THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00472A001800040002-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 24
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 3, 2001
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: October 13, 1965
• Content Type: REPORT

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CopyE No. 1.10
WEEKLY REPORT
THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM
13 October 1965
DIA, DOS Declassification/Release Instructions on File
INTELLIGENCE AND REPORTING SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE INTERAGENCY
VIETNAM COORDINATING COMMITTEE
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SECRET
GROUP I
Excluded from automatic
down rading and declassification
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This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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OCI NO. 0641/65
Published by the Directorate of Intelligence
Central Intelligence Agency
THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM
(7 October 1965 - 13 October 1965)
C O N T E N T S
Page
THE WEEK IN PERSPECTIVE
Map, South Vietnam, facing page
iii
I.
A.
THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM
POLITICAL SITUATION
Premier Ky's military and cabinet
changes
cause some dissatisfaction (p. 1);
Police alert to a coup attempt (p.
may be planning further changes in
National
2); Ky
cabinet
(p. 2); Liberation Front, proclaims "month
of hatred" of the US (p. 2); Rice supply
will be at a low but not dangerous level
(p. 3); Retail prices continue to rise(p. 3).
B. MILITARY SITUATION 5
Viet Cong - initiated incidents increase
(p. 5); Terrorist actions in and around
Saigon stepped up (p. 5); Allied strength
increased (p. 6); Statistics on kill ratio
and weapons losses (p. 6); Phu Cu Pass area
scene of battle for third time in two weeks
(p. 6); Viet Cong suffered a major defeat
in An Xuyen Province (p. 7).
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Page
C. RURAL RECONSTRUCTION 8
Chief of State Thieu stresses urgent
need for rural reconstruction if Viet
Cong sue armistice (p. 8); Ky and party
impressed by Malaysian National Police
methods (p. 8); Refugee population in
South Vietnam at new high (p. 8); Chieu
Hoi returnee, ralliers and political cadre
statistics (p. 9).
Map, North Vietnam, facing page 10
II. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BLOC 10
Seven new SAM sites discovered (p.10);
Hanoi has projected negative to the Afro-
Asian world on negotiations (p.10); North
Vietnam has stepped up propaganda campaign
about US air attacks (p. 10).
III. THIRD COUNTRY DEVELOPMENTS 12
Premier Ky concludes visit to Malaysia.
(p.12); Japanese Government indicates
support for US policy in Vietnam (p.12);
ICC discusses violations of demilitarized Zone
(p.13); Sweden's Foreign Minister Nilsson's
speech to UN General Assembly analyzed (p.13);
5,000 ROK troops land at Cam Ranh Bay (p.14);
Assistance from Venezuela, Spain and Italy
being sought (p. 14).
ANNEX: South Vietnam Battle Statistics (Weekly)
US Combat Casualty 'Figures in ;Vietnam (Weekly)
(The Weekly Report on the Situation in South
Vietnam is based on contributions from CIA, DIA,
and INR; it is edited and published by CIA without
final coordination.)
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THE WEEK IN PERSPECTIVE
Dissatisfaction in military circles, notably on the
part of 'Mi . iste.r of War and Reconstruction General
Co,, has become evident over the recent military ap-
pointments announced by Premier Ky. Co's objec-
tions, which he claimed were shared by certain
southern and Buddhist elements, have been aired with
leading members of the military Directorate, and dif-
ferences have been patched up, if only temporarily.
Meanwhile, the Viet Cong Liberation News Agency
is devoting an extraordinary effort on its clandestine
radio brodcasts to a month-long "hate America" cam-
paign to be launched on 15 October with a general
strike in urban areas. Although the Viet Cong capa-
bility to draw an effective response is unknown, the
propaganda broadcasts may herald a step-up in terror-
ist and sabotage attempts targeted at Americans.
The number of Viet Cong-initiated actions increased
last week in all areas of the country. The majority of
such incidents, however, continued to be small-scale,
harassing actions, and the more significant military
activity centered around South Vietnamese and allied
operations. A drop-off in casualties reflected a slight
decline in the over-all intensity of fighting during the
week.
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Korn on Chain
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SOUTH VIETNAM
MILITARY BOUNDARIES
Corps boundary
Special zone boundary
Division boundary
a 25 50 5 100 Miles
0 25 50 75 100 Kibmelere
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I. THE SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM
POLITICAL SITUATION
1. Indications of dissatifaction within high
government circles, centering around Premier Ky's
military and cabinet changes announced on 1 October,
surfaced during the past week. General Nguyen Huu
Co appears to have been the most prominent figure
to air such dissatisfaction, not only to US military
officials but to his colleagues on the ruling military
Directorate. He lost his earlier title of chief,
Joint General Staff while acquiring semi-political
responsibilities in the pacification field in addition
to his other duties as minister of var.
2. Co's complaints about his own assignment
were pegged to his fears he was being removed from
a professional military role and becoming subjected
to the political vicissitudes of the government. In
addition, Co told General Westmoreland that Ky's new
appointments had been decided while Co was out of
the country. The military changes:appeareci,, he added,
in the eyes of certain Buddhist and southern-oriented
circles--in both the civilian and military sectors-- to
favor Catholics and natives of North Vietnam. Co
further implied that he had received a personal slight
from Premier Ky through the latter's lukewarm comments
at his 1 October press conference, concerning the es-
tablishment of a civilian " advisory council." He
noted that he had strongly endorsed the council pro-
posal to the premier and that Ky had earlier indicated
his approval.
3. The specific grievances raised by General Co
were apparently the subject of frank discussions among
Co, Ky, Directorate chairman General Thieu, and Capital
Region Commander General Khang on 7 October, immediately
following Premier Ky's return from his official visit
to Malaysia. They reportedly agreed that, in the in-
terests of military solidarity, the. appointments would
stand as announced. Co, moreover, was apparently
pacified for the moment, by an arrangement under which
he-would retain his offices in the Joint General Staff
compound, with the new armed forces chief,-General
Cao Van Vien, reporting directly to Co.
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4. Although immediate dissension among senior
government officials appears to have been papered
over, these informal working arrangements could prove
untenable, depending on the assertiveness of General
Vien, a hitherto apolitical officer, as the new chief
of the Joint General Staff. A reported order, issued
by National Police director Colonel Pham Van Lieu on
8 October, to police north of Saigon to watch for
troop movements toward the capital suggests concern
over a coup attempt, either by Co or by junior officers
in III Corps alleged by Co to be displeased with their
new commander, General Nguyen Bao Tri.
5. According to information
Premier Ky may be planning still tanner changes in
his cabinet before November. Ky reportedly is seeking
replacements for Psychological Warfare Secretary Kinh
Trinh Chinh and Youth and Sports Secretary Nguyen Tan
Hong. Both men were earlier rumored likely to be re-
moved after repeated frictions with Ky. A third min-
ister also possibly at odds with Ky, Secretary of.
Public Works Ngo.iTr-ong~Anh 'would be, retained..;
possibly.. because of -close ties with'thhe,.Bud-'
dhists. Anh, however, is being resubordinated to
General Co's ministry.
6. An unconfirmed report states that Ky has
also signed an order for the removal of Police Direc-
tor Lieu. The reason for any such order is unknown,
but could stem from Lieu's role in recommending sev-
eral of the recently announced military changes. On
the other hand,
Ky and Lieu, as a result of their trip to
q9", ",re contemplating a major reorganization
of the police, based on Malaysian experiences.
7. The Viet Gong Liberation Front has proclaimed
a "month of hatred" of the US,.to begin on 15 October
with a general strike in cities and towns. The str.i:kc,
lasting an hour, would be to commemorate a Viet Cong
terrorist who was executed a year ago after an attempt
on the life of Secretary McNamara. The Front's appeal
has been accorded an extraordinary amount of publicity
by the Viet Cong Liberation Radio, including several
broadcasts daily directed at various Front components.
Front President Nguyen Huu Tho is also reportedly
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calling for a peasant demonstration in oaigon on
15 October to protest American activities in Vietnam.
In addition, the "month of hatred" campaign has ex-
horted civilians and troops in government-held areas
to step up efforts to "wipe out US aggressors," cut
communications lines, and destroy storage installations.
In separate broadcasts protesting recent government
executions of common criminals, the Front radio has
also raised threats of possible retaliation if specific
Viet Cong terrorists now under detention are not re-
leased.
9. The latest Liberation Front campaign would
seem to portend a period of stepped-up terrorist
actions against Americans or American installations.
The murder of a policeman guarding Ambassador Lodge's
residence on 12 October may be a step in this direc-
tion, although the perpetrator has not been identified.
In the past few months, police have been primary
targets of Viet Cong terrorist acts in the Saigon area.
This targeting of the police may be due to the grow-
ing effectiveness of the police-operated resources
control program, still largely restricted to the
environs of the capital but now being expanded through-
out the country.
10. The Mission reports lower rice stocks and
expects that delays in FL--480 arrivals will. reduce
late November stocks to the low--but not dangerous--
level of about 25,000 metric tons. Scheduled arrivals
are then expected to restore stocks to more comfortable
levels, and some of the authorized purchases of Thai
rice can be obtained earlier, thus adding to the margin
of safety. Local morale has been favorably affected by
the recent announcement of the 100,000-ton PL.480 agree-
ment, but the local market seems unaware of the prospect
of a. tight stock situation in late November. This has
been evidenced by a. slight fall in wholesale prices, a
good flow of early rice crop into milling centers, and
trade predictions of good deliveries from the main crop.
However, substantial imports will still be needed in
1966.
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11. Retail prices continue to rise, with the
USOM index of food prices up by 4 percent and non-
food prices 3 percent higher than last week. The
black market exchange rate is apparently climbing
again after the temporary stability shown during Sep-
tember. It has reached a new high of 156 piasters
to the dollar compared with a range of 145-148 in
mid-September.
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B. MILITARY SITUATION
1, The number of Viet Cong - initiated incidents
increased in all South Vietnamese corps areas during
the week ending 9 October; terrorism again accounted
for over 60 percent of them. There were 92 acts of
sabotage against the previous week's 67, and attacks
rose from 9 to 12, One-third of all incidents oc-
curred in IV Corps, 27 percent were in the I Corps,
and the II Corps and III Corps each had about 18
percent. Those in the Capital Military Region, how-
ever, declined from 33 to 22,
2, In I Corps, the Communists emphasized harass-
ment, terrorism, and sabotage; they were also appar-
ently trying to harvest rice in areas not under
government control, The movement of the Viet Cong
1st Regiment from Quang Ngai to Quang Tin Province
was confirmed; it is probably retraining, regrouping,
and recruiting and may move elsewhere when opera-
tionally ready,
3, In II Corps, an estimated Viet Cong battalion
attacked in Quang Duc Province on 4 October, the
first reported incident involving a battalion in
this region, Two major daylight encounters with the
Vietnamese Army in Binh Dinh, in'which both sides
suffered heavy casualties, indicate that the guer-
rillas are willing to take risks to ma:a.ntain their
presence in this key coastal province.
4. Viet Cong activity in II Corps rose slightly
during the week, but the insurgents restricted them-
selves to ambushing small elements and attacking
isolated outposts, This operational pattern may
have resulted in,part from the need to process and
train replacements--about 1,000 of whom were assigned
to units in Binh Duong Province early last month,
according to captured documents.
5. Terrorist actions in and around Saigon were
stepped up. The National Police, rather than US
personnel, have been the primary target in recent
weeks,
6. In IV Corps, Viet Cong actions were apparently
directed at clearing and' securing the supply and liai-
son corridor running from the mangrove swamps of south-
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west Kien Hoa inland through Dinh Tuong and Kien
Tuong to Tay Ninh Province. This activity may be
related to a reported Viet Cong plan to cut National
Route 4 between Saigon and the Mekong Delta.
7. Allied strength continued to grow in South
Vietnam with the arrival of major elements of the
1st Infantry Division and their subsequent deploy-
ment'in the III CTZ. Republic of Korea combat units
also landed at Qui Nhon and Cam Ranh Bay to assist
in the defense of these port areas.'
8. There was a slight decrease in government
military operations over-all'although small unit
actions increased. The kill ratio favored the GVN
3.36 to 1, a drop from the previous week of 5.5 to 1.
9. There were no large-scale RVNAF military
operations conducted in the I CTZ during the past
week. Efforts to protect the rice harvest continued
and, although government activity increased, con-
tacts with the Viet Cong involved only small unit
,actions.
10, Heavy fighting broke out again in Phu Cu
Pass, II CTZ, ARVN,troops were attacked with mortar
and small arms fire and,heavy casualties were suffered
before reinforcements arrived. This was the third
time in two weeks that this area of Binh Dinh Prov-
ince had been contested. As a result of the Coin-
munist concentration in Binh Dinh Province north of
Route 19 between Qui Nhon and An Khe, three consecu-
tive B-52 Stratofortress airetrikes,were-conducted
followed by a large-scale allied sweep of the target
area. No major contact with Viet Cong forces has
been reported, but operations are continuing.
11. Military operations in the II CTZ were high-
lighted by a three-day sweep of the "Iron Triangle"
by the US 173rd Airborne Brigade and allied units
on the edge of Zone D 20 miles north of Saigon. The
ground sweep launched immediately following two B-52
Stratofortress raids encountered only light opposi-
tion. Tear gas was used on at least two occasions
with negative results, In An Xuyen Province, IV CTZ,
near the southern tip of the Ca Mau peninsula,, a
reinforced Viet Cong battalion suffered a major. defeat.
A coordinated airmobile and ground attack by an ARVN
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multi-battalion force, supported by over 50 close
air support sorties, resulted in 220 Viet Cong
killed. Friendly forces lost eight killed and
39 wounded in the two-day encounter.
12. In the Gulf of Siam, US patrol boats sank
one Viet Cong junk and captured another. A small
number of Chinese Communist 7,52 mm rifles and
ammunition was recovered from the two junks which
had been engaged in`moveme at of personnel and sup-
plies between Phu Quoc Island and the mainland.
13. B-52 Stratofortress air strikes against sus-
pected Viet Cong strongholds and possible troop con-
centrations continued at a steady pace during the
week. Of the nine missions conducted, two were over
Tay Ninh Province, ,two over Binh Duong Province,
one.over Thua Thien Province, and three over Binh
Dinh Province.
14. At the end of the week the following main
roads were closed. National Route l'was closed in
Quang Ngai, Binh'Thuan, Binh.Tuy, and Hau Nghia
provinces; Route 19'in Pleiku, and Route 7 in Phu
Yen and Phu Bono Interprovincial Routes 1 and 5
were closed in Phuoc Long and Long An provinces,
respectively.. The coastal railroad was open be-
tween' Saigon and Xuan Loc, Song Long Song and
Ninh Hoa,,Dalat and Phan,Rang, and Da Nang and
Cong Ha.
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C. RURAL RECONSTRUCTION
1. Chief of State Nguyen Van Thieu believes
there is an urgent need to select, train, and de-
ploy effective cadres for rural reconstruction to
match the Viet Cong effort in the political field.
He bases this on an estimate that by next January
the Viet Cong will be suing for an armistice, the
negotiation of the disarming of forces,a.nd the sub-
sequent holding of a. plebiscite to determine the
fate of the country. He believes that the Commu-
nists are reorienting their infrastructure at the
village level toward this end. Thieu feels that
if 15,000 highly trained and nationalistically
motivated cadres could be fielded, they would be
worth several divisions of ARVN troops in the po-
litical situation he sees evolving. The GVN is
now thinking of recruiting such political cadres
from the ranks of junior officers, students, and
carefully selected civilians from so-called "na-
tiona.listic" political parties.
2. Prime Minister Ky and National Police
Director Colonel Pham Van Lieu, were impressed
with the methods and organization of the Malaysian
National Police during their recent visit to that
country, Ky is 25X1C
reported to have decided to reorganize the South
Vietnamese police along lines similar to the Ma-
laysian force. Particularly impressive to Ky was
the way the Malaysian police keep in daily touch
with their areas of responsibility and the inte-
gral role they play in civic action programs and
rural development.
3. The refugee population in South Vietnam
during the period 27 September-3 October, reached
680,000 as compared with 645,000 as of 26 September.
Of this total, 258,000 have been resettled, while
nearly 422,000 remain in temporary shelters. On
a regional breakdown there has been a decrease in
the total number of refugees in I Corps; an increase
in II Corps--due largely to the increase in mili-
tary activity there; no change in III Corps; and
some increase in IV Corps, offset to some extent
by an increase in the number of those resettled.
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4. The recently designated Rural Construction
minister, General Nguyen Duc Thang, was formally
installed on 5 October. He is reported to be
planning the reorganization of the ministry along
simpler lines with three principal divisions; ad-
ministration, plans and program, and training.
It is believed that Thang will bring in several
of his own men from the Joint General Staff to fill
key posts. Almost all of the civilians aVrought into
reported-
the ministry by its former head, Ung,
ly submitted their resignations. As of this date
no action has been taken on them, but it is believed
that the resignations will all be accepted.
5. Chieu Hoi returnees numbered 651 during
the period 3-9 October. The sharp drop from the
previous week's total of 877 was due mainly to
the substantially lower number of civilian re -
iurnees this week, 290 versus 609. Ralliers in
other categories were: 293 military versus last
week's 224; and 64 political cadres this week as
opposed to 34 last week. There were also four
draft dodgers or deserters.
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NORTH VIETNAM: SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE SITES
11 .w.,.;?13
7~. 23?
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CAT BA IS.
Range from surface-to-air
missile (SAM) sites
? Confirmed surface-to-air
missile (SAM) sites
O Prob. surface-to-air
missile (SAM) sites
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II. DEVELOPMENTS IN.THE BLOC
1. Seven new surface-to-air missile sites
have been discovered in aerial photography during
the past week bringing the total of confirmed SAM
sites in the DRV to 29. Despite the proliferation
of sites, it is estimated that at present there is
only enough equipment in the DRV to equip between
six and ten sites. The largest number of operatr
tional SAM sites--i.e. equipped with missiles and
ready to fire--discovered at any one time was five,
on 8 October. Many of the newly discovered SAM
sites are grouped in twos or threes within a few
miles of one another, probably to facilitate the
mobile employment of the SA-2 system.
2. The negative image that Hanoi has pro-
jected to the Afro-Asian world by its refusal to
moderate its stand on negotiating is apparently
causing some concern within the DRV leadership.
the UAR
rge ere was summonea several-times o the
c a
.
North Vietnam Foreign Ministry in mid-September
to hear protests ahd harangues about the lack of
African support for the DRV stand on the war and
negotiations. The charge'' admitted to
that African sentiment was bui ng up
s ro in favor of negotiations and against the
uncompromising stand of the North Vietnamese. Con-
cern about this moderate attitude on the part of
the Africans may have contributed to a reported
DRV effort to prevent a discussion of Vietnam at
the upcoming OAU summit meeting beginning 21 Oc-
tober in Accra.. According to an Egyptian press
report on 8 October, the DRV ambassador in Cairo
urged African ambassadors there that the subject
of Vietnam not be raised at the summit meeting as
any OAU decision on Vietnam would be "useless."
3. In recent weeks the DRV has stepped up its
propaganda campaign against what it terms the de-
liberate attacks by US aircraft on hospitals,
schools, and other civilian installations in North
Vietnam. The regime has allowed Egyptian and
Japanese correspondents to visit bombed areas to
see the damage for themselves.. The latter group
was allowed to make a. television film about the
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destruction of a leprosarium and to document other
alleged acts of US destruction. The regime has
published a list of all civilian installations
struck since the air strikes began and most re-
cently has accused the US of striking more than
100 educational installations and causing death
and injury to countless teachers and pupils. All
of this is doubtless designed to bilster North
Vietnamese assertions that it is the innocent
victim of US aggression, in the hope of sparking
Free World pressure against the US air attacks e
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III. THIRD COUNTRY DEVELOPMENTS
A. MALAYSIA
Premier Ky concluded his visit to Malaysia on
7 October. The joint communique issued at the close of
the visit was rather innocuous, noting merely that dis-
cussions had been held on topics of mutual interest and
that Malaysian Prime Minister Rahman had assured Premier
Ky of Malaysia's continued support of Vietnam in its
struggle against Communism. A GVN Foreign Ministry
official told Embassy Saigon that agreement had been
reached on expanded training for Vietnamese in Malaysia
in antiguerrilla warfare techniques. In a press confer-
ence on his return to Saigon, Premier Ky stated that he
had invited Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense
Minister Razak, who is in charge of rural development,
as well as Malaysian experts in the field to come to
Vietnam. Ky said that he had been assured that when
Malaysia no longer feels threatened by its confrontation
with Indonesia it would step up its material assistance
to Vietnam. Ky said that in return he had pledged Viet-
nam'e readiness to contribute manpower and resources to
help Malaysia in case it is threatened. (See also fore-
going paragraph IC 2, under "Rural Construction.")
B. JAPAN
1. The Japanese Government indicated support for US
policy in Vietnam. After ratification of the Ja.pa.n-
Korea agreement by the end of November, Japan would be
able to play a greater role in Vietnam, according to
Toshikazu Kase, former Japanese Ambassador to the United
Nations who visited Vietnam in early,October on an offi-
cial mission for Prime.Minister Sato. Kase mentioned to
Ambassador Lodge the possibility of Japanese medical aid
and economic assistance. He also commented that once
pacification of Vietnam had been accomplished, it would
be possible for Japan to make an even greater contri-
bution in "political" as well as economic ways.
2. In a conversation with Soviet Ambassador Vinogradov
on 6 October, Minister Sato agreed with Vinogradov's
statement that Japan was becoming more favorable to the
United States. Sato called on the Soviets to persuade the
North Vietnamese to negotiate a peaceful settlement.
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3. In a press conference at Osaka 6 October,
Ambassador Reischauer criticized the Japanese press,
particularly Mainichi and Asahi, for not giving a
balanced picture of the war in Vietnam, noting that
more emphasis had been devoted to statements by DRV
leaders than by GVN leaders. He cited a recent
Mainichi allegation that the United States had wantonly
bombed a leprosarium in North Vietnam as an example of
biased reporting. The Ambassador has been taken to
task by Mainichi and Asahi for his comments, but
approaches from the two papers for high-level inter-
views with US officials to get their side of the
story indicate a. certain amount of bad conscience.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman told the press
on 7 October that a majority of letters to the
ministry expressed criticisms of the press similar
to those of the Ambassador.
C. INTERNATIONAL CONTROL COMMISSION
Canadian Commissioner Seaborn told Embassy Saigon
that ICC discussions on 1 October of US violations
of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) through erroneous air
strikes on 16 and 17 September had gone very smoothly
because of our prompt reports on the incidents. Sea-
born stated that ICC had agreed to report that Article
19 of the Geneva. Agreements had been violated but also
to take note of the full cooperation it had received
from the GVN, particularly the statement that there
was no intent to violate the DMZ. Seaborn also said
that he believed that prompt GVN/US cooperation on
the DMZ incidents, together with a GVN letter agree-
ing to let the ICC again view certain documents
found aboard the steel-hulled North Vietnamese in-
filtration ship sunk at Vung Ro last February, could
be used to pressure the Indian delegate to take action
on this latter matter.
D. SWEDEN
The United States Mission to the United Nations
reports that Swedish Foreign Minister Nilsson's
references to Vietnam in his speech to the UN General
Assembly were brief and better balanced and milder
than his speech on 18 August in Stockholm which
criticized United States bombing of North Vietnam as
threatening to broaden the conflict. In his UN speech,
USE
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Nilsson stated that it is vital that further escala-
tion of the conflict be avoided, and advocated
gradual reduction of hostilities and a. solution in
accordance with the wishes of the Vietnamese people
without foreign intervention and without internal
terror. USUN notes that the efforts of Embassy
Stockholm and Ambassador Goldberg may have had a
desirable effect on Nilsson and that the difference
between the two speeches may also be due in part to
the fact that Nilssoh's speech at the UN was not
tailored to a, domestic audience.
E. AMBASSADORIAL APPOINTMENTS
On 13 October, the GVN announced publicly that
Vu Van Thai will replace General Tra.n Thien Khiem as
ambassador to the United States and that Khiem will
become ambassador to the Republic of China. There
is some concern that General Khiem will try to pass
through Saigon enroute to Taiwan and stir up trouble
within the military leadership.
1. REPUBLIC OF KOREA. Five thousand ROK marines
landed at am a,n ay on October 9. The remainder
of the 15,000 ma.n division will arrive later this
month.
2. VENEZUELA. The chief of staff of the Venezue-
lan Army may visit South Vietnam during the latter
half of November to observe and exchange information
on counterinsurgency operations. Talks on this pro-
posed visit are now being held.
3. SPAIN. On 11 October, the Spanish ambassador
in Washing on advised the State Department that Spain
would provide four ambulances and possibly crews for
South Vietnam. He made no mention of the proposal
that Spain loan the GVN a, coastal merchant vessel as
reported last week.
4. ITALY, During his coming visit to Rome, Phan
Van Thinh, Secretary General of the GVN Foreign Minis-
try, plans to ask the Italians to contribute light
electric generators and water pumps, as well as press
for an orphanage run by Italians in South Vietnam.
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SOUTH VIETNAM BATTLE STATISTICS, 1965
WEEKLY REPORT
2Oct-9Oct
PERSONNEL LOSSES (KILLED IN ACTION, MISSING IN ACTION, CAPTURED)
GOVERNMENT
VIET CONG
r-r~n
GOVERNMENT
VIET CONG
0000oft! '400
I JAN I FEB MAR APR
MAY I JUNE I JUL
750
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300 r -,-.
US COMBAT CASUALTIES IN VIETNAM
INCLUDING NORTH VIETNAM
I
Cumulative, 1961 - 1964
Cumulative, 1965 to date
Fatalities
255
493
Non-fatal
Wounds
1524
2514
No
Fat
n-fa
aliti
tal
es
Wo
und
s
7
7
Total
748
4038
(Figures do not include 70 carried as missing
or 21 carried as captured.)
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Company and battalion sized attacks
- - - Battalion sized attacks only
VIET CONG ATTACKS
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