THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM - 27 DECEMBER 1967

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06752238
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: April 26, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 30, 2019
• Publication Date: December 27, 1967

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
MEMORANDUM
The Situation in Vietnam
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27 Decembe
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Information as of 1600
27 December 1967
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HIGHLIGHTS
The first major ground action after the Christ-
mas cease-fire occurred north of Quang Tri city.
South Vietnamese Army units engaged units of North
Vietnam's 5th Regiment.
I. The Military. Situation in South Vietnam:
South Vietnamese Army forces reported killing over
200 Communist troops in a battle near Quang Tri
city on 26 December (Paras. 1-3). There are
indications that additional enemy forces may be
moving from the central highlands south to III
Corps (Paras. 4-7). The Weekly Review of South
Vietnam Battle Statistics (Para. 8). (Charts)
II. Political Developments in South Vietnam:
Senator Nguyen Van Ngai has reportedly drafted a
political parties law for presentation to the Na-
tional Assembly (Paras. 1-2). Acting Foreign
Minister Lam believes Saigon will be under pres-
sure to close the Mekong River because of South
Vietnam's problems with Cambodia (Paras. 3-5).
III. North Vietnamese Military Developments:
increase
in truck traffic in southern North Vietnam during
the Christmas cease-fire (Paras. 1-3).
IV. Other Communist Military Developments:
There is nothing of significance to report.
V. Communist Political Developments: There
is nothing of significance to report.
I
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I. THE MILITARY SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM
1. South Vietnamese Army forces reported that
they killed more than 200 Communist troops on 26
December some nine miles northeast of Quang Tri
city, the northernmost province's capital. This
was the first major ground engagement after the
Christmas truce.
2. The government infantrymen, supported by
tanks and helicopter gunships, also captured 42
enemy weapons. They described their losses as
"light." The enemy unit was identified as the
416th Battalion of the North Vietnamese 5th
Regiment.
3. In the central highlands an enemy force
overran a hamlet on the outskirts of Kontum city
early on 27 December and killed 12 South Viet-
namese civilians and wounded 26.
Possible Enemy Reinforcements Moving to III Corps
ort ietnamese orces are moving from the central
hi hlands southward to the III Corps area.
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6. A Communist captured recently in the high-
lands stated that a battalion of the North Viet-
namese 673rd Regiment had infiltrated to the B-3
Front in June and was to continue "southward." Doc-
uments captured in western Kontum Province confirmed
the presence of this battalion.
Weekly Review of South Vietnam Battle Statistics
8. The week of 17-23 December compared with the
week of 10-16 December:
I. Casualties
VC/NVA US
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10-16 Dec 17-23 Dec 10-16 Dec 17-23 Dec
Killed 1,685 1,523 187 166
Wounded 932 1,627
Missing/
Captured
TOTALS 1,685 1,523 1,119 1,793
GVN FREE WORLD
10-16 Dec 17r23. Dec 10-16 Dec 17-23 Dec
Killed 278 234 13 20
Wounded 641 629 18 34
Missing/
Captured 179 26
--
TOpa,S 1,098 889 31 . 54 �
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TOBYET
II. Viet Cong Incidents
Attacks
Battalion or Larger
Small Unit
10-16 Dec
17-23 Dec
56
0
56
51
� � � � 2
� � � 49
Harassment
233
358
Terrorism
32
37
Sabotage
26
56
Propaganda
7
5
Antiaircraft
195
105
TOTALS
549
612
III. Weapons Captured
VC/NVA
GVN
10-16 Dec 17-23 Dec
10-16
Dec 17-23 Dec
Individual
415
Not
269
137
Crew-Served
58
Reported
5
8
TOTALS
473
274
145
27 December 1967
1-3
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600
200
4000
: 3000
2000
1000
0
645
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Viet Cong Attacks
SEPT
260
11111111111 1L1_11111111 11_111111111 11111111111 11111111111
1963 1964 1965 1 1966 1967 1
Viet Cong Incidents
(Excluding Attacks)
11111111111
11111111111
1963 1964
69047 12-67 CIA
OCT NOV DEC{
1967
SEPT
3,497
11111111111 111111111/1 /1//1//1///
1965
1966
1967'
5 Propaganda
56 Sabotpge
37 Terrorism
1967
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8000
6000
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Weapons Losses
2000
Viet Cong
GVN
16000
12000
8000
4000
0
1963
SEPT
2000
1500
1000
1,877500
1963
1964 1965
Casualties
(Killed only)*
1966
444
1967
17-23DEC
'OCT NOV DEC
1 1967
..'"��� Viet Cong/NVA
GVN/US/other P
ree World
SEPT
6, 54
1,
1964
1965
1966
1967
US Casualties to Date: Killed15,812 Wounded 99,303 Captured 226
*Due to a change in the reporting of personnel losses, from 12 February 1967 the weekly and monthly
figures represent only personnel killed.
OCT NOV DEC
1967
Missing 660
69046 12-67 CIA
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II. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH VIETNAM
1. Senator Nguyen Van Ngai intends to circulate
a draft of a proposed law dealing with the creation
of political parties
Ngai reportedly believes that the National Assembly
would take at least two months to draft such legisla-
tion, and is taking the initiative himself by present-
ing the assembly with a draft from which it can work.
He will circulate his draft on 29 December
and will also give copies to the press.
2. Ngai's draft reportedly includes provisions
which would facilitate the development of a two-party
system and eliminate clandestine and regional. parties.
Political groups would be required to establish pub-
licly identified provincial committees in at least
ten provinces before qualifying as legal parties.
Ngai claims that President Thieu urged him several
weeks ago to help him draft a political parties law,
but Ngai has not consulted with Thieu on his current
draft. Although Ngai expects opposition from several
quarters to certain provisions of his proposed law,
he is reportedly confident that it will be approved
essentially as written.
South Vietnamese - Cambodian Relations
3. Acting Foreign Minister Pham Dang Lam recently
discussed with an embassy officer the contents of Cam-
bodia's reply of 26 December to the note of 4 December
from the United States on problems along the Cambodian
South Vietnamese border. Lam expressed concern that
the South Vietnamese Government will be under pres-
sure to take a public position when Phnom Penh's reply
is released. Pressures would come, he believed, not
only from the South Vietnamese Senate, which has ad-
dressed a letter to the government asking for an ex-
planation of its attitude toward Cambodia, but also
from the South Vietnamese press and the public for an
explanation of measures their government intends to
take with respect to Cambodia.
4. Lam felt that the government would have to
take into consideration public resentment about past
Cambodian provocations. Hinting at a possible closure
27 December 1967
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of the Mekong River, he said that the Mekong River
Convention of 1954 would have to be Te-examined' in
the light of present developments. Lam anticipated
that most Vietnamese would probably support action
to bloc shipping up the Mekong to Cambodia.
5. The embassy believes pressures will prob-
ably mount not only to close the Mekong but also pos-
sibly to enact a forceful policy of "hot pursuit" for
South Vietnamese forces. The time when the government
might have been prepared to make some conciliatory
gesture toward Cambodia as a step toward restoring
normal relations has apparently passed. Foreign Minis-
ter Tran Van Do's statement of 26 December in Paris
suggests that the government is giving serious thought
to "hot pursuit." The whole Cambodian question will
be aired at the monthly cabinet meeting scheduled for
28 December.
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III. NORTH VIETNAMESE MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
1. in-
crease in truck traffic in southern Nortn Vietnam
during the Christmas cease-fire. It is not possible,
however, to estimate th quantity of goods moved south
on the basis of this evidence.
2. In the week ending 25 December, a special
effort was made to observe truck traffic in southern
North Vietnam, About 900 trucks were observed on
routes south of Thanh Hoa and north and south of Quang Khe,
compared with only about 84 trucks observed the previous
week under normalconditions. During and just after the
Christmas cease-fire, about half the 900 trucks were
observed moving even farther south toward the Demili-
tarized Zone. Large concentrations of trucks were near
Vinh and in the Quang Khe area. Photography of 25
December showed ,a large number of trucks near Quang
Khe unloading their cargoes for further shipment south
by water. Considerable traffic was also observed con-
tinuing on Routes 137 and 15 leading toward the North
Vietnam - Laos border.
27 December 1967
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