THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM NO. 15 (AS OF 7:00 A.M. EST)

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02150029
• Document Creation Date: January 28, 2019

Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 CO2150029
SC No. 07433/68
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
5 February 1908.
'INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
The Situation in South Vietnam No, 15
*-------Nr-iirTra A.M. ESIT
1. Allied forces appear to have regained the
initiative in many of South Vietnam's urban areas.
Most of the major provincial capitals were reported
relatively quiet throughout the night of 4-5 Feb-
ruary and into the morning. Bitter fighting still
continues in Hue, however, as well as in isolated
sections of Saigon and in several large cities
And. district towns. The Communists also hit at
Khe Sanh after a long period of relative quiet.
2. There have been no significant political
developments since those reported in the 5 Feb-
ruary Central Intelligence, Bulletin,
Khe Sanh
3. Early on 5 February, US Marines drove back
some 200 to 300 North Vietnamese regulars during an
assault on the defensive position atop strategic
Hill 861. The attack Was staged in conjunction
with a four-hour artillery, rocket, and mortar
barrage on the main base camp of Khe Sank.
4. Communist losses totaled 100 killed in
contrast to American casualties of seven killed
and 44 wounded. No major damage to the base was
reported and the airstrip remains open.
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Corps
5. Bitter, door-to-door fighting was reported
continuing, in Hue as US and South Vietnamese soldiers
exert increasing pressure on pockets of enemy re-
sistence in several sectors of the city. Progress
is slow, with determined Communist elements clinging
to isolated strongpoiats in the citadel and on the south
bank of the Perfume River.
6. Heavy fighting erupted in the market place
of Trion Phong, a district capital just to the north
of Quang Tri city, at mid-morning today. Additionally
four, possibly eight, Communist battalions are re-
ported moving toward Quang Tri city from the south-
west, and it is possible that a new attack is upcoming
in this area, although there is no other confirma-
tion of the report.
7. Other reports state the Communists are
planning to strike the provincial capitals of Tam Ky
and Quang Ngai city and several district towns some-
time before 10 January. Although such reports of
imminent enemy action may be part of a Communist scare
campaign, the enemy still retains the potential to
mount at least *limited attacks, supported by mortar
and rocket forays throughout 1 Corps.
8. There are no developments on the massing
of North Vietnamese forces, including the entire 2nd
Division, in the Da Nang area reported in our Sitreps
of 3 and 4 February.
II Corps.
9. During the night of 4-5 February and up to
mid-morning today, there was relatively little enemy
offensive activity throughout the central part of
South Vietnam. Allied forces continue to flush out
areas where small elements are holed up in several
cities such as Tuy Hoa, Ban Me Thuot, and Dalat.
In Kontum and Pleiku, the situation was reported
"very quiet." Sporadic, light mortar attacks were
directed at a few cities last night but damage and
casualties were reported light.
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10. Communist military forces in the western
highlands, under the direction of the B-3 Front,
continue to pose a substantial threat to key cities
and major allied outposts there. Three regiments
of the North Vietnamese 1st Division have been
relocating to the Dak To area in
central Kontum Province. This maneuver was further
confirmed by two prisoners purportedly from the
North Vietnamese 32nd Regiment which, according to
the captives, is about to launch a three-pronged
attack on Dak To, together with the 66th and 174th
regiments. A rocket and mortar attack there on 3
February was reported earlier. Other Communist main
force units remain active in the vicinity of Kontum
and Pleiku cities, and another major round of fight-
ing could develop there.
III Corps
11. No new attacks were reported in the III
Corps area last night or early this morning.
Saigon
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12. South Vietnamese National Police and ARVN
soldiers continue to report sharp clashes with groups
of Viet Cong within the city of Saigon. The heaviest
fighting last night was in Cholon, the Chinese
quarter in the southwest corner of the capital, but
firing incidents have boon reported in nearly every
section.
13. US intelligence sources in Saigon feel that
a relatively small number of Viet Cong are responsible
for the most recent terrorist activities. At noon on
5 February (local Vietnam time) US officials esti-
mated that less than 100 Viet Cong "action. agentsft
remained in the city with probably three-four bat-
talions .on the boundaries of the western precincts.
14. Strong enemy main forces, in addition, still
appear to be deployed within striking range of the
capital. There is further evidence that the Viet
Cong 9th Division has moved towards Saigon from
northwest III Corps, a movement which was reported
earlier based on captured documents and defector
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statements. The US Command disclosed last night that
prisoners from all three regiments of the 9th Divi-
sion have been captured in recent days in the general
area north and west of Saigon.
15. Information has come in from a number of
prisoner interrogations which tends to support the
theory that, in general, the Communists may have be-
lieved that the people of Saigon and other urban -
areas were "ripe for revolution." Low level cadre,
for example, apparently were not provided with with-
drawal plans since their superiors told them there
could be no question but that a "general uprising"
would be sparked.
16. Nevertheless, the Communist high command
was prudent enough not to commit all of their reserves
to the first assault. Thus, it is possible that the
viewpoints expressed by the prisoners mainly repre-
sent exhortative propaganda pumped into them by the
hardcore cadre, and are not true representations of
the real Communist estimates and intentions.
IV Corps
17. US forces remained in contact with an esti-
mated 100 Viet Cong within the provincial capital of
Vinh Long early this morning. Fighting also continued
within or on the outskirts of a number of other prov-
incial capitals and district towns in the delta.
18. At Go Cong a small Viet Cong force released
over 100 prisoners from the provincial jail; 'Era
Vinh continues to be surrounded by some 2,000 of
the enemy.
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