SITUATION REPORT AS OF 1800 HOURS LOCAL TIME - 1968/01/31

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06753749
• Document Creation Date: July 27, 2018

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Intelligence Information Cable
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STATE/INR DIA NMCC/MC ISECDEF JCS ARMY NAVY AIR) CIA/NMCC NIC NSA WO ONE CRS
EXO DD/I
OER FBIS DCS IRS AID USIA
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the. United Stats within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 10, 17.8M.
Secs. 703 and 704. the tmnsmisson or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
AN INFORMATION REPORT. NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
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COUNTRY
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SOURCE
SOUTH VIETNAM'
3.3(h)(2)
DIST 31 JANUARY 1968 3.5(c)
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SITUATION REPORT AS OF 1800 HOURS LOCAL TIME
3.3(h)(2)
1. DURING THE EARLY MORNING OF 31 JANUARY, THE VIET CONG
(VC) STRUCK AT NINE TARGETS IN THE CITY OF SAIGON WITH
AS ESTIMATED LOSS OF AT LEAST 60 MEN. THE POLICE ESTIMATE THAT
MORE THAN 100 VIETNAMESE POLICE WERE KILLED. U.S.
FORCES ALSO SUFFERED CASULATIES. AT 1530 HOURS ON THE 31ST, THE
POLICE WERE TRYING TO ROOT OUT A GROUP OF VC WHO HAD OCCUPIED A
HOUSE IN DOWNTOWN SAIGON.
2. IN I CORPS, THE VC WERE ACTIVE IN ALL PROVINCES. AS OF
0830 HOURS, THE SITUATIONS:
A. UANG-TRi: QUANG TRI CITY WAS UNDER GROUND AND ROCKET �
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ATTACK FROM A VARIETY OF DIRECTIONS BUT THE SITUATION WAS UNDER CONTROL.
B. THUS THIEN: ACCORDING TO MILITARY SOURCES, HUE WAS UNDER
MORTAR ATTACK.
C. QUANG NAM: THE SITUATION,APPEARED STABILIZED IN HOI AN
CITY, WITH THE VC HAVING BEEN CLEARED OUT. SEVERAL DISTRICTS WERE
UNDER ATTACK, WITH HIEU NHON IN PARTICULAR BEING HARD HIT.
D. QUANG TIN: THE VC ATTACKED TAM KY CITY WITH SMALL ARMS AND
MORTARS AT 0445 HOURS.
E. QUANG NGAI: QUANG NGAI CITY WAS ATTACKED BY VC WHO USED
RECOILLESS RIFLE FIRE IN EARLY MORNING HOURS.
F. DANANG CITY: SMALL ARMS, MORTAR AND ARTILLERY FIRE CONTINUED
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT SOUTH OF THE CITY. THERE WERE ALSO ROCKET
ATTACKS ON DANANG AND THE MARBLE MOUNTAIN AIRBASES. A GROUND ATTACK
AGAINST THE DANANG RIVER BRIDGE WAS REPULSED.
3. ON THE NIGHT OF 29 JANUARY, THE VC AND NORTH VIETNAMESE
ARMY (NVA) LAUNCHED WELL-PLANNED AND WELL-COORDINATED ATTACKS
ON NHA TRANG, BAN ME THUOT, PLEIKU, KONTUM CITY, IVY HOA, QUI NHON
AND OTHER SMALL AREAS THROUGHOUT THE II CORPS AREA.
,
AS OF 1300 HOURS ON 31 JANUARY, THE SITUATION APPEARED TO BE
E C E T - FORE DISSEM
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UNDER CONTROL IN ALL II CORPS PROVINCIAL CAPITALS EXCEPT KONTUM,
PHAN THIET AND BAN ME THUOT, ALTHOUGH FIGHTING STILL CONTINUED
IN PLEIKU CITY AND QUI NHON AND IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF TUY HOA. IN
QUI NHON, SPORADIC FIRING CONTINUED, WITH THE RADIO AND RAILWAY
STATIONS IN ENEMY HANDS. AMERICAN CIVILIANS IN BAN
ME THUOT WERE PREPARING TO EVACUATE. IN PHAN THIET CITY, THE
SITUATION WAS CONFUSED, WITH ENEMY UNITS IN THE TOWN.
4. AS OF 1300 HOURS ON 31 JANUARY, NHA TRANG CITY WAS RE-
COVERING FROM TWO DAYS AND NIGHTS OF FIGHTING WITH THE 7TH AND
8TH BNS OF THE NVA 18B REGIMENT. THE 7THBN PENETRATED THE TOWN,
DESTROYED SECTOR HEADQUARTERS (HQS) AND CAPTURED PROVINCE HQS AND
THE RADIO STATION BEFORE BEING DRIVEN.OUT, LEAVING BEHIND ABOUT 70
DEAD AND 20 CAPTURED. AT 1300 HOURS, THERE WAS STILL SOME SCATTERED
SNIPING ON THE FRINGES OF THE TOWN.
5. A MEMBER OF AN NVA SWIMMING DEMOLITION TEAM WHO WAS CAP-
TURED STATED THAT TEN 3-MAN SUCH TEAMS WERE OPERATING IN THE CAM
RANH AREA. THE CAPTIVE CONFESSED THAT HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE TEAM
THAT BLEW A 30-FOOT HOLE IN THE NORWEGIAN TANKER "PELICAN" DURING
THE EARLY MORNING 0F31 JANUARY.
6. SO AS OF 1300 HOURS, NO UNUSUAL ACTIVITY WAS REPORTED IN
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QUANG DUC, LAM DONG, TUYN DUC, PHU BON OR NINH THUAN PROVINCES.
7. IN III CORPS, THE BIEN HOA AIRFIELD RECEIVED
SMALL ARMS, AUTOMATIC WEAPONS AND MORTAR FIELD, RESULTING IN
DAMAGE TO RUNWAYS AND OIL TANKS. TAN SON NHUT AIRFIELD, ON
EDGE OF SAIGON, RECEIVED MORTAR, SMALL ARMS AND AUTOMATIC
WEAPONS FIRE WHEN ABOUT 100 VC PENETRATED THE PERIMETER ON
THE NORTH SIDE IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.
8. DURING THE NIGHT OF 30 JANUARY, THE VC HIT AT TARGETS IN
AT LEAST SIX IV CORPS 'PROVINCES, AS FOLLOWS:
A. DINH TUONG: THERE WAS HEAVY VC ACT ION THROUGHOUT THE
PROVINCE.
B. KIEN PHONG : CAO LANH CITY WAS UNDER VC ATTACK.
C. CHAU DOC: CHAU PHU CITY WAS ATTACKED CIRCA 0700 HOURS ON
31 JANUARY. AS OF 1330 HOURS, REENFORCEMENTS HAD ARRIVED AND THE
SITUATION WAS EXPECTED TO IMPROVE.
D. BA XUYEN: SOC TRANG CITY WAS ATTACKED AT 0300 HOURS BY AN
ESTIMATED VC COMPANY THAT PENETRATED THE CITY. STREET FIGHTING WAS
IN PROGRESS AS OF 0800 HOURS.
E. KIEN HOA: A VC FORCE, ESTIMATED AS possipix TWO BNS, ATTACKED
1
BEN TRI CITY AT 0200 HOURS WITH SMALL ARMS, MACHINE GUNS AND ROCKETS.
THE VC PENETRATED THE CITY AND ENGAGED ARVN .IN STREET FIGHTING.
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AS OF 1330 HOURS, THE VC HAD BEEN DRIVEN TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE
CITY, WHERE THE FIGHTING CONTINUED.
r. PHONG DINH: AT CIRCA 0215 HOURS, CAN THO CITY AND AIRFIELD
WERE ATTACKED BYtC WHO PENETRATED THE WEST END OF THE AIRFIELD A
4
SHORT DISTANCE. REMNANTS OF THE ATTACKING VC BN ATTEMPTED TO WITH-
DRAW CIRCA 0700 HOURS AND WERE BEING PURSUED BY ARVN AND AIR UNITS.
WITHIN THE CITY, THE POLICE WERE TRYING TO ROUND UP STRAGGLERS.
a. DISSEM: STATE USMACV 7TH AIR FORCE CINCPAC PACFLT
t ADVANCE COPY SENT TO: WHITE HOUSE STATE
ARPAC PACAF �DIA ARMY NAVY AIR JCS NIC NSA OCI.
REPORT CLASS RET/NO FOR ISSEM GROUP 1
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