CABLE TO HENRY A. KISSINGER FROM ELLSWORTH BUNKER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-490-3-14-9
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: October 17, 2011
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: March 3, 1971
• Content Type: CABLE

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INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
ENSITTVE 0312202 MAR 71 VIA CrA5 CHANNELS
FROK: AI~9BASSADOR BUNKER, SAIGON 0341 '~
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T0: THE WHITE H9j7SEy EXGLUSIVELY EYES bNLY HENRY A. KISSINGER
1. I CAN APPRECIATE AND UNDERSTAND YOUR COf~CLRrdS A30UT THE ~ ~
OPERATIONS TN LAOS. THIS IS RITNFORCED td HEt~ ~. READ THE DAILY
.PRESS SUI':i'IARY FROM WASHINGTON. SUT I UrJDERSTAt=ID ALSO THAT YDUR
CONCERN GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN THE MANNER OF PRESS REPORTING.
2. I HAVE DISCUSSED YOUR CONCERNS WITH (~NERAL ABRAi~iS: WE MIrT
PRIVATELY YESTERDAY, DECIDED TO REFLECT ON THE QUESTIONS YOU'
.RAISED OVERNIGHT AND HAVE MET AGAIN TODAY. WE FOUPJD THAT
INDEPENDENTLY WE HAD COME TO SltwiILAR CONCLUSIONS. 1rlHAT FOLLOWS,
THEREFORE, REPRESENTS OUR JOINT AND CONSIDERED VIEWS DN LA('7
SON ..719 ,-
3. I THINK IT WOULD BE WELD. TD EEGIN BY RECALLING THE ORIGIN OF
THE.~OPERATIDN. INTELLIGENGE ACQUIRED SINCE LAM SON 719 BEGAN
IPJDICATES THAT AFTER THE GROSS BORDER OPERATIONS IPiTO CA[T~BODIA
IN 1970, THE ENEMY ;BEGAN SERIOUS PLANNING TO COUPdTER A CROSS
BORDER OPERATION IN'LAOS. LAST OCTOBER, HE ESTABLISHED A
_ HEADQUARTERS IN NORTH VIET-NA~i NOW KNOWN AS THE 70TH FROt`iT.
AMONG? ITS 1'~ISSIONS WAS COMMAND OF THE COUNTER-ATTAGK FORCES
AGAINST OUR SIDE'S PENETRATION INTO LAOS.
T}iE 70TH FRONT HAS GOMMITTED NINE REGIMENTS OR 27 INFANTRY
BATTALIONS TO THE BATTLE. THREE REGIMENTS ARE NOT COt~;i~dITTED_
AT THIS TIME - ONE IN LAOS AND TWO IN NORTH VIET-NA~ri. HEADY '
ARTILLERY AND .ABOUT 110 TANKS HAVE ALSO SEEN COt~]:~1ITTED SUPPORTED .
BY NUf+lEROUS ANTI-AIRCRAFT IrlEP.POr;S. THE f=iAIN THRUST Oi` THE E~JEA7Y
EFFORT HAS ADEN POINTED AT ROUTE 9 IN A NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR ABOUT
FIFTEEN KILOMETERBSWIDE FROM THE LAOS/ 50UTH VIET rJA~i BORDER
WEST. .THE ENEMY REFERS TO THIS AS THE ROUTE 9 BATTLE.
4. ON OUR SIDE, THE ARVN AIRBORNE, RANGERS .Arab anAiD~ HAt1E BEEN
ENGAGED IN HEAVY FIGHTING AGAINST THE ENCI'1Y'S MANOR THRUST FROM
THE NORTH. SOUTH OF ~~ROUTE 9, ~ UPJITS OF' THE ARVN 1ST DIVISION
DIRECTED THEIR EFFORTS TO CUTTING THE FLOW OF SUPPLIES SOUTH
FROM BASE AREA 609. BEGINNING ON ? .MARCH, THE EFFORT OF THE
1ST DIVISION IS FOCUSSED ON MOVING NORTH ArdD JEST PARALLEL ,
TO THE ENEMY'S ROUTE 914 SUPPLY SYSTEM. THE DISRUPTIOt~1 OF THE
ENEMY'S LOGISTICAL COMPLEX IN THAT AREA AND Ira THE AREA AROUND
TCHEPONE ARE THE ULTIMATE tT3JECTIVES. THE MARIfili:S ARE TAKING
OVER FROM THE REAR C1F THE 1ST DIVISION TO THE i30RDER.
5. ~ WITH MOVES NOW IN PROGRESS, THE ARVN WILL HAVE FOR EMPLOYMENT
IN LADS THE AIRBORN DIVISION C7 EFFECTIVE BATTALID~:S), THE .1ST
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/10/17 ~ LOC-HAK-490-3-14-9
ARVN DIVISION WITH THREE REtall"IENTS (11 EFFECTIVE BATTALIONS),
THREE f~A~No Objection to Declassifcation in~Full 2011/10/17A~ LOC-HAK-490-3-14-9DR
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'Y'A~IC t'Utt4C. Wttn ~ ~nn~~. ~+ur,W,.y. .,,..~ .~. ,, _ ,~.,.~~. - -
~~0~000J TROOPS. WE SELIL*vE THAT THE ARVN ;iA;~ COC~~MT~ED~IIDRQUATE
STRENGTH FOR "I HE OPERATIONS THE ARVN ~lTH I~~:GIMEI?1T Ia h3UVING
UP FROM SOUTHERN I CORPS AND, WITH ELCi'9ENTS OF Tali: U. S. 1{~iST
..AND 23RD, WI~.L COVER ROUTE. ~ FROh} Tlia~: ARDER TO Tl~F. ~;OA"T.
6, THE AIRBOR P1E BAIT ALIQN~ t' 1(a h11 ~N L' LL ~ t~ul i n~. L 1 W 1 7 J. V 1'. wv,+~,1't .rL U.,.
IS APPREHENSIVE pND MECHANICAL. THE RANGER`? ARE WELL LF.D AND
FIGHT. WELL. THE ARMORED 'COMMAND SEEPS EFFI