THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00826A001000010049-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 19, 2006
• Sequence Number: 49
• Publication Date: July 21, 1966
• Content Type: IM

Approved FoSlease 2'
0'0710?/0?`Cf . 9T008D01000010049-1
Information as of .1600
21 July 1966
State..[~~QI 'r v w c`i tpl,etec
PREPARED FOR,THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
FURTHER .DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION
Approved For Release 2ppfyWOk fLAR"T00826A001000010049-1
104
25X
 25X1 Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1
Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1
 Appro
21 July 1966
Militant Buddhist leader Thich Tri Quang's at-
tendance at the reception given today by Father
Quynh's "Front of All Religions" was Quang's first
public appearance since beginning his fast. II
I. The Military Situation in South Vietnam:
Operation HASTINGS/LAM SON 289 continues with only
sporadic contact with the enemy reported (Para. 1).
Quang Ngai Airfield attacked by the Viet Cong (Para.
2) .
II. Political Developments in South Vietnam:
The reception given today by Father Quynh's "Front
of All Religions" was highlighted today by the
attendance of militant Buddhist Thich Tri Quang
(Paras. 1-2). A young Buddhist monk attempted self-
immolation outside the building where the recep-
tion was held (Para. 3). Recent developments con-
cerning the constitutional assembly election in
September include a generally favorable US Embassy
assessment on a countrywide basis, but some criti-
cism of the lack of prominent candidates in the
Saigon area
25X1
25X1
Appr
 Appr
III. Military Developments in North Vietnam:
Three US aircraft were lost on 21 July as air de-
fense activity continued at a high level for the
third day (Paras. 1-2). Subsequent reports for
20 July indicate four MIG encounters took place
but no US planes were lost (Para;.. 3);.. Missile
activity for the past week reached a new high
and suggests that the DRV may be concentrating
its SAMs in the Hanoi-Haiphong area (Para. 4).
25X1
IV. Other Communist Military Developments:
There is nothing of significance to report.
21 July 1966
App
 Approved ForWease 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T0082WO1000010049-1
NORTH g Hol
`.ft Hue.
USMC/AIWN
OPERATION
HASTINGS/LAM SON 28+9
ai
Q prig Ngai Airfield
Da Lat'
-j I c:
25X1
Attopeu
rr
Kontum-
Pleiku.
DEMA'CATI~,N i INE
Ban Me
Thuot
CURRENT SITUATION
0 25 50 75 100Mdes
0 255 50 75 IOO Kilometers
Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1
 Approv
1. Joint US -, South.' Vietnamese Operation_HASTINGS/
LAM SON 289 continues in northern Quang Tri Province
with only light, sporadic contact reported. Several
scattered skirmishes took place today with a total of
13 US Marines killed. Cumulative casualty figures
include 56 Americans killed and 164 wounded. Commu-
nist losses stand at 425 killed and 100 assorted weapons
captured.
2. Quang Ngai Airfield was attacked by a Viet
Cong force of undetermined size early this morning.
Following a mortar attack on the base a Viet Cong
squad penetrated a US Marine position in the vicinity
of the airfield,. using grenades and satbhel charges.
Seven Americans were killed in the action. There was
no reported damage to aircraft or to the airfield.
21 July 1966
Approlved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1
 Ap
II. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH VIETNAid
1. Militant Buddhist leader Thich Tri Quang
made his first public appearance in more than a
month today at a reception sponsored by Cathelic
Father Quynh's "Front of All Religions." In a
brief statement to approximately 200 assembled
guests, Quang remarked that he agreed entirely
with the Front's program, particularly in regard
to its September election boycott,`its deman5 for
an interim government, and its call for tie unity
of the army and the people in order to defeat the
Communists. He declared that the realization of
these three points would allow him to end his fast.
Quang also stated that he was attending the recep-
tion to show his support for the Front and his be-
lief in the unity of all religions.
2. Other notables attending the reception
included three ranking monks from the Buddhist In-
stitute, although they told a US Embassy officer
that they were not officially representing the In-
stitute. In line with his remarks yesterday,
southern Buddhist leader Mai Tho Truyen was pres-
ent as an observer only. Northern refugee priest
Father Hoang Quynh, the sponsor of the Front, re-
portedly told an American journalist that he was
not representing any Catholic organization in his
current activities, although he formerly headed
the Catholic Citizens Bloc, which he claimed had
two million followers. Quynh, however, did de-
clare that the Buddhist Institute was lending of-
ficial support to his Front.
3. As the reception began to disperse, a
young Buddhist monk attempted self-immolation in
front of the building. He was taken to the hos-
pital, apparently in critical condition. The US
Embassy did not immediately learn the reason for
the suicide attempt, although press accounts
state that the monk left three letters which pre-
sumably explain his action.
21 July 1966
Ap
 Appro
,'action Developments
4. Former president of the Saigon City Council
La Thanh Nghe, who heads one list of candidates in
Saigon, recently expressed concern to a US Embassy
officer that the forthcoming elections would not
live up to what he and others had expected, at
least in the general Saigon area. Nghe, who ex-
pressed confidence that he would be elected, com-
plained basically of a lack of prominent candidates
in the Saigon area. Among other factors contribut-
ing to this situation, Nghe cited pressures from
the Buddhist Institute, Father Hoang Quynh's group,
a number of old-time politicians who had decided
not to participate, and the Viet Cong. He also
criticized the list system of voting, and mentioned
a lack of confidence in the intentions of the gov-
ernment to conduct an honest election as another
reason contributing to the scarcity of prominent
candidates.
5. Meanwhile, following a preliminary survey,
the US Embassy has reported that the number of candi-
dates who-_have filed throughout the country is im-
pressive. Candidates generally appear to be younger
than those who ran last year in the provincial and
municipal council elections, although a number of
these councilors have also entered the September
election. Small businessmen and educators are
also well represented. The major additions to the
classification of candidates by background are
civil servants and military officers; the total num-
ber of such candidates, however, is not yet avail-
able. The embassy has also commented that the gov-
ernment's administrative performance regarding the
election appears to have been most satisfactory
thus far. Although public interest in the elections
appears slight in most areas, it can be expected
to grow as the candidates become known and as
voter registration progresses.
21 July 1966
25X1
11-2
Apps
 25X1 Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1
Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1
 Approved For ease 2007/03/06: CIA-RDP79T0082> 01000010049-1
25X1
Air Defense Actirity 20-21 July 1966
ti
Vang Vieng
7c4
C 14u
Bac Can
Quang/
--EMI
h Yeny,
Phu Ly'
NamDin
Ninh Binh-
Ching-hsi
CKien An
'Noh.Gai,
S ? 09
1nh Linh
DEMARCATION LINE
Approved For ~elease 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1
 Ap
III. MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTH VIETNAM
1. Air defense activity on 21 July continued
at a high level for the third straight day. A US
Marine A-4 Skyhawk was hit by probable 37-mm. fire
while bombing DRV targets close to the Demilitarized
Zone. The pilot was forced to eject but was later
rescued in good condition.
2. A US Air Fbrce F-4C Phantom returning from
an armed reconnaissance mission crashed eight miles
shortcof the runway at Ubon, Thailand. The pilot
was killed and the aircraft commander was seriously
injured. The plane was believed to have suffered
combat damage prior to the crash. Another .F-105
Thunderchief was lost to an undetermined type of
fire 75 miles northwest of Hanoi. Visual and elec-
tronic search efforts failed to turn up any trace
of the pilot or his aircraft.
3. Subsequent reports of air activity on 20
July indicate that US pilots were involved in four
encounters with DRV fighters northwest of Hanoi.
Two MIG-21 Fishbeds made a pass at four F-105 Thunder-
chiefs operating ten miles northwest of Kep Air-
field, but no aircraft were lost. Five minutes
later another flight of F-105s was attacked in the
same area by two unidentified fighters, possibly
the same MIG-21s involved in the previous en-
counter. The SRV interceptors launched two air-
to-air missiles which failed to guide as the US
planes turned to engage the MIGs. The Fishbeds
moved away to the west and the F-105s continued on
to their target. Two other flights of US aircraft
sighted DRV interceptors, but the MIGs failed to
engage the American planes.
4. Missile activity on 20: July declined from
the record high of the previous day when 34 SAMs
21 July 1966
Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826A001000010049-1
 Apps
were sighted by US pilots. Nevertheless the 12 mis-
sile firings reported brought the week's total num-
ber of observed SAMs to 76, a new record for a
seven-day period. Three new SAM sites were dis-
covered during the past week, bringing the total
number in the DRV to 120. The absence of an ob-
served missile firing more than 35 miles south of
Hanoi since 1 July may indicate that the North
Vietnamese have concentrated their estimated 20-
25 SAM units in the Hanoi-Haiphong area. The 162
missiles launched in this vicinity since the first
of the month suggest that the DRV still has an
ample supply of SAMs.
21 July 1966
~ pproved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO010000100
 Appro
port.
IV. OTHER COMMUNIST MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
1. There is nothing of significance to re-
21 July 1966
Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826A00100001 8049-1
 25X1 Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1
Next 2 Page(s) In Document Exempt
Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO01000010049-1