RECENT ACTIVITES IN NORTH VIETNAM (26 AUGUST - 1 SEPTEMBER 1968)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82S00205R000200040013-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 24, 2004
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: September 3, 1968
• Content Type: IM

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence Memorandum
RECENT ACTIVITIES IN NORTH VIETNAM
(26 AUGUST - 1 SEPTEMBER 1968)
Top Secret
3 SEPTEMBER 1968
COPY NO_._
27
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
3 September 1968
Recent Activities in North Vietnam
26 August-1 September 1968
Summary
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Little new information on the flooding in North
Vietnam is available, but military and logistics
activities do not appear to have been significantly
impaired.
rail traffic on a Hanoi - Lao ai Line continued
to be disrupted north of Viet Tri, although some
rail and highway facilities at Viet Tri, where
floodwaters had receded, were back in use.
Logistics activities in the Panhandle, however,
continued at a high level.
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Truck sightings ere only 25X1
slightly below the averages noted since 1 April.
Watercraft sightings were down slightly, but still
were well above April-July weekly averages. 25X1
New and improved logistics
facilities continued to be detected, and roads
continued to be repaired.
Note: This memorandum was produced solely by CIA.
It was prepared jointly by the Office of Economic
Research and the Office of Current Intelligence
and was coordinated with the Director's Special
Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs.
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daily sorties south of the 19th Parallel continued.
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North of the 20th Parallel
Flooding
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there is little new informa-
tion on the status of flooded areas in North
Vietnam. All indicators of logistics activity
make it clear that the transport of supplies through
North Vietnam and into Laos and South Vietnam has
not been significantly impaired. Some recedin
of the extensive flooding observed
of the three rail terries at
serviceable, and rail cars were observed on a
nearby spur. Truck traffic had also resumed over
the highway cable bridge. Although this bridge
was not damaged by the flooding, the approaches
had been inundated on the 18th. Rail service con-
tinued.to be disrupted, however, by washed out
portions of the line north of Viet Tri.
3. A new road under construction from Yen
Bai Airfield northward to a nearby mountainous
area is intended either to shorten the road link
between Yen Bai and the main road network from
Hanoi to Lao Cai or for use in dispersing aircraft
in the mountains. Numerous pieces of construction
equipment being used in this construction indicate
that high priority is being given to the project.
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Extensive construction activity, including earth
removal and grading in the mountains near the
northern terminus of the road construction, suggests
that the North Vietnamese may be building hardened
dispersal sites for aircraft.
Air Defense
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east operational - s an
21 MIG-15 7's are now confirmed 25X1
based in North Vietnam. Flooding apparently
was responsible for the evacuation of MIG-15/17's
from Hanoi/Gia Lam Airfield to Phuc Yen
7. Ship congestion at Haiphong during August
declined slightly from the record high level in
July, but still remained serious and may have
been responsible for a reduction in August ship
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arrivals. The low level of foreign ship arrivals
and seaborne imports during the last two months
will probably result in a significant reduction
in ship congestion during September.
South of the 20th Parallel
Logistics Facilities
New and improved logistics areas
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infiltration routes. A probable ammunition storage
area located on Route 7 several miles west of Tri
Le has been extensively improved.
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D
5
-
,
dispersed POL storage area was noted on Route 1
a principal route for vehicles proceeding south
toward the DMZ and southern Laos. The new storage
area is located near the intersection of Routes 15
and 152 and consists of about 20 revetted trenches
along either side of the road. In addition, a
road loop has been constructed nearby and contains
additional revetted areas. Similar storage facili-
ties have been previously located along most of
Route 152 and are probably used in support of the
heavy truck traffic often noted in the vicinity.
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Construction Activity
10. Extensive
road repair
activity
along most
of Route 193 was
detected
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This route, located immediately above e cen
tral
portion
joining
tensive
of the DMZ, is an important connector
Routes 102 and 103 which service the
trail system along the DMZ border.
road
ex-
Truck Traffic
11. Truck activity I Iwithin
the Panhandle this past week was little c Hanged
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from last week. Although truck sightings were
again slightly below the weekly average noted
since 1 April, the number reported to be destroyed
and damaged was again considerably above the weekly
average. Trucks reported destroyed continued to
be well in excess of those reported damaged, as
shown in the tabulation below. The majority of
the truck losses were reported in Route Packages 2
and 3, an area where less than half of all attack
sorties are flown.
Sighted
De-
stroyed
D
.
Damaged
T
es
Da
otal
troyed
or
maged
Effective
Losses a/
This week b/
(26 Aug-1 Sep)
619
199
74
273
168
Last week
(19-25 Aug)
628
247
29
276
192
Weekly
average (since
1 Apr)
12. There was a slight increase in sightings
of truck convoys and concentrations of vehicles.
Concentrations of about 30 trucks each were sighted
this past week on Route 15 just below the 19th
Parallel, on Route 82 south of Vinh, and along
Route 101 south of the Mu Gia Pass turnoff. Smaller
concentrations were also noted at several points
along coastal Route 1A south of Vinh and Ha Tinh.
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Waterways
13. Watercraft sightings 25X1
were slightly lower than last week but still well
above the average weekly sightings noted since
1 April. The heaviest traffic was noted around
Quang Khe, Nguon Nay upstream from Quang Khe, and
in the Vinh area, particularly on the Ngan Sau
which leads southwest away from the city.
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Air Operations
16. Daily North Vietnamese MIG fighter-
interceptor patrols south of the 19th Parallel
continued through 30 August, but no MIG's or US
aircraft were downed.
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NORTH VIETNAM SOUTH OF THE 20th PARALLEL
Bai Thuong;
Enlarged probable
ammo storage area
THAILAND
r Quang Khe
03 02
Vinh Linh
Gi'o Linh
Dong Ha
f SOUTH MEIN "
t QuangTri
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