THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00826A002300500001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 1, 2004
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 14, 1967
• Content Type: IM

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OFFICIAL
RECORD
COPY
State Department review completed
The attached document (s) must be safeguarded. It is the
Agency's Official Historical Record and must be preserved
in accordance with the Federal Records Act of 1950. For
additional information, call the Chief, CIA Archives and
Records Center,
RETURN IMMEDIATELY AFTER USE TO THE
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MEMORANDUM
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
The Situation in Vietnam
State Department review
completed.
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Information as of 1600
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Allied forces on 14 July launched a sweep
operation designed to clear Communist forces from
allied positions near the DMZ.
I. The Military Situation in South Vietnam:
A new, joint US-ARVN sweep against the more than
10,000 Communist troops believed in the northeastern
Quang Tri Province began on 14 July (Paras. 1-4).
Communist forces attacked Da Nang Airfield and
Hoi An, the capital of Quang Nam Province, with mor-
tars and rockets early on 15 July (Paras. 5-7).
Enemy casualties in the recent encounter in western
Pleiku Province now total 156 (Paras. 8-9).
II. Political Developments in South Vietnam:
The Central Election Council is expected to recommend
to the Provisional National Assembly on 14 July that
at least nine presidential slates be disqualified,
The Vietnamese Confederation o La nor
(CVT) has endorsed a senate slate made up of CVT
members, but for the moment is withholding endorse-
ment of a presidential slate (Para. 4).
III. North Vietnamese Military Developments:
There is nothing of significance to report.
IV. Other Communist Military Developments: There
is nothing of significance to report.
V. Communist Political Developments: There is
nothing of significance to report.
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I. THE MILITARY SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM
1. A massive three-day US - South Vietnamese
sweep operation--codenamed HICKORY II--designed to
clear Communist forces from the vicinity of allied
positions near the DMZ in northeastern Quang Tri
Province began early on 14 July.
2. The operation opened with the movement of
a US Marine battalion southward from Con Thien toward
previously established blocking positions near Cam Lo.
Three battalions of the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN)
1st Division almost simultaneously attacked to the
north along Route 1 while another US Marine battalion
employing amphibious vehicles moved along the coastal
flatlands. Altogether, ten US Marine battalions and
three ARVN battalions are committed to this short-
term sweep in an effort to.trap the more than 10,000
North Vietnamese soldiers believed to be in the im-
mediate area.
4. This operation--together with Operation
BUFFALO which ended on 14 July with 1,103 enemy
soldiers reported killed--should disrupt enemy plans
for intensified military activity in the eastern
DMZ area.
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Communist Attacks in Quang Nam Province
5. Early on 15 July, the US air base at Da Nang
and the Quang Nam provincial capital of Hoi An were
struck by enemy mortar and rocket fire. Preliminary
reports state that at least 50 Americans were wounded
and three heavy cargo aircraft destroyed at Da Nang
during the five-minute attack.
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6. New enemy units have recently been noted
infiltrating from Laos into Quang Nam Province.
I I a large number o
enemy soldiers, possibly up to a division, have de-
ployed into the mountains west of Da Nang. Aerial
photography of late June disclosed many newly con-
structed bunkers and other enemy positions in
eastern Quang Nam Province.
7. The enemy bombardment of these two important
targets--Da Nang and Hoi An--suggests that the Commu-
nists may be ready to initiate an intensified cam-
paign against vital allied supply lines and strategic
positions in the coastal area of this province.
Operation FRANCIS MARION in 'leiku province
8. Further US search of the battle area south
of Duc Co in Pleiku Province, where heavy fighting
took place on 11-12 July, has resulted in the loca-
tion of 25 fresh graves containing 46 enemy dead.
This brings the official count of enemy killed for
the engagement to 156 compared with US losses of
32 killed, 27 wounded, and 12 missing.
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1. The Central Election Council expected to
forward its recommendations for approval or dis-
approval of presidential slates to the Provisional
National Assembly special committee on elections on
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2. The council's recommendations are not
binding on the assembly and it is not known what
influence they will have on the assembly's final
decision. The assembly is to convene on 17 July to
consider the recommendations; final posting of the
approved slates is to be on 19 July.
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CVT to Support Senate Slate
4. During a meeting on 10 July, the National
Council of the Vietnamese Confederation of Labor
(CVT) endorsed the Senate slate made up of ten
CVT members and headed by CVT secretary general
Tran Huu Quyen. This endorsement means, according
to CVT president Tran Quoc Buu, that the labor
organization will use all its resources throughout
the country to work for the election of the slate.
The national council withheld any endorsement of a
presidential slate, leaving this for later consider-
ation by the smaller executive committee because,
according to Buu, it is too early to make a choice,
especially after the last-minute formation of the
Thieu-Ky ticket. There has been prior evidence
that Buu himself favored Ky's candidacy, whereas
some other top CVT officials leaned. toward civilian
candidates. The US Embassy believes that CVT
leaders are still undecided about the presidential
race and that many are opposed to the purely military
character of the Thieu-Ky ticket. There is also some
CVT sympathy for General Minh. Buu believes that
keeping Minh out would be a serious political error
which would make a martyr of a candidate who would
probably not win anyway.
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