BUNKER'S 16TH WEEKLY (SAIGON 3243, 16 AUGUST 1967)

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80R01720R000500070044-8
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 15, 2016
Document Release Date: 
August 12, 2004
Sequence Number: 
44
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
August 21, 1967
Content Type: 
MF
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP80R01720R000500070044-8.pdf57.54 KB
Body: 
Approved,For RttWW$U"p4/08/19 : CIA-FRDP80R* 720R000500070044-8 21 August 1967 MEMORANDUM FOR THE DIRECTOR SUBJECT: Bunker's 16th Weekly (Saigon 3243, 16 August 1967 1 -1 1. The past week was relatively quiet and Ambassador Bunker's report contains nothing basically new or startling. Hence, suggest you pass this one up without reading in detai 1 . 2. Interesting points include a reiteration of his judgment that the Dong Ha campaign flap -- whi ch has had a n unfavorable impact on Congres s- i onal opinion - - was a simple mi xup, compounded by subsequent misunder- standings and childish efforts by all sides to save "face. " The Ambassador beli eves the electi on campaign i s going reasonably well, under the ci rcum- stances, and that much of the journalistic and Congressional criticism is really unwarranted. 3. Ambassador Bunker quotes extensively from General Westmoreland's monthly assessment for July ( paragraph 31), whi ch paints a reasonably realistic picture. In essence, theeenemy is continuing his strategy of attrition, seeking to spread our forces more thinly, to entice our units into battle under conditions favorable to the enemy, and to counter-attack Revolu- tionary Development operations. Through "economy of force" measures and t to superior mobility, our military forces have provided for ceptabl ve e security critical population centers and thwarted enemy plans ds, has Our constant pressure on the popularcresistance lto the enemy' a weakened his military structure and heightened increasing demands for support. GEORGE W. ALLEN Acting Special Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs Attachment State Saigon 3243 25X1 X1 RDEROP 2 Approved For Release WWI - 1720R000