THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-547-9-7-8
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: December 18, 2012
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: April 20, 1972
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/18: LOC-HAK-547-9-7-8
Navy, JCS, ARMY, NSA &
DOS Reviews Completed
COTTT IN CODEWORD
INFORMATION
SUBJECT: The Situation in Vietnam
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
April 20, 1972
THE T'BESIDI:i1`T iUS SEEN...,
MEMORANDUM FOR: THE PRESIDENT
FROM: HENRY A. KISSINGER
An Lac again today has come under heavy enemy attack. One ARVN
Airborne Battalion operating southeast of the town was overrun and tanks
have joined the Communist attack on An Lac once again. The weather is
good and tactical air strikes are being directed on the enemy forces.
Combat activity in Military Region l was moderate. Enemy attacks on
Fire Support Base Bastogne and Fire Support Base Center were repulsed
with heavy enemy casualties.
In Military Region 2 the focus of enemy activity remains in the coastal
provinces rather than in the highlands. ARVN was forced to evacuate a
district headquarters in Binh Dinh Province yesterday after a three--day
battle. In the delta, enemy attacks decreased and ARVN initiated actions
were on the rise yesterday with some 177 enemy reported killed.
On 19 April, U. S. Naval gunfire support units and tactical air struck
numerous targets in North Vietnam. FREEDOM TRAIN naval gunfire
hit a communications station and a petroleum storage area in the Thanh
Hoa area and U. S. Navy aircraft struck targets along Route 1 some
20-25 miles south of Vinh as well as targets near La Khe, which is
60 miles northwest of Dong Hoi.
Military Region 1
South Vietnamese ground forces continue to carry the fight to the North
Vietnamese west of Quang Tri City.
-- ARVN soldiers killed 113 Communist soldiers yesterday in a ground
action near FSB Bastogne, after suffering a mortar barrage of over 400
rounds. ARVN casualties were 14 wounded.
CONTAINS CODEWeft0-
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TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE/CONTAINS CODEWORD 2
-- The enemy has again employed 130mm artillery against Quang Tri
City, and for the first time Fire Support Bases Pedro and Bastogne ex-
perienced tear gas attacks.
-- Local Viet Cong forces continue to apply pressure against government
relocation and pacification projects in eastern Quang Ngai Province.
-- Route 1 is interdicted by enemy forces several miles south of Quang
Ngai City.
-- Heavy fighting is reported in Tam Ky District near the provincial
capital of Quang Tin Province, and in the western Hiep Duc District.
Military Region 2
Enemy main force units continue to put pressure on government fire support
bases in Binh Dinh Province and local Viet Cong units remain active in several
of the southern provinces.
-- On April 19, ARVN forces were forced to abandon the Hoai An District
Headquarters while suffering over 150 casualties.
-- Also on April 19, ARVN forces killed 123 enemy soldiers in an attack
on the Dak Pek Ranger Camp northwest of Dak To. Friendly casualties
were light.
-- In Ninh Thuan Province, local enemy forces destroyed two bridges, and
several minor incidents were reported in Phu Yen and Binh Thuan Provinces.
-- An Khe pass remains closed despite ROK attempts to open it. The
ROK's are committing three more companies to this operation and now have
a total of 12 companies in action in that area.
Military Region 3
On April 19, ARVN made progress in clearing the northern portion of An Loc
and the road from Chon Thanh to Lai Khe was opened.
Today, however, the Communists launched attacks from all sides
against An Loc. Enemy tanks are again reported in the northern portion
of An Loc and the 6th ARVN Airborne Battalion was overrun southeast of
the town. At noon Saigon time on April 20 a total of six enemy tanks had
been destroyed in this latest battle.
TOP SECRET /SENSITIVE /CONTAINS CODEWORD
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 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/18: LOC-HAK-547-9-7-8
TOP SECRET /SENSITIVE/CONTAINS CODEWORD
-- The weather is good in the An Loc area and tactical air strikes
are being directed against enemy forces.
-- Enemy forces have also mounted a ground attack against the Dau
Tieng ARVN base in western Binh Duong Province. An estimated
enemy company is reported inside the defense perimeter. TACAIR has
been called in to support the ARVN platoon which is holding on in the
compound.
Military Region4
Enemy initiated incidents in the delta decreased yesterday while ARVN
initiated actions rose. In some 77 ARVN initiated actions, 177 enemy
were killed, 70 detained and 66 weapons were taken.
U. S. Naval and Air Action
An update of yesterday's North Vietnamese air and naval strikes against
units of Freedom Train 71.1.2 indicates that one enemy MIG-17 was shot
down and two patrol boats sunk. The damaged destroyer HIGBEE arrived
at Da Nang last night.
-- Freedom Train units continue to hit targets in the Vinh area as
well as Dong Hoi Airfield, where five large secondary explosions were
reported. Other units struck a communication station and a petroleum
storage area in the Than Hoa area. Enemy fire was received but no ships
were hit.
-- South of the DMZ other naval units continue to hit enemy staging
areas around the Gua Viet River in Quang Tri Province.
- - In tactical air strikes by 77 U. S. Navy aircraft during the 24 hour
period ending at 11:00 a. xn. yesterday, Route 1 targets south of Vinh and
near La Khe were struck. Numerous buildings and bridges, railway cars
and sidings, were either damaged or destroyed. Fires were also reported
from the strike area. At Tab A is a summary of tactical air flown on April 19.
-- A total of 86 sorties are scheduled in the Freedom Train area
south of 19 degrees in North Vietnam, during a 24 hour period ending at
5:00 p.m. today.
TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE/CONTAINS CODEWORD
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 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/18: LOC-HAK-547-9-7-8
TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE/CONTAINS CODEWORD 4
- - A total of 63 B-52 sorties were flown throughout the Republic of
Vietnam striking base camps, staging areas, troop concentrations,
weapons positions, artillery units and logistic targets in MRs 1, 2, and 25X1
-- U. S. aircrews flew 30 interdiction sorties. Thirty-three storage
areas, 18 structures and four guns were destroyed or damaged, and four
secondary fires were reported.
-- There are indications that the weekend bombings of Haiphong
,briefly affected shipping. A Soviet ship that had been due to arrive in
port yesterday changed its course and was still about a half day's sailing
time from the port yesterday. The vessel is one of nine advised previouslyC
to avoid Haiphong for the time
being. Communications intelligence also indicates that a Somali flag ship
under Chinese charter has been instructed to cancel a scheduled voyage to
Haiphong. Today, cargo operations in the port have apparently resumed.
-- In addition, shipping associated communications in Haiphong have25X1
apparently been disrupted by the bombings. These facilities play an
important role in controlling traffic in and out of the port. A sensitive
intercept from an unofficial monitoring service indicates that port operations
had been brought to a standstill by the bombings "because everyone is
busy cleaning up. " The port was reportedly "paralyzed" and vessels were
not being unloaded causing a backup in the Haiphong "roadstead. "
Cambodia
Cambodian troops are moving to drive the - Communists from Route 1 which
.is cut in several places.
Ambassador Godley believes recent B-52 strikes in the Long Tieng area
have broken the back of the enemy's offensive there. The ARC LIGHT
strikes, plus the rains, appear to have forced the North Vietnamese to
begin to withdraw from forward positions near Long Tieng.
Political/ Diplomatic
South Vietnamese Public Remains Calm in Face of Attacks
Our Embassy in Saigon reports that the South Vietnamese population
remains calm and confident. With the first phase of the major invasions
TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE/CONTAINS CODEWORD
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 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/18: LOC-HAK-547-9-7-8
TOP SECRET /SENSITIVE /CONTAINS CODEWORD 5
in Quang Tri and Binh Long blunted by the ARVN, a mood of relief and
cautious optimism has appeared, although the certainty that more attacks
are on the way qualifies this feeling.
South Vietnamese Reaction to Bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong
The U. S. air strikes on Haiphong and Hanoi have been front-paged in most
Saigon newspapers and GVN radio and TV have given wide coverage to
the bombing raids. The Northern refugees in the South seem to be most
vocal in their support of the raids while most other Vietnamese view the
raids as an indication of U. S. support for the GVN.
Political Situation? in Coastal Region, MR-2
While complaining that the GVN was not doing enough through its information
service to combat enemy propaganda, the Vietnamese people in several
provinces of MR-2, who were interviewed between April 13 and 15, expressed
confidence in ARVN's ability, with U. S. air support, to withstand the offensive.
Soviet Press Stresses N :ed for Negotiations on Vietnam
In a departure from earlier TASS and Soviet Government practice, the
Soviet Press, according to our Embassy in Moscow, has been giving
regular coverage to DRV statements concerning necessity for negotiated
settlement to the Vietnam problem.
TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE/CONTAINS CODEWORD
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 a- No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/18: LOC-HAK-547-9-7-8
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No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/18 LOC-HAK-547-9-7-8
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/18: LOC-HAK-547-9-7-8
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