THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00826A001400010057-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 29, 2004
• Sequence Number: 57
• Publication Date: November 21, 1966
• Content Type: MEMO

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
MEMORANDUM
The Situation in Vietnam
State Department review completed
Top Secret
21 November 1966
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Information as.of 1600
21 November 1966
HIGHLIGHTS
Heavy fighting was reported on 20-21 November
between North Vietnamese and US forces in the high-
lands of Pleiku Province near the Cambodian border.
I. The Militarv?Situation in South Vietnam:
Heavy fighting was s sported on 20-21 November be-
tween battalion-strength North Vietnamese Army (NVA)
regulars and platoon--sized elements of the US 1st
Air Cavalry Division participating in Operation PAUL
REVERE IV in the western highlands of Pleiku Prov-
ince (Para..1). The Viet Cong are reportedly amal-
gamating guerrilla units in Phu Cat District, Binh
Dinh Province, apparently for the purpose of offset-
ting losses suffered during Operation IRVING (Paras.
2-3).
II. Political Developments in South Vietnam: A
Constituent Assembly committee has proposed to the
Directorate that it make seven amendments to the as-
sembly's founding decree (Paras. 1-2).
III. North Vietnamese Military Developments:
There is nothing of significance to report.
IV. Other Communist Military Developments: There
is nothing of significance to report.
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1
Vinh
LONG
Bien
Hoa
BINN'p hU
UON i-
VINH
BINH
AN
XUYEN
BINH
leiku
ke
PLEI U
PHU
C e? ?' BON
TUYEN
Da Lat'_
BINH
TUY
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I. THE MILITARY SITUATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM
1. Heavy fighting has again flared between
Communist regulars and elements of the US 1st Air
Cavalry Division conducting Operation PAUL REVERE IV
in the western highlands of Pleiku Province. An es-
timated North Vietnamese Army (NVA) battalion on
20 November attacked and attempted to overrun the
field position of a US infantry platoon deployed
near the northern fringe of the Ia Drang Valley,
some 35 miles southwest of Pleiku city. After
nearly nine hours of sustained contact, the enemy
force withdrew, leaving behind 102 killed. US
losses totaled 30 killed, 13 wounded, and four
missing. The US ground force was supported through-
out the engagement by tactical air strikes, rocket-
firing helicopters, and artillery bombardment,
Guerrillas in Binh Dinh Province
2. A recent report from Phu Cat District,
Binh Dinh Province, and supporting evidence from
captured documents indicate that the Viet Cong in
the district are having problems with manpower and
motivation in their village guerrilla units. The
district's military section reportedly issued a
directive recently to all subordinate villages
ordering them to report the number of guerrillas in
each village, so a plan could be drawn up to form
joint village units. The guerrilla units of two
villages were to be combined in order to "unify
tactics and strategy." Since village units of Phu
Cat suffered heavy casualties in the recent Opera-
tion IRVING, the formation of joint units probably
represents an attempt to utilize the survivors
more effectively,
3. Captured documents written before IRVING
had indicated that the guerrilla movement in Phu Cat
"lacked depth" because of poor motivation and im-
proper ideological indoctrination, that guerrilla ac-
tions had been too limited, and that the fighting
skills of guerrilla troops needed improvement. The
documents' assessment apparently was correct; during
IRVING,'the guerrillas' performance was poor, and
hundreds of them surrendered.
21 November 1966
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II. POLITICAL-',DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH VIETNAM
1. The Constituent Assembly's 12-man "amend-
ment" committee submitted a list of seven proposed
changes in'the assembly's founding decree law dur-
ing a meeting with:.the Directorate on 18 November.
The assembly's proposed changes in Article 20 of
the decree would take away the government's right
to make revisions in the constitution, and would
require the chief of state to promulgate the con-
stitution as received within 30 days. The proposed
change in Article 21 would grant the assembly, after
promulgation of the constitution, a voice in decision-
making along with the Directorate. until such time as
a national assembly is elected. The Constituent
Assembly is to be dissolved after the constitution be-
comeseffective under existing Article 21.
2. Since the proposed changes would eliminate
the government's veto power and require the Directorate
to submit its amendments prior to the assembly's final
vote on the constitptl n, it is doubtful that the GVN
will accept the committee's proposals, according to the
US Embassy. Chief of State Thieu is studying the pro-
posed amendments and will reportedly have a reply for
the assembly in two weeks. Negotiations between the
government and the assembly over the government's role
in the drafting of the constitution have been informal
and conciliatory.. Sources in the assembly are optimistic
that a compromise will be worked out.
21 November 1966
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 III. MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTH VIETNAM
IV. OTHER COMMUNIST MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
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Top Secr
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