THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM NO. 4 - 1968/01/31

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06753746
• Document Creation Date: July 27, 2018

( Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
TOP SECRET 3.5(c)
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
31 January 1968
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
The Situation in South Vietnam No. 4
(As of 7:00 AM EST)
1. Communist forces continued their unprece-
dented wave of bold attacks against South Vietnam-
ese cities and key allied civil and military in-
stallions for the second consecutive day on 31 Jan-
uary.:, The enemy activity was focused primarily
on the Saigon area and the delta provinces to the
south of the capital. Allied mopping-up opera-
tions continued throughout South Vietnam's I and
II Corps areas, amid sporadic new forays by the
Communists in some sectors of this region, the
center of the 30 January attacks. President Thieu
has declared a state of martial law throughout the
country.
2. Although the action has thus far been
characterized by a brazen enemy disregard for his
own casualties, allied personnel losses have been
relatively light. Enemy casualties are currently
tenuously estimated at around 1,400.
3. It is clear that the Communists made care-
ful preparations for this spectacular phase of their
"winter-spring" campaign. The countrywide pattern
of mortar attacks, in many cases followed by ground
assaults against the provincial capitals and major
district towns, in addition to large-scale attacks
on key allied military installations and positions,
required a great deal of planning and coordination.
It is also evident that North Vietnamese 'main force
units were heavily engaged in many of the assaults,
and worked closely with local Viet Cong units. A
number of recently captured documents have indicated
�140--FORE-1-G?fBTSM
-
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
3.5(c)
3.5(c)
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
that the Communists were planning an effort to spark
at least a degree of "general uprising" among the
populace in the urban areas. It is probable that
they hoped the present wave of attacks would spur
some general civil unrest and support by the urban
people. There is little evidence as yet that it
did, however.
The Saigon Area
4. Allied military forces in the capital have
restored a semblance of order to the city following
a night of enemy attacks against targets including
the US Embassy, the Presidential Palace, and the large
airfield and military complex at Tan Son Nhut as
well as numerous other allied installations both in
and near the city.
5. US troops drove a band of attackers from
the US Embassy compound by 9:00 AM (Saigon time) on
31 January. The building itself was rocked by sev-
eral large explosions, but no structural damage was
reported. The embassy is now fully operational.
Most of the fighting occurred in the compound sur-
rounding the embassy. Although the attackers were
able to fire into it, they apparently did not physi-
cally penetrate the building. At least six allied
personnel were killed in the assault ,and five wounded.
Enemy casualties were at least 19 killed.
6. A group of 20 Viet Cong, dressed in civilian
clothes, attempted to attack the residence of Presi-
dent Thieu, but were driven away by an alert guard
force with no injury to the president or his family.
7. The government radio station in Saigon con-
tinues off the air due to enemy action; however,
the military radio has been broadcasting to the
Saigon population.
8. At last report, fighting was continuing at
the Tan Son Nhut airfield with some 100 Viet Cong
still holding out within the field's perimeter. The
Communists reportedly overran the western section of
the base, which included a control tower in the area.
Several other �areas of the base, including airmen's
2 -
NO FOREICN DISSEM
TOP SECRET
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
3.5(c)
3.5(c)
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
(--T-err-RECITET-
-1449-PARE+GN-B-1-66-E-M-
barracks and one runway, were apparently also under
attack by mortar, rocket, or small arms fire.
9. Just to the northeast of the capital city,
the US bases at Bien Hoa and-Long Binh were hit by
Viet Cong mortar and �ground attacks. At Bien Hoa,
two US jet aircraft were destroyed and 10 aircraft
damaged.
The Delta Provinces
10. Eight of the 16 province capitals of South
Vietnam's IV Corps came under Viet Cong mortar attack
on 30-31 January. Numerous other district towns and
villages were also attacked. One of the enemy's prime
targets was the IV Corps Headquarters at Can Tho which
was hit by a mortar and ground attack. Some 75 enemy
casualties have been counted. At last report, however,
Vietnamese soldiers and police were still attempting
to drive the attackers out of Can Tho city.
I Corps
11. New attacks occurred this morning on the
northern cities of Quang Tri, Hue, Tam Ky, Quang
Ngai and the US base at Chu Lai Each city was struck
by a mortar attack and a ground assault. At the; Chu
Lai installation, three US jet aircraft were destroyed
and five others damaged by an extensive mortar and
rocket barrage.
12. Renewed mortar and rocket attacks were re-
ported at Da Nang on 31 January. Seventeen US heli-
copters were damaged at the Marble Mountain air facility.
13. At last report, South Korean Marines were
still heavily engaged with dug-in enemy troops in the
city of Hoi An, south of Da Nang. Initial reports
show 52 Communists killed thus far in the sharp
fighting there.
II Corps
14. Two battalions of enemy troops continue to
control Kontum city. Reports yesterday that the city
had been cleared were apparently incorrect. The MACV
compound is said to be still under attack but holding
NO FO
- 3 -
TUp SECRET-
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
TOP SECRET ,
NO FOREIGN DISSEM '
out against the enemy. About 150 Communists have been
reportedly involved in the fighting. Allied rein-
forcements from the US 4th Infantry Division are-pre-
sently en route to Kontum.
15. The situation in the coastal city of Phan
Thiet remains unclear. Large numbers of enemy troops
�are apparently in control of strategic positions
within the city. The two battalions of the North
Vietnamese 18B Regiment which hit Nha Trang have now
been driven from the city leaving some 70 dead behind.
The enemy force destroyed the sector headquarters
and had captured the province headquarters and radio
station.
16. Sporadic fighting also continues in Qui
Nhon with the radio station and railroad depot still
in enemy hands. Light fighting was also reported
outside Tuy Hoa, but the situation there appears to
be under control.
17. Ten three-man North Vietnamese underwater
demolition teams were reported to be operating in the
Cam Ranh Bay area. At least one of these men has
been captured. The prisoner claimed he participated
in the attack on a Norwegian tanker early on 31 Jan-
uary, during which the vessel was damaged by an ex-
plosion.
DMZ Area
18. The area immediately south of the Demilitarized
Zone remains relatively quiet with US Marine patrols
reporting light, sporadic contact with small enemy
units. Evidence of the intense enemy buildup through-
out the area continues, however.
- 4 -
�110�FORETGII�DTS57191�
TOP SECRET
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746
-TO-P-SECRET
�NO FORErGN DT5Shm
20. A successful US strike against the new
North Vietnamese command group in Laos could signifi-
cantly affect the development of enemy operations
in the Khe Sanh area. The new headquarters is sus-
pected to be a "front" or corps level command group
responsible for the North Vietnamese 304th and 325th
Divisions which are both now in the immediate Khe
Sanh area.
21. A US Marine patrol observed four to five
surface-to-air (SAM) missile launching sites in the
Demilitarized Zone approximately six miles northwest
of Con Thien on 29 January. The positions were ap-
parently close to a state of operational readiness
as air strikes directed at them resulted in nine
secondary explosions.
Other Related Developments
22. Communist radio in both South. and North
Vietnam is continuing to play up the current enemy
offensive. According to the enemy broadcasts, exten-
sive damage was inflicted on the allies in the Saigon
area. During upcoming days, the Communists can be
expected to tout their raids as a great victory both
among their own forces and to the people at large in
South Vietnam, in the hope of bolstering rank and
file morale and intimidating the uncommitted populace.
23. Communist commentators abroad are utilizing
the enemy assaults as a basis for claims that they
"give the lie" to US assertions that the allies are
on the way to victory in Vietnam. According to a Moscow
commentator in a 31 January account, the strength of
the enemy attacks demonstrates the futility of the con-
tinued allied effort to "settle the Vietnam problem
through war." The implication of his remarks is that
the US should moderate its policy in a manner suffi-
cient to bring about a political solution to the con-
flict.
- 5 -
T-65-Farrar"24�F
Approved for Release: 2018/07/26 C06753746