Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #229… OCTOBER TO MARCH… but first…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED TWNTY-NINE of a ROLLING THUNDER DIARY…
16 OCTOBER 1966… THE HOMETOWN NEWS from the New York Times… On a fair and cool Sunday in the Big Apple…
Page 1: “Soviet Calls U.S. Deluded In Hope For New Ties Now”…”Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet Communist Party leader rebuffed today as ‘a strange and persistent delusion’ the hope expressed by President Johnson that closer Soviet-United States cooperation was possible despite tensions over the Vietnam War. ‘The United States must stop bombing North Vietnam and end its aggression before relations can be improved,’ the Soviet leader declared. Mr. Brezhnev’s rejection was the first public statement by the Kremlin leadership in response to Mr. Johnson’s appeal, made in New York eight days ago. Pravda, the Communist Party newspaper indicated last Sunday that the ending of bombing raids was Moscow’s major preliminary condition for any favorable response to the President’s overtures…In his rejection of Mr. Johnson’s appeal, Mr. Brezhnev said: ‘We have declared many times that if the United States wants to develop mutually beneficial relations with the Soviet Union–in principle, we also would like this–then it is necessary to clear major obstacles from the path. The piratical bombing attacks against a socialist country, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, must be stopped….The sovereignty and territorial inviolability of other countries must be respected not just in words but in deeds.’… Wladyslaw Gomulka, Communist Party Chief in Poland, also spoke on the subject: ‘An unconditional end of the bombing of the DRV by American aircraft must be the primary condition for embarking on the path seeking a political solution of the Vietnam problem.’…”… Page 3: “Soviet Aid For Syria Stirs U.N. Fears”…”The Soviet Union’s strong support for Syria in her dispute with Israel in the Security Council and reports that Russian arms and instructors have been provided for two Syrian guerrilla groups have revived fears among diplomats over the peace of the middle east…The Soviet Union has accused the United States of financing activities against the Syrian regime on the principle…of ‘accusing the other fellow of what you are doing yourself.’…”
Page 1: “Confucius Is Reviled By The Red Guards After 25 Centuries”…”Giant firecrackers banged in salute and smiling schoolgirls bowed as their elders, in embroidered best, gathered to celebrate the 2,517th birthday of Confucius. This year cheerful rituals of offering wine and flowers honoring China’s most revered philosopher were overshadowed by reports that the revolutionary Red Guards have been struggling to erase his teachings in Communist China. But followers here voiced defiance. A high official of Hong Kong’s Union of Confucian Societies said: ‘Red Guards can never overcome the older followers of Confucius. They may succeed with those under 20 but adults have his ideas so deep in their hearts that they cannot be removed no matter how many books are burned.’ …’ If the Red Guards do things like this, it is not only against Confucius, it is against all civilization,’ another follower of Confucius said bitterly after switching from his blue and black silk investments into a business suit…Since the cultural revolution and the Communist take over of all of China, Confucius has generally been damned, at best, an interesting historical phenomenon. His thought has also been called a tool of class oppression. But some Confucian scholarship and teaching was permitted until recently.”…
Page 1: “GOP Held Likely To Win Most Races For Governor”…”The Republicans are likely to make a better record in electing Governor’s next month than they are electing Senators and Representatives. A nationwide New York Times check indicates that Republican candidates should take a net of four states away from democratic control, perhaps as many as seven, winning at least a majority of the 35 gubernatorial contests. But the same survey of political trends in the 50 states shows the Republicans just holding present strength in the 35 Senate races and gaining no more than the off-year average in 435 seats.”… “Coercion On Johnson Park Is Charged”…The chairman of a Texas legislature investigating committee said today that ‘unethical or immoral’ pressure had been used on individuals and corporations to get cash contributions to buy land for a state park in front of Presidnt Johnson’s ranch near Johnson City…Complaint was that members of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission were ‘using the name and prestige of the President of the United States to blackjack contributions.’… “
Page 9: “Military Ready To Absorb Influx Of Former Rejects”…”The training of men for duty in Vietnam is expected to proceed without an appreciable slowdown despite an influx of nearly 40,000 men who are being inducted or enlisted under lower mental standards…It will probably also lead to an increase in the number of Negroes in combat in Vietnam. Current estimates based on statistics of men killed in action, put the percentage of Negroes in the war at a little more than twice that of Negroes in the population as a whole.”… Page 9: “An Assessment of The War”…”Overall things in Vietnam are better– as Secretary McNamara suggested– than they were a year ago. But it is a matter of debate whether a formula has yet been found to provide victory in a reasonable time. To many officials stationed in Vietnam, the most worrisome factor is that the South Vietnam Army and Government have still not begun to perform at a level that will discourage and dishearten the enemy. These officials believe the enemy will never give up as long as he believes he has superiority over the South Vietnamese despite punishment from the United States.”
16 OCTOBER 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER on this day fifty years ago…New York Times (17 Oct reporting 16 Oct ops) Page 9: “U.S. Air Missions Cut By Weather”…”Bad weather cut Unite States air missions over North Vietnam yesterday to about half the usual number. The lull followed two days in which a record number of missions were flown. ‘The weather was very, very bad yesterday,’ a military spokesman said, ‘You name it–thunderstorms, rain, multiple layers of clouds–it covered North Vietnam. Visibility in some places was zero. There were some clear skies over the lower third of the panhandle. This was where the pilots conducted their 79 multiple plane missions against shipping, bridges, highways, storage areas, and an surface-to-air missile site.’…
In recent weeks the pilots have been averaging 130 to 150 missions daily over the North with two to five planes on each mission. Officials refuse to give the total number of aircraft involved in attacks in the North. But on the days when the record missions were reported the spokesman said: ‘The number of planes involved each day was very near the highest that had ever gone North in a single day. No planes were reported lost over the North yesterday or today, but this morning south of Saigon two United States Army Mohawk reconnaissance planes collided. One crewman was killed and one was rescued. One aircraft crashed the other returned to base…” …”Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson); There were no fixed wing aircraft losses in southeast Asia on 16 October 1966.” oohrah…
RIPPLE SALVO… #229… Your attention is invited to the day’s MIGHTY THUNDER post and a reprise on the last flight of Dick Perry. In addition, set aside 27 minutes to view a brilliant documentary showcasing a great Naval Officer and a great Lady in the days of Rolling Thunder… watch “Lady Jessie,” which RTR has listed #1 on our Links… The short film is a FIVE Star production…!!
THE NORTHEAST MONSOON and the forecast for ROLLING THUNDER–October 1966 to March 1967… the following is quoted from “North Vietnam’s Strategy for Survival” by Jon M. Van Dyke…Page 237… I quote…
October 1966 to March 1967: The monsoon season, which begins in October and lasts Through March, forced the U.S. to reduce the number of flights over North Vietnam. The bombings that were continued, however, came progressively closer to North Vietnam’s two major cities. In early November, for instance, Pravda reported that Haiphong had been attacked on three different days, indicating that some site in the vicinity had been hit. On December 2,4,13, and 14 and again on January 15 and 16, strikes came close to Hanoi, the targets being railroad yards, fuel dumps, and truck parks. Shortly after these strikes, Hanoi was again declared off-limits to American bombers. At the same time, however, plans were made to intensify once again the pressure on the North Vietnamese economy. Admiral Ulysses S.G. Sharp, commander-in-chief (CINCPAC) divided the targets in North Vietnam into six categories: (1) power facilities, (2) war-supporting industries, (3) transportation facilities, (4) military complexes, (5) petroleum storage areas, and (6) air defense targets. Admiral sharp recommended that the United States attack targets in all systems simultaneously, and the recommendation was followed throughout 1967. Even before the end of the rainy season, steps were taken to harass the North Vietnamese more effectively. In February 1967, artillery in Camp Carroll, located 10 miles south of the demilitarized zone, fired northward across the border. The cruiser Canberra and four destroyers from the Seventh fleet moved to within several hundred yards of the North Vietnamese coast and bombarded supply routes with their big eight- and five-inch guns. And planes started dropping mines into the river approaches to the country’s southern ports of Vinh, Thanh Hoa, and Dong Hoi.”…
Lest we forget… Bear ……… –30– ………..
