WEEKLY SUMMARY - 1967/12/22

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03172611
• Document Creation Date: July 27, 2018

Approved for Release: 2018/07/11 C03172611
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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY SUMMARY
ARCHIVAL RECORD
PLEASE RETT.II Tr)
AGENCY ARCHIVES,
22 December
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No. 0321/67
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CONTENTS
(Information as of noon EST, 21 December 1967)
Far East
THE WEEK IN PERSPECTIVE
VIETNAM
Communist military activity remained at a relatively
low level throughout South Vietnam during the past
week. Meanwhile, in its first test of strength with
the National Assembly, the Thieu government failed
to get full approval of its partial mobilization
decree.
Page
1
3
COMMUNISTS STEP UP MILITARY ACTIVITY IN LAOS
The Communists have launched their annual dry-season
offensive, and there are tenuous signs that a more
wide-ranging effort may be made this year.
7
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FAR EAST
Communist military activity in South Vietnam
remained at a relatively low level but there was
further evidence of plans for a major Communist of-
fensive in the heavily populated coastal area of
central South Vietnam. The National Liberation
Front's seventh anniversary was the occasion for
renewed assurances of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese
resolve to continue fighting until "final victory."
Premier Chou En-lai publicly promised "more effective"
Chinese support but confined himself to the standard
description of China's role as a "dependable rear"
for the Vietnamese people's struggle.
Communist forces in Laos have launched their
annual dry-season offensive, with some signs of a
more sustained and wide-ranging campaign this year.
Unconfirmed reports tell of North Vietnamese troops
moving into northern Laos. In reaction to an at-
tack by Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese forces on
a government base in southern Laos, Premier Souvanna
Phouma again denounced the presence of the North
Vietnamese as a flagrant violation of the Geneva
accords.
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VIETNAM
Communist-initiated military
activity remained at a relatively
low level throughout South Viet-
nam during the past week. The
few significant encounters in re-
cent days resulted mainly from US
and South Vietnamese sweep opera-
tions, some of which penetrated
deep into sensitive Communist base
areas and caused a considerable
number of enemy casualties.
Despite the low level of ac-
tivity, there are new indications
that the Communists are planning
to intensify their military ef-
forts in various sections of the
country. Extensive repositioning
and maneuvering of enemy combat
units point to a renewal of
offensive activity in the near
future.
Documents recently captured
in Quang Nam Province outlined a
plan in which one regiment of the
North Vietnamese 2nd Division
would conduct a diversionary at-
tack near Que Son to draw allied
reaction forces into the area from
nearby strongpoints. This regi-
ment would then withdraw and join
forces with the division's other
two subordinate regiments to at-
tack the remaining allied forces
to the south. Because of the
heavy casualties suffered by the
2nd Division in recent months,
however, there is some doubt this
plan can be put into effect.
In Quang Ngai Province, an
jbuggest that the
province ana its 'capital city may
3.3(h)(2)
Page 3
be focal points of impending at-
tacks.
Political Developments
in South Vietnam
In its first test of strength
with the National Assembly, the
Thieu government failed to get
approval of its partial mobili-
zation decree. On 18 December,
Defense Minister Nguyen Van Vy
went before each house of the
assembly to defend the decree.
Although Vy's presentation was
well received, according to sev-
eral senators, the Upper House
the following day resoundingly
rebuffed the government, largely
on the basis of allegations that
the decree is unconstitutional.
The Lower House also may not
approve Vy's defense of the mobil-
ization decree. Because of the
generally progovernment Democratic
Bloc, however, the government has
more leverage in the Lower House
and could stave off a rejection.
In any case, the Thieu admin-
istration apparently plans to im-
plement its decree on 1 January
with or without National Assembly
approval, thus risking further
difficulties in its relations
with the legislature. Vy indi-
cated during the interpellation,
however, that if the assembly
passed a mobilization law of its
own, the �overnment would carr
it out.
SEQKBT
WEEKLY SUMMARY 22 Dec 67
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On 19 December, the govern-
ment brought to trial in a mili-
tary court 26 persons involved in
the 1966 Buddhist "struggle" move-
ment, which was centered in I
Corps. Prominent among the de-
fendants are the former mayor of
Da Nang, Dr. Nguyen Van Man, and
a former area commander, Colonel
Dam Quang Yeu. Conviction and
heavy sentences may bring about
another confrontation between the
government and the militant Bud-
dhists. There are also indications
that the Viet Cong are formulating
plans to exploit the issue by at-
tempting to stimulate mass protests.
President Thieu has indicated
that if the "strugglers" are con-
victed, he may exercise clemency.
Sentiment against the trial is
running high in the National As-
sembly, however, and both houses
have formed committees to look
into the matter of amnesty for po-
litical prisoners.
Bui Quang San, a member of
the Lower House from Quang Nam
Province, was assassinated by two
unknown persons on 15 December.
Government spokesmen have claimed
that the Viet Cong were responsible
for San's death, but there is
some possibility that he was killed
as the result of his involvement
in a political squabble within the
Vietnamese Nationalist Party
(VNQDD).
SF
ET
NFLSV Anniversary Celebrated
The Liberation Front's pre-
teneton of being the sole repre-
sentative of the South Vietnamese
people received strong endorse-
ment from its Communist allies
this week in propaganda accompany-
ing the celebration of the Front's
seventh anniversary on 20 Decem-
ber. The North Vietnamese
stressed their own and the Front's
resolve to struggle until "final
victory," pointing to the success
already achieved in the current
winter-spring campaign as evi-
dence that the Communists have
the military initiative.
In their propaganda on the
anniversary, Moscow and Peking
stressed the significance of the
Front's new political program
but, in doing so also pointed up
their differing views on the con-
flict. Soviet statements took
Moscow's usual line that the
program will be particularly im-
portant in solving the Vietnam-
ese problem. The Chinese, on
the other hand, only rarely refer
to the program and this time
chose to emphasize that portion
having a militant and uncompro-
mising tone. In its over-all
treatment of the anniversary, Pe-
king repeated its strong but
carefully worded offers of en-
couragement and support to the
Vietnamese as long as they con-
tinue to fight.
ET
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22 Dec 67
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