NORTH VIETNAM BOMBING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01720R000500060015-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 19, 2004
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: May 22, 1967
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2004106114 - C' - 80R01720R000500060015-1
2 2 MAY '7
4Eh ORA I EAR THE PRES ENT
$0153 ECT: North Viet
1. This a orain
He _b g
22 tay) I ,tailed is ray dose* n)ost :experienced,
knowledgeable officers who work as the Vieia
discussion $a the bombing of North yi u. This dis
on o quest?oas
(a) Doss bo %biag bsrd*a the will of the North Viet
People?
rat
ed
hat bombing attack p"teru Vol" psoducc results
u.ost favorable to US interests
2. The co"ess ss opinion an the first question w-ass
distinction rust be drawn between the will Of the
hip and that of the Norte. Vietnamese people.
(b) The bon bing has produced a net decline in the morals
of the people, but not to the point where popular attitndov,
PE'T/
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Utical pressure an or pose political problar;,s
I leadership.
probably harden
kders, 1. e. , the Politburo
Party
itself,
lick pattern w=hich, of
e Politburo to
strategy
the cost inflicted on North vtotnau . Hanoi's
leaders view: the w
a test of wills in which they
*l evs that, politically, they canoutlast the us.
econd question. n..y officers' consensus judx.
(a) Any suspension, or termination, of the burr bi
wwAd be regarded by Hanoi as a victory and would
determination to persist in the struggle.
ad harden Hanoi's position and would not ruake Hanoi
able to negotiation or settle
(b) A now attack pattern co ct traeting almost exclusively
on targets south of the twentieth parallel vrould also be
construed by Hanoi as a victory and produce consequences
Similar to those outlined above. rtherxnore, North
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would be a
era part of the country and re.
progrsexe hWrMM and n ateri*l assct$ now t*aked
programmed to repair bomb damage north Of thy!
Met,
(c) Even
coaace-atratee its toad-aircraft
effort were devoted to Infiltration-
associated coca:-mcattoa* lines and targets in route
e would only augment the actual
interdiction effect an isfiltrattoa (oven that inflictOd by
present attack pattea:s) by X. factor of about ten percent.
t can of stop l*ftttration or reduce
s below the relatively saareali amount required
in the south.
(4) The optimum attack pattern would involve concentration
on iafiltrstion-associated targets in souther* North Vietnam
with random attacks to the northern part of the country
cot to preven
or redeployment of assets and
on particular targets atresdy hit whenever these rho'
significant reco*Itrtion or repair-
R)chard Heeler s
Director
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 Approved For Release 2004/06/14: CIA-RDP80RO172OR000500060015-1
O / DC1/SAVA: C;ACarver /mee: 22M:aT67
Distribution
Orig & i - DCI for tranarnittat to the President
l-PDI
1 ~- D/ORR
pia,
1 - GAC Chrono
I -
Approved For Release 2004/06/14: CIA-RDP80RO172OR000500060015-1