Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #838… “THE SILENCE OF THE PRESIDENT’S CRITICS ON THE BOMBING OF SAIGON,”she answered, and this was her letter to the Editor of The New York Times dated 16 June 1968.
“To the Editor: The United States stopped bombing Hanoi over two months ago. Now the North Vietnamese bomb Saigon. They use rockets instead of planes. There is not even a pretense of a military target; innocent people are being killed every day. During this time we have not heard or read one word of protest or moral outrage from Senator Eugene McCarthy, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Kenneth Galbriath and others of their position who attack the ‘morality’ of the United States and criticize the Administration for its alleged refusal to budge on the Vietnam issue.
“One might ask, ‘What do we do now, Senator McCarthy? Do you sit still and permit these vicious attacks on the poor people of Saigon to continue without so much as a whimper? Do we de-escalate some more to make the Vietcong attacks easier?’ Or do we show the strength and courage needed to fulfill our commitment to those innocent victims of Vietcong and North Vietnamese atrocities, particularly as neither the United States nor the South Vietnamese Government has taken direct action against the civilian population of North Vietnam?”… Stephanie McKay, Needham, Mass., 16 June 1968… THE NYT EDITOR’S WITH A COMEBACK…and a Salvo below, but first…
GOOD MORNING… Day EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT of remembering events and the great warriors of the longest air battle in American History…
HEAD LINES from The New York Times on Friday, 21 June 1968…
THE WAR: “SERIES OF FIERCE BATTLES FOUGHT AT THE APPROACHES TO SAIGON–U.S. DEATH TOLL PASSES 25,000″… “Allied soldiers trying to block North Vietnamese and Vietcong troops from the jungle approaches to Saigon fought new vicious battles yesterday. In two clashes 12 miles north and northeast of the South Vietnamese capital the allies killed 67 enemy soldiers. An American unit 17 miles farther from the city killed 39. The enemy initiated the attack in each case. South Vietnamese troops fighting three to seven miles from the main business district killed four Vietcong and took nine prisoners. Eleven others defected. One prisoner was identified as one of five artillery officers in charge of shelling Saigon.”…”The enemy fired ten rockets into Tansonnhut airfield and some residential sections of Saigon last night and early this morning…. WEEKLY TOLL OF AMERICAN KIA IS LOWER… in a regular report of battlefield casualties, an allied spokesman said that 324 Americans were killed in the week ending midnight Saturday. It was the lowest number reported killed in a week in nearly three months. The figure however brought American combat deaths in Vietnam to 25,068. In the week, 2,325 Americans were wounded, 1,247 of them seriously enough to be hospitalized. the enemy was said to have lost 1,613 dead in the scored week.”…
PEACE TALKS: Page 1: “CLIFFORD DETECTS SLIGHT PARIS GAIN–He Says Bits and Straws Point To Secret Sessions With North Vietnamese”… ‘sees forward movement in the talks. At a news conference in the Pentagon this morning, he said there were indications that progress was being made toward improving the talks from a public propaganda forum into secret bargaining. He noted that the tea breaks had become progressively longer since they first began during the sixth formal session on May 31… “I notice the recesses are getting longer.”….Yesterday’s tea break in the formal talks lasted 40 minutes, the longest yet, and that for the first time the two sides withheld almost all details of the informal conversations….The next formal talks are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 26 June… Secretary Clifford also addressed the enemy infiltration rate and stated that North Vietnamese infiltration into South Viet\nam during the months of June, July and August will total 80,000, and that the total North Vietnamese troop infiltrations in May was 29,000. He also said that despite this record level of infiltration, Mr. Clifford said President Johnson was ‘likely to continue’ the announced restriction of American bombing to the area below the 20th Parallel as long as the Paris talks held out hope that Hanoi might ‘come forward with a reciprocal act of restraint…The Presient wants to hear from them as to what their restraint will be in the event he stops all bombing.'”…
STATE DEPARTMENT. OFFICE OF HISTORIAN. Historical Documents. Foreign Relations. 1964-68, Vietnam. Three documents of note. Document 276 dated 19 June is a summary of LBJ’s meeting with his “Foreign Policy Advisors” (the Wise Men). Open conversation looking for ideas on how to get something going at Paris talks… Document 277 dated 20 June is Memo from Walt Rostow that provides LBJ a response to his question: Walt, where do we go from here on ending this war?… The third document 278 is a phone conversation on the 21st between Harriman and Clifford sharing thoughts on how the Paris talks are going as they get primed for a breakfast meeting on the subject at the White House on 22 June… Linked here to fit the RTR journal dates…
276… https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d276
277… https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d277
278… https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d278
HEAD LINES (Cont.) Page 1: “HOUSE APPROVES SURTAX ON INCOMES BY VOTE OF 268 TO 150–Senate Due to Act today–President Elated–Terms Action Victory For nation–It Cuts Budget By $6-Billion…Page 1: “HOUSE UNIT VOTES GUN BILL, BUT SENATE PANEL DELAYS IT”… Page 1: “HUMPHREY VOWS HE WILL BE HIS OWN MAN IF HE IS ELECTED–Stresses His Long Belief In Change and In Political Solution to Vietnam”… Page 6: “MARINES REPRIMAND COLONEL OVER WAR BOOK”…”…case involves LCOL William R. Corson who wrote a book– “Betrayal”–critical of United States policy in Vietnam.”… Page 18: “Lawyer of James Earl Ray Arrives in London–Former Birmingham Mayor Preparing for Ray Defense… Page 20: “McCARTHY BACKS NEGRO JUSTICE–ASSERTS NATION MUST SHARE ITS POWER DEMOCRATICALLY”… Page 20: “NIXON PREPARING TO COURT 7 OR 8 INDUSTRIAL STATES–Visits Michigan Wednesday With Other Trips Planned–Gets Endorsement Of Hatfield, Opponent of Vietnam”…Page 22: “ROCKEFELLER SCORES NIXON ON VIETNAM–In Attacking By Name He Assails Judgement of Foe”… Page 22: “BAN ON BIAS IN HOUSING FOR G.I.s MADE NATIONWIDE BY PENTAGON“… Page 24: “Scorpion Collision With Peak Doubted“…
21 JUNE 1968…THE PRESIDENT’S DAILY BRIEF (CIA TS/SI)…SOVIET UNION: Ambassador Dobrynin says he has been ordered to fly home on Saturday. He has had to cancel engagements in order to make the trip. We suspect the Soviet leadership wants to have him on hand for the regular meeting of the Supreme Soviet on Wednesday in the event the Paris Peace talks or Soviet-American relations are on the agenda…THE SOVIET NAVAL CONTINGENT in the Mediterranean ahs been reduced at least temporarily. The reduction is small–from a little more than 30 ships to a little under that number…not a major withdrawal…CZECHOSLOVAKIA: The Dubcek regime has hinted that it will permit the establishment of new political parties. Such parties and any other interest groups would have to operate within the framework of the National Front, a catch-all grouping which is dominated by the Communists…The long-hearalded Warsaw Pact exercise got under way in Czechoslovakia today… NORTH VIETNAM: The Paul Doumer Bridge appears to be open to traffic with repairs largely completed. Photography taken Tuesday showed the last of seven spans replaced and all decking finished. It also was noted that there are 19 road and rail by-passes around the bridge….
21 JUNE 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… The New York Times provided no coverage of operations north of the DMZ… VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 21 June 1968…
(1) An A-7A of the VA-86 “Sidewinders” embarked in USS America was lost when it suffered a control failure during a maintenance test flight. The pilot ejected and was rescued to fly and fight again…
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) ON 21 JUNE FOR THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION OVER NORTH VIETNAM…
1965… NONE…
1966… 1LT JOHN BERNARD SULLIVAN, USAF… (KIA)… and… LT LEONARD CORBETT EASTMEN, USN… (POW)… and …LT COLE BLACK, USN… (POW)…
1LT SULLIVAN: 1lt John Sullivan was part of the initial strikes on the NVN POL storage facilities and his F-105D was downed 5 miles northwest of Kep on 21 June 1966. He was hit twice in his delivery maneuver and went in with his aircraft and was declared missing in action. From the 388th TFW history: “Following initiation of pull up for bomb delivery Lt Sullivan called, ‘I’m hit: smoke in the cockpit. I think I’ve had it’…A member of the flight saw Lt Sullivan’s aircraft hit a second time by 85-mm just below the canopy. Smoke was observed and he was told to eject. His aircraft was last seen proceeding on a heading of 160-degrees. No member of the flight saw Lt Sullivan eject or his aircraft impact the ground. No chute was seen or beeper signals heard. …An electronic search was conducted but terminated with negative results. No further word was heard of him, and the North Vietnamese consistently denied any knowledge of his fate until 1990 when his remains were returned by the North Vietnamese. He is remembered on the 52nd anniversary of his last flight…
LT EASTMAN: Lt. Leonard Eastman was flying an RF-8A photo recce mission in support of strike operation on the northeast railway on 21 June 1966 and was downed by AAA about 20 miles northeast of kep. He was imprisoned and spent 2,429 days of honorable duty as a POW in Hanoi. Among his combat award are the SILVER STAR… “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. In june 1966 his captors completely ignoring international agreements, subjected him to extreme mental and physical cruelties in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes. through his resistance to those brutalities, he contributed significantly toward the eventual abandonment of harsh treatment by the North Vietnamese, which was attracting international attention. By his determination, courage, resourcefulness and devotion to duty, he reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service and the United States of America.”…
LT BLACK: Lt. Cole Black was flying an F-8E escorting a USS Hancock strike group and responded to the call for RESCAP cover in the effort to rescue Lt. Eastman. Lt Black was attacked by four MIG-17s and after a melee he was downed by MiG-17 cannon fire near Kep airfield. He successfully ejected, was immediately captured and spent the rest of the war as a POW, where he served with honor and distinction. Among his combat awards: Two SILVER STARS, the LEGION OF MERIT with Combat “V”, and two awards of the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS.
LT BLACK: “Soon after I arrived in Hanoi, on July 6, 1966, the communists saw fit to display American POWs in Hanoi. We were hauled down town and forced to walk through the streets of Hanoi while the local population humiliated, beat and tried to intimidate us. it was probably the most real demonstration of mob action I have or will ever see. I believe that even with the vice-like grip the communists have on their people, the people nearly got out of hand that night. In my opinion they were so keyed up they would have liked to kill us all…During my tour in prison, I can say that I have come to know some of the greatest guys in the world. We have known humiliation together; we have known compassion together; we have suffered together and now that we are home we once again know the joy of being free and being in our great country. For the thoughts of returning to America and to loved ones inspired me throughout my captivity. Even when you seem to be losing all else no one can take away precious memories you may have of the loved ones you left behind, the joys you knew as a boy, the beauty of the country you will one day return to, and all the kind of things your father and your mother have done for you.” Captain Cole Black retired in the rank of Captain, USN and was killed in a small plane crash in 2007… He is remembered on this day 52 years after his most memorable flight, with highest respect and admiration…
1967… NONE…
1968… NONE…
Humble Host flew #195. Led a six plane mini-strike group on an attack on a high value building in the city of Vinh. Delivered a Walleye into the window of the building, but only got a puff of an explosion. Not a dud, but not very exciting either. Wingmen took care of the building with dumb bombs and iron sights. Lively time had by all, including gunners from at least three gun sites… No SAMs or MIGs…
RIPPLE SALVO… #838… Humble Host surmises the NYT editors read Stephanie’s 16 June letter, thought on it for a day or so and ran their opinion piece on 21 June on page 40 along with Stephanie’s letter…. The OpEd…
PEACE IN A TEAPOT…
“The Vietnam war is a tempest that may yet be turned in a teapot. Observers in Paris were encouraged this week when American and North Vietnamese negotiations took time out for propaganda-plaqued formal talks to converse candidly during a forty-minute tea break. Later, Defense Secretary Clark M. Clifford indicated there had been ‘some movement’ in the apparently stalemated discussions.
“But while the diplomats were sipping tea and inching toward accommodation in Paris, their military counterparts were working overtime in Vietnam to intensify the fighting. Each side in the peace talks has blamed the other for escalation that discourages progress toward a political settlement. Both sides, as United Nations Secretary General Thant has pointed out, share responsibility for this combat step-up.
“The United States has accused Hanoi of greatly increasing its infiltration into the South and has condemned the Communists–as has Mr. Thant–for their brutal attacks on South Vietnamese cities. It is evident that General Giap is again pursuing the talk-fight strategy he used against the French in 1954. It is also clear that this strategy is not now yielding the anticipated results and is, in fact, undermining the propaganda points Hanoi has tried to score in Paris.
“Hanoi’s stepped-up military activity also threatens to weaken the peace movement in the United States, as Senator Edward H. Brooke indicated the other day when he warned of rising pressure for new American countermeasures. But the United States too has contributed to the growing fury of the war. Although United States spokesmen have heralded President Johnson’s limitation on the area of bombing in North Vietnam as a major step toward de-escalation, Pentagon figures show that the number of American bombing missions against the North actually increased by 35-per cent in May over March. The number of American troops in Vietnam has risen from 516,000 at the time of the President’s March 31 piece initiative to 534,000 today.
“It is time the generals followed the example of the diplomats and took a ‘tea break’ of their own.”… End OpEd…
Notice the NYT’s lack of “moral outrage” at the rockets falling on Saigon killing civilians, Stephanie’s point. The NYT spin-meisters equated the increase of troops strength of 18,000 and the increased effectiveness of the Rolling Thunder operations that came with better bombing weather and fewer sorties committed to flak suppression, as escalation that offset the rockets red glare and the murder and maiming of hundreds of civilians in Saigon. In addition, at a press conference on the 20th Secretary Clifford reported that: “About 29,000 North Vietnamese were sent into South Vietnam during May.”… Stephanie-2, NYT-Zip… Whose side were you Gray Lady guys on, anyway?…
RTR quote for 21 June: “Tempest in a teapot.” One of the earliest occurrences in print of the modern version is attributed to the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Lord North, who characterized the outbreak of American colonialists reacting to the tea tax–“the Boston tea party”– as “a tempest in a teapot,” meaning “a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion. (This won’t be on the final exam)…
Lest we forget… Bear…
