THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM (AS OF 1600 EDST)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-559-16-3-1
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: July 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: April 24, 1975
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/07/09 : LOC-HAK-559-16-3-1
~ET;1TItT~3C, 1NT~LI.IGE~7'Glr ACTrI~CY
L~iract'~r~to of Ir~t~a~,~,ig~ncs
r"~ ~ .~pr ~1 19-~5
ILv~Ei~,LI~I#T~E 1~irMQTu1'~AtJM
~1~~ :S.~tuaton .~:n Vat~tnarn
~~.s of 16f1Q SY)ST)
2dili~ar~y 1#+~?~~.on
I. i~ct~t Gc~tt1.'1'tiun~.Et Combat ~.ni$3ativos ~ remain cQnce:~-
NSA REVIEW (S)
COMPLETED
t~.ons. _~ ;these taa~ces coxzta,xa.u~ -at ~ ~ha~.r cuxrent w~tc,
tz~ey c~auld ~e~~h S~ai~on!?s ~aut~x?ts with~.r~ ~ ft~w o~cy~,.
z'rovincc. ~Q the youth, zn Fong An T?rav~.nce, ttxe *;vrth
V`ietn,ari~sc #3t1~ Di~risiox~ conti.nu~d driving north to t:~c
' east a# K~ttte ~, ~v~rrunninc~' a ~aumk~er o~ c~avc~rYUncnt nasi.~
trai:c~d can txt~ wcr~tern 'and southwes;:ern approaches tca
Saig4tY. Ccmuzaxst units vn Apr. i~. ~~ capL?ur~~ several.
gov~rrira~snt c~~tpr~st,s bl.cyck~.ng their wry in ~3AU i3g17a.a
.325th -~-~ ~~"e. xaow p~~s~~.ng sc-uth, Vietx~mese~~fcarc~s~ west
3. . ~'vrart~ 'newly. arr3.~red ~div~.~ions y~~ the 316th axYd the
x.s the . qu~~t$on, of what to do ~ whin the Commun~.sts w~.n
Ne~r3 : ~~r~.trs~d t~~.vsi,ons Frs~s Attacks
to~~ic of Cvnv~YsatiC~n...among thc~ ~i~.~.tary .st~,~f rz~:~bers
and &3; an ~~~, ass nr~w spa~ead~,ng to ? Can ~ha, wk~sra the main
. atti?~ude pr~val,ent~' in , tha military :hi.erarc~xy at Saigan
delta wa..1.1 ~bt~ ideo~.d~d cl.os~r t~ Sa3;gon: Thy defeatist
sa:na rnilit~;x~r Qfic~:aY.s nar~r ?adm~.t that, the? fete of the
tcarces, is x~~x mane ~xi favor of the. c~overnment:~~n the ael.~,a,
~hc Comn~uM~,~~~ arcs: apparen~~.y Z~~iv~ic~ thy' samcs arsc~rdanatir~r.
pro~xlcm~ ~ whiCT3 1!~d to the fairly s~v,~r~a zr+z~uling tk~ey z~-
. ~~i,vad in r~.~~ Anr~.Z. Althotagh. ~h.cx ~lac~l_~balanee of
2. T~r;~ ~ .eve]: of ?fir~ht3ng a~~~aix~s lc~w ~ in the cue? wa,
~-~ Camrtunist. ?uxtits ~~ampl~;t~ prep~ratir~n~: to renctr conw~t.
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/07/09 : LOC-HAK-559-16-3-1
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/07/09 : LOC-HAK-559-16-3-1 -
t . , ~.
aid sc~ath~~st ~f 'Saigt~n? T~'1e 32~tb, 'which helped capture.
? ~iai~ Tin tvr4 days agog has ? moved we~~ an8 is fast a~,7proach-
i~g the port. city nf. Vunq,`'~~tu. Another ~fvisioz~ .... the
nth ~-~- y b~ vbnvergfng : on they city fram. the n?xth.
4 . fang Tats i.s ;an impc~rta~r-t part at the mouth of ? ?~
the Satin R~rox ana has }~aeri a~nsid~xed for . usc:? -as an
? ava~ouatii~o~ .site. ThQ g?vernmont has shifted the ,z~3xborne
brig~rdr~' ea~tr~c~,ed from .Xuan Loc into ? Phua~ Tuy pravinca
'tO '~blcack Nort~7t Vic3?~nameaa #otces moving
~
1'S ~ ~tt^1~4
?
.
.
? a~'ainst the city but that ?un3.t ~tnd thg fozces closer t? }
ul
T
'
au c?
the. G~unissts. Vung w
'Vung ~`au ~tr+e no matvh for
f~13 within the next,one ar t days.
? ~ ~. the North '~i~tnamese ~I6t9x ~ivgi.on, which h?:s
~aa~ve~ ~:r~to Western Mil~.tary Roga.flt~ 3 fram ;th? high7.arids. I
a~:so l~aa gene an the ~tttack~. The ? 316th participated in
~e ~ighti:z~g. a~.oz~g R?ute 22 ~ut~th~ast of- Tay Nznh Ca.ty;
anc~ l~xte :r+~pc~rts xnd~.cate i.t is a~sat~].ting government ?
. pcas~.'tiaz xz Hsu. NgMia ProvincQ.
They ~fu +~e Sit~x tion at u+usi Tau ..
In ad~al,t'f.on: to th?~. m~.litary tk~re~t , d~velapinc~
5
.
arvund? ~'ig ~'au, there ark ~ n+umb~r' of internal d~.f f~:-
curies that Sagon?3.s tryzng ?to caunte~< ?As many as`
C5, pA0 r~fu~ees have been, pouring. a.ntta the coaster to~~rn
?oaGh day, ,this week, forcing the. government toYprohi.n~t~
..,-- - - - ~. _ _..~, .. a.,
.
~-~w~. ~...~~~ .~~ ~~., ~.r--r-~.. W. --_.-
CAI
the way Ica V~un Tau r~r? being a~vextad to several delta
~t
e
~
.
:
Governm
prov3.nce~, 3;nC~zdir~g Go Cang snt~ ? K3.en Hoa.
b
~h~
y
-p
aff~.c3.als are also transferring many rafuge$s
to
nd
i
,
ons .a
tv ~tha? d~~ta to rel~.EVe tho cxavoded condit
prevent ~~hcr panic situat~.a~ '>su~a as dev~lcaped at
~ Neg. .
?. I~eep~.to these aet~.Q~~`r l~xrge numbcr~ o~ PeoPiQ
in thc~ belief
are'lik~~ to ovntinuo to he~-d fcr Vung Tau
,
fiha~t it ; ~~ieix hope of ?scag~> At last. report, the raa
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/07/09 : LOC-HAK-559-16-3-1
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/07/09 : LOC-HAK-559-16-3-1
th V.
?$
.
~band~nc~c~ a? 1?~arg~ numn
a
~
~ ?
mes~:
.etn
~'he &auth v
it.h~.rc,,~t
. ~ircrrs~t ~n~itd~:ng ~-~.s, ~'-~i~~ a~aci~ ~ 37~ when they
of the aircr~.ft 'i
,
fxQm Mfli~Bry ~t~gi.vris ~, aid
w+~xe in f1. ~b1a condition. 25X1.:
l
? the 25X1;
~ l~r
n the in25X1
rQ~att a
d ax
.
.
~iunste .~ac~u.x.d use I~d~Gs and rsaptuxr~+
' ~:~sau~.t ,~i ~~i:goz~ No ~17GGs h,vQ he~ara. `d~ts~cted flying into
. .
A$~eS iii.: Sci~uth V3.C3'frf~8rt1, ..__~~~., rrs ~.a..,.~,we~caea x- SCO G`A17'~.u~`)ciX'I
. -yl~,~, ova..., ...~_._~ _ ...._
Brae its~t~.tie~s caf 'muniti?t~~ far the V8-XC-us 5cuth '~~-25X1
3xam~s~i ~ircx~c~lr. .
~.Sc~u~h '~ w~tx~amese ~ ~#irfc~rce
south V~.at>ames~ are nocv able to
T1~
e?
11.
'thirds ~# th?ir 1r5,Q0' aircr~cft? Most of these
~~- No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/07/09 : LOC-HAK-559-16-3-1
f res~r Sa~.~~aa~ ~a~?, ~t3.11 ?? open ? end bcyth : +~ivi ~.~.ar~ a~a~ ~~a~ ~A ~w~.
tr$ffic wrr~ h~mvy. "Pith the 1~.~e~hood o~ tY~e port ~.i:.
~~-ig4r~ ~~~c~ vlo~c~d aura to interdiatiQn o~E ,the r3.ver, Vun~
?' Tau a~c1 Rhth Gia, ~mr to the W#~t ~ ~-re ? thc~ ? raril.y ports
e ev~cu~tion vessels. ~ For. those 1
l
arg
capable ?~ h~end~.3.nc~
hctp~.ng tc- ~~oaps the Gauntryy r ~,t remaa.ns th~- ?la~t hcape anc~ .
id s~o~ hr3n~ cvmpl.ete chaos to
~
~cou
theme' de~~ate peogl
! the city;. _ _. 25X1
~
v-
ly about t~
aixcx'aft~ a~~ ,
~.
. ~
25X1
j
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/07/09 : LOC-HAK-559-16-3-1
oono~.uctc that yet th+a~ curx~nt rata of usage, ~ them: f s r~:~ou~h
or8aanca rc~unaixz.x~g ?far ~~-2a da~ysi i~ stackpilc~~ are; rot ,
~'~p~.~ri~S3~1wC-~~,.
Vi~trtam~s~ ~'agu-zas' show ?Ehat nearly Q04 ~circratt were dss?-
troyed or aban~3?xxr~a to ;the Commtxnist~ < af:~Cia~. estimate.
ati~,l? t~.own from S~.en 'H~~a ~ Tan San ~ht~t ~ arzd Can T~i~ . ~o~tr
Thee Fc~~:~tica~. 5~.t:t~a:Gi+~n
~,
1Z. ~~gQtiat3.ahs between Ge~~ral "Big" Minh end pre~z~?
dent Luang t~ ' arganixe a rieva cive~xnment g ear to ha~re hi.t
at l~:ast a t o~'~. sna .
25X1
25X1.
'13, Minh ' ag~a.acc~ntly has picked up same pcswerful su-~ ~vrt
facom among ~'orr ame~nhc3rs a~ tl~c~ ThiQ~ g?vQx~nmant. 25X1
d~manc~ tY3at thc~ Am?acica~i~s 'immr~d~,a~e.~~r withdraw 3.ts person~~?
~zn~ support a~d~ must requ3.re that th$ US immediat~l~~ repave
the ~t~mmuni.st~ might: agre~i to nc~gotiatr~. :The GOmmentar~r ~
i ? Btataa that airy nc~~ r~vvQrr~mQnt in ;Saigon mu'str "not ecans i s 4
of those ? whiff hav'~ a~.osaiy ?as~ociat;?r~ with Thf.eu. " ~t ni~s't
.
r~s~.c~n dram th~a ~aresa:daricy. ? ~ormar grimy rnni~t~r Khiem ~
mill a~.sca su~p~axt M3:nh~'s ba.a and' try td ? pear~u~.d~3 Huang toy . ,,
? step. down. 1