WEEKLY SUMMARY - 1967/11/24

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03186494
• Document Creation Date: July 27, 2018

Approved for Release: 2018/06/28 C03186494
3.5(c)
eecoe0/5 (700,4e
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY SUMMARY
24 November 1967
No. 0317/67
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3.5(c)
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CONTENTS
(Information as of noon EST, 22 November 1967)
Far East
THE WEEK IN PERSPECTIVE
VIETNAM
The third week of fighting in the area surrounding
the US strongpoint at Dak To resulted in a large
number of friendly casualties as Communist main
force units renewed their vigorous efforts to pin
down American troops in southwestern Kontum Prov-
ince.
Page
1
3
Europe
SE 'E
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S ET
FAR EAST
The Communist campaign in the Dak To area of
South Vietnam's central highlands, now in its third
week, has developed into the most intensive and
prolonged fighting since the Ia Drang Valley battle
two years ago. This major operation and extensive
Communist military preparations throughout the
central highlands appear intended to demonstrate the
Communists' determination and capacity to outlast
the allied forces and to inflict heavy casualties
on them.
The National Liberation Front stole the march
on Saigon by announcing 72-hour truces during the
Christmas and New Year holidays and a seven-day
lull during the lunar new year in late January.
In Saigon, President Thieu and National Assem-
bly leaders are still preoccupied with organizing
the new government. The continuing problems caused
by tensions between Thieu and Vice President Ky
were reflected in Prime Minister Loc's private
complaint about the confusion created by conflict-
ing directives issued by the two leaders.
ET
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SF T
OR C 11 INA
.Haiphong
HAINAN
Demarcation line
THAILAND
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68739 11-67 CIA
SQRET
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SEC
VIETNAM
The third week of fighting
in the area surrounding the US
strongpoint at Dak To resulted
in a large number of friendly
casualties as Communist main force
units renewed their vigorous ef-
forts to pin down American troops
in southwestern Kontum Province.
Heavy fighting developed
when US patrols encountered ele-
ments of several North Vietnam-
ese Army (NVA) regiments--the
32nd, 66th, and 174th--in the
hills southwest of Dak To. The
current Communist tactics have
been to engage American units
and then withdraw to well-pre-
pared defensive positions in
favorable terrain where they can
concentrate maximum firepower.
This confirms that one of
the primary goals of the Com-
munist forces in the current
winter-spring campaign is to pin
down and destroy major allied
units in the central highlands.
The heavy jungle canopy, the lack
of landing zones for helicopters,
and the steepness of the moun-
tains make American troop move-
ment and supply efforts in this
area the most difficult yet faced
in South Vietnam. The Communists'
apparent intention to wage a long
campaign is reflected in the dis-
covery of many enemy caches of
ammunition, the presence of an
extensive series of bunkers and
other well-constructed defensive
positions, and the presence of
as many as 8,000 enemy troops in
the area.
Page 3
SE
Elements of the NVA 24th
Regiment have now spread the battle
area north and east of Dak To,
while other enemy units are ap-
parently expanding their efforts
to engage and tie down friendly
forces as far south as central
Darlac Province./
/ex-
tensive preparations are presently
under way by the North Vietnamese
units throughout the central high-
lands in an effort to extend allied
forces on a wider front. All of
the Communist forces are under
the control of the B-3 Front,
the over-all command authority in
the western highlands.
As the campaign progresses,
an increase can be expected in
attacks on US Special Forces camps
and other remote outposts, in
ambushes staged against allied
supply convoys along strategic
Routes 14 and 19, as well as in
mortar and rocket attacks on vital
allied installations in Pleiku
and Darlac provinces.
Activity in the Laos Panhandle
3.3(h)(2)
Reports from the Laos pan-
handle indicate that Hanoi has re-
sumed large supply shipments to
South Vietnam followina the end
of the rainy season. Through the
first 18 days of November, at
least 195 trucks were observed
moving south on Route 23 just south
of the Mu Gia Pass. On Route
912, the second road from North
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Vietnam into Laos, over 300
trucks were spotted by aerial
observers in late October. It
is also clear from photography
that heavy stockpiling has been
going on in the Mu Gia Pass area
since at least September in an-
ticipation of dry weather.
Politics in South Vietnam
President Thieu has re-
portedly begun organizing his
personal office staff. The key
position in the office of the
presidency will be that of secre-
tary general, and it appears that
Nguyen Van Huong, a close adviser
and the manager of Thieu's presi-
dential campaign, is slated for
the post. Thieu's present mili-
tary and administrative staff will
be retained, but apparently will
come under Huonq's supervision.
Several specialized advisory coun-
cils will also be attached to the
President's office.
3.3(h)(2)
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3.3(h)(2)
The two houses of the Na-
tional Assembly continue to move
ahead with their internal organiza
tion. In the upper house, work
is proceeding slowly on internal
rules. Members have voted, how-
ever, to allow formation of blocs
with a minimum membership of 15,
as opposed to the original pro-
posals that would have allowed
the formation of only two blocs
in the 60-man body. In the lower
house, validation of the member-
ship is almost completed and dis-
cussion of internal rules may
soon begin. The lower house has
devoted considerable discussion
to the plight of 17 students who
were drafted for demonstrating
against the election, and has
agreed to create a ten-man com-
mittee to discuss the matter fur-
ther with the government. The
principal officers of this com-
mittee are outspoken opponents of
the government, who may hope to
embarrass it over an issue in-
herited from the previous military
regime.
On 18 November, the Commu-
nists ordered their military
forces to observe a cessation of
all military attacks for 72 hours
during both the Christmas and New
Year holidays and a seven-day lull
during the lunar new year (Tet).
This action steals the march on
President Thieu's informal proposal
of a few weeks ago for 24-hour
ET
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cease-fire periods at Christ-
mas and New Year, and only 48
hours for Tet. The Viet Cong an-
nouncement also makes the Christ-
mas and New Year cease-fire periods
24 hours longer than the corre-
sponding periods they called for
last year.
Hanoi's Air Defenses
North Vietnamese air defense
units were unusually successful
in downing 18 US aircraft in in-
tensive operations in the Hanoi/
Haiphong area between 16 and 20
November. The effectiveness of
the Communist defense appears to
have been the result of a more
vigorous application of established,
SE
ET
tactics rather than of any new
weapons or procedures.
An exceptionally high level
of surface-to-air missile and anti-
aircraft artillery (AAA) fire was
reported. Although many of the
missiles were fired at random, they
nonetheless accounted for ten of
the US losses while the usually
more effective AAA downed only
two planes.
Hanoi's MIG force, estimated
to consist of only about eight air-
craft still operating from bases
in North Vietnam, shot down four
US planes during this period. Un-
known causes claimed two addi-
tional aircraft. /
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