THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00826A001400010063-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 63
• Publication Date: November 23, 1966
• Content Type: MEMO

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'o Secret
25X1
MEMORANDUM
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
The Situation in Vietnam
Top Secret
25X1 I I 23 November 1966
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23 November 1966
The new commander of South Vietnam's IV Corps,
General Manh, took his post today. General Quang,
the former.IV Corps commander, is expected to leave
the corps area soon for his new cabinet post in
Saigon.
I. The Military Situation in South Vietnam:
The Suoi Da Special Forces camp and a divisional sup-
port base were hit with 20 mortar rounds on 22 Novem-
ber; six Americans were wounded (Para. 1). US Marines
report killing 40 Communist troops near Da Nang and
Chu Lai (Paras. 2-:3). A total of 56 Viet Cong were
killed by CIDG troops who may have violated the Cambo-
dian border (Para. 4).
II. Political Developments in South Vietnam:
General Mani was insta e on 23 November as the new
IV Corps commander (Paras. 1-2).
III. Military Developments in North Vietnam:
An article in t e North Vietnamese Army journa has
expressed concern over the morale and attitudes of
North Vietnamese troops (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.
Approve
109
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I. THE MILITARY SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM
1. A mortar attack was launched against the
Suoi Da Special Forces camp and a US 1st Infantry
Division support base seven miles northeast of Tay
Ninh city in the Operation ATTLEBORO area late on
22 November. Twenty mortar rounds were fired at
the installations during a ten-minute attack. Six
Americans were wounded.
2. US Marines, supported by tactical air
strikes, artillery, and tanks, reported killing 40
Communist troops near Da Nang and Chu Lai on 22
November. One group of 25 Viet Cong were trapped
on a small peninsula 13 miles southwest of Chu Lai;
fifteen of them were killed by air strikes and the
other ten by ground-action.
3. A US Marine patrol was fired upon about
seven miles southwest of Da Nang on 22 November.
The marines returned the enemy fire and directed
artillery fire at the enemy positions. The marines
found 13 Viet Cong bodies during a sweep of the bat-
tle area. No American casualties were reported.
Several other small skirmishes were also reported
nearby.
4. South Vietnamese Civilian Irregular De-
fense Group (CIDG) troops, assisted by US Special
Forces and US naval personnel, may have violated
the Cambodian border about 42 miles west of Saigon.
Late on 22 November, contact was made with a Commu-
nist force which was pursued with airboats and heli-
copters. The enemy force turned northward toward
the Cambodian border and the South Vietnamese troops
attempted to establish a blocking force northwest
of the enemy force. As the helicopter-borne CIDG
force was landed, it was fired upon from an uniden-
tified village to the north. A Viet Cong flag at
the village was hauled down and replaced with a Cam-
bodian flag. The CIDG force, unsure of whether it
was in South Vietnam or Cambodia, left the area. A
total of 56 Viet Cong were killed and 11 weapons cap-
tured. CIDG casualties were two wounded.
23 November 1966
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1. General Nguyen Van Manh was officially in
stalled as the commander of IV Corps in a simple
ceremony at the corps headquarters in the delta city
of Can Tho on the morning of 23 November. Ex-corps
commander Dang Van Quang, now Minister of planning
and development, is expected to move to Saigon this
weekend.
2. Public reaction in the delta to the reas-
signments is reportedly one of apathy, except for
those lesser officials who fear that they may lose
their jobs as a result of Quang's departure.
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III. MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTH VIETNAM
1. A 1 November article in the North Vietnamese
Army journal contained a frank discussion of ideological
and morale problems facing the North Vietnamese Army.
The tone of the article suggested that troop morale may
be failing in the face of the defeats being suffered by
Communist forces in'South Vietnam. The article main-
tained that because "we are encountering difficulties,
does not mean that we are not becoming stronger," and
claimed that "suffering losses and making sacrifices
do not mean that we are not winning."
2. The article attributed loss of confidence in
victory to errors in leadership and implied that "mis-
leading thoughts" had been allowed "to spread widely"
before attempts were made to correct them. It also
implied that the leadership had lost contact with the
"masses" and, consequently, had failed to adopt correct
methods of bolstering popular morale.
3. The article concluded that the war will cause
more losses to the Vietnamese Communists, but if the
North Vietnamese will "prepar6"their minds, they will-]" always
be optimistic" and will "win greater victories under
any circumstances."
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Top Secr
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