work.
It is expected that moderate Bud-
dhist, Hoa Hao, and Coo Dai cadres
will eventually be added to
broaden the new party's base.
Soviets Press for
Bombing Halt
Soviet diplomats on several
occasions during the past week
indicated unofficially that an
indefinite cessation of the bomb-
ing of North Vietnam at this
time would lead to talks with
Hanoi. These reports appear to
be the beginning of a campaign
to persuade the US to extend any
projected pause in the bombing
of North Vietnam during the
holidays. They are similar to
Soviet efforts conducted prior
to the Christmas truce period
last year. Further Soviet ap-
proaches along this line are
expected although there is no
indication that Moscow iq actin
at Hanoi 'c holiest.
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