Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #380… “The bombing program (ROLLING THUNDER)…did not occupy much time.”… but first…
Good Morning: Day THREE HUNDRED EIGHTY of a look-back to the air war over North Vietnam fought fifty years ago…
20 March 1967… HEAD LINES and LEAD STORIES from The New York Times on a cloudy Monday in NYC…
Page 1: “Johnson At Guam Joins Ky in Vow to Pursue Goals”...”President Johnson and the leaders of South Vietnam traded assurances today that they would fulfill their commitments to each other and capitalize on their current progress in the war. At the same time United States and South Vietnam pressed one another for still more vigorous action. The Americans sought more effective political programs especially in the so-called pacification effort. Their guests from Saigon requested still greater intensification of the military action and warned against any easing of negotiation terms.”… Page 2: “Johnson at Guam”…’We have come to Guam to confer with military commanders, our diplomatic representatives and with those who are helping to wage the peaceful campaign against poverty and want in Vietnam. We have come to meet once again with the leaders of South Vietnam whose people continue to bear the great burdens of a war they did not invite–but which was thrust upon them by Communist terrorism.’..”.. Page 2: “2 Top Democrats Fear Step-Up in Vietnam War”... “Two top democratic Senators said today that the President’s Guam conference could lead to a further expansion of the Vietnam war. Vice President Humphrey insisted however, that the conference would concentrate on civilian aspects of the war. He added that ‘of course President Johnson would review all developments in Vietnam.’…Senator William Fulbright: ‘This is speculation but I think they will increase the manpower over there substantially in the near future, probably following the conference.’...Senator Mike Mansfield said in a telephone interview here that he assumed the President would discuss on Guam ways and means of reaching ‘a better military solution to the situation.’ He said some very important military decisions that could intensify the war might result.’…”…
Page 1: “South Vietnam to Expand Amnesty for Viet Cong”… “The South Vietnamese Government inched a little closer to its oft-proclaimed goal of ‘national reconciliation’ today. American officials– including Arthur Goldberg– have been prodding the Saigon regime to get on with the reconciliation program. Its principal feature would be amnesty arrangements for Vietcong leaders. He also disclosed for the first time that the Government had ordered its 45 provinces to permit Vietcong defectors to stand for office in the village and hamlet elections that begin on April 2.”… Page 10: “Junta In Saigon Approves New Constitution Without Change...ruling generals unanimously approved today without amendment the text of the constitution completed by the Constituent assembly last night…reflects the desire of junta and assembly to provide President Johnson and the American public proof of progress toward civilian government in South Vietnam.”... Page 10: “Hanoi Rules Out Steps For Peace”…”North Vietnam rejected today any peace talks, military de-escalation or cease-fire unless the United States abandoned what Hanoi called its ‘policy of aggression in Vietnam.’…’The United States imperialists are unilaterally bombing North Vietnam so they must stop the bombing unconditionally.”…”…
Page 1: “160 GIs Resist Enemy Regiment”... “An outnumbered American armored unit withstood a regiment strength attack last night and early in the morning as the tempo of war increased hours before the Guam conference convened.”
20 March 1967… The President’s Daily Brief… CIA (TS sanitized 2015) SOUTH VIETNAM: Ambassador Bui Dem–now in Saigon–says that approval of the draft constitution by the Armed forces Council will be ‘merely a formality.’ The Council will probably be convened soon after the Guam conference with the constitution itself being promulgated early next month. The election date for president and vice president has been set for a 3 September; 4 September for the upper house and 1 October for the lower house…. NORTH VIETNAM: Peking went out of its way in speeches and editorials over the weekend to reaffirm its support for Hanoi. The ostensible reason for this was the 17th Anniversary of ‘Vietnam Day Against US Imperialism.’ The primary purpose, however, was to reinforce the North Vietnamese conviction that Hanoi will win in the long run and that negotiation would be useless. The Chinese probably see the Guam conference as leading to a sizable US escalation, and these latest statements out of Peking are meant to stiffen Hanoi’s resolve…. SOVIET UNION: A Soviet Officer in Moscow has promised the US defense attache’ that next summer’s air parade will be ‘very interesting.’ A big show in this the 50th year since the October Revolution would certainly not be surprising. The Soviets have several developmental aircraft which they might unveil, including fighters, transports, and a prototype vertical-takeoff and landing plane.
STATE DEPARTMENT…Office of the Historian… The noted document is a Memorandum for the Record taken from working notes of the meeting on March 23 at the Guam Conference. Included here for continuity and interest of RTR readers…
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d115
20 March 1967…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…New York Times… Devoid of coverage of air war over North Vietnam… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) Two fixed wing aircraft were lost in Southeast Asia on 20 March 1967…
(1) MAJOR P.T. JONES was flying an 0-1E of the 21st TASS and 504th TASG out of Nha Trang and was shot down by automatic weapon fire about 45 miles south of Qui Nhon. MAJOR JONES survived the resultant crash and was rescued by helicopter with minor injuries…
(2) 1LT WALTER HENRY FORBES and CAPTAIN TONIE LEE ENGLAND were flying an O-1G of the 19th TASS and 504th TASG out of Bien Hoa on a Bird Dog mission in response to a call for air support to support a greatly outnumbered Army unit in War Zone C that was under attack by an NVN regiment of 2,500 troops. First on scene, 1LT FORBES directed the first air strikes on the enemy troops. On a low pass to assess the battlefield the unarmed O-1G was met by overwhelming automatic weapons fire and lost a wing resulting in a crash that killed both 1LT FORBES and CAPTAIN ENGLAND. Follow-on FACs controlled more than 80 fighter-bombers against the enemy forces to decimate the NVN regiment. The enemy left more than 580 bodies on the battlefield. 1LT FORBES and CAPTAIN ENGLAND were Killed in Action while aggressively pursuing their dangerous responsibility to do everything possible to relieve the outnumbered army unit. They rest in peace, duty done…
RIPPLE SALVO… #380… The Guam Conference… 20-21 March 1967… From the Pentagon Papers (Gravel Volume IV, page 150… I quote…
Sometime early in March the President decided to arrange a high level conference to introduce his new team for Vietnam (Ambassador Bunker and Komer, General Abrams, et.al.) to the men they were to replace and to provide them comprehensive briefings on the problems they would face. Later it was decided to invite Thieu and Ky to the conference as well. The conference was scheduled for March 20-21 on Guam and the President and a large high-level delegation from Washington. Two important events occurred just before the group gathered and in large degree provided the backdrop if not the entire subject matter of their deliberations. First, the South Vietnamese Constituent Assembly completed its work on a draft constitution on March 18 and Thieu and Ky proudly brought the document with them to present to the President for his endorsement. Not surprisingly the great portion of the conference was given over to discussions about the forthcoming electoral process envisaged in the new constitution through which legitimate government would once again be restored in South Vietnam. The second significant development also occurred on the 18th when General Westmoreland sent CINCPAC a long cable requesting additional forces. His request amounted to little more than a restatement of the force requirements that had been rejected in November 1966 when Program #4 was approved. The proposal must have hung over the conference and been discussed during it by the Principals even though no time had been available before departure for a detailed analysis..The bombing program and the progress of the anti-infiltration barrier were also items on the Guam agenda but did not occupy much time since other questions were more pressing…. The Guam Conference nevertheless produced approval for two significant new targets (called ‘slices of salami’ in the Pentagon Papers–Senator Gravel had a sense of humor)–the Haiphong thermal power plants. They were added to the authorized targets of RT54 on March 22. A related action also announced on March 22 after discussion and Presidential approval at Guam was the decision to assign B-52s conducting ARC LIGHT strikes in North and South Vietnam to bases in Thailand as the JCS had long been recommending. Slowly the air war was inching its way up the escalatory ladder…. end quote…
CAG’s QUOTES for March 20: SUN TZU: “He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”… PATTON : “To retreat, is as cowardly as it is fatal.”…
