Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #639… “The Resistance, declared the other day ‘Ending the war in Vietnam’ transcends everything else and is therefore far more important ‘than abiding by all the traditional rules.’…. but first…
Good Morning… Day SIX HUNDRED THIRTY-NINE of a return to Operation Rolling Thunder to do some remembering… (“Life can only be understood looking backward…”)
26 NOVEMBER 1967…HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a perfect pro-football Sunday in New York…
Page 1: “Threat Of A War Over Cyprus Issue Appears to Ease–Vance Returns To Athens With Reports of Ankara’s Reaction to Proposal Turkish stand is Eased–Diplomatic to Proposal Turkish Stand is Eased–Diplomacy Believed Gaining Upper Hand in Dispute–Troop Cuts Indicated”... “Hopes of averting a Turkish-Greek war over Cyprus rose markedly as Cyrus Vance, President Johnson’s special envoy flew in from Ankara and reported Turkey’s latest position to Greece Foreign Minister Panayotis Pipielis”… Page 1: “U.N Standing By On Cyprus Crisis–But Envoys Believe Security Council Support of Peace Appeal Eased the Threat of War”… Page 1: “Enemy Assaults 14 Posts in Delta–34 Civilians Reported Killed–Central Highlands Action Limited to Light Shelling”... “Vietcong and North Vietnamese units began a series of attacks yesterday, most of them in the Mekong Delta. Fighting in the Central Highlands was limited to the firing of about 30 mortar rounds at a battalion of the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division 12 miles southwest of Dakto…In a coordinated effort the Vietcong killed at lest 34 civilians, and wounded 140 in mortar attacks in 14 cities.”… Page 1: “Hungarian Reports Illness Is Keeping Ho Chi Minh in Bed”... “A Hungarian journalist said today that President Ho Chi Minh was seriously ill and was conducting North Vietnam’s affairs of state from his sick-bed.”… Page 31: “College President Quits At Ohio College–Leaves After Racial Strife Closed Central State”... “Dr. Harry E. Groves resigned in the aftermath of a November 13 night of violence that required Ohio National Guard assistance to control the disorder created by black power groups. Black power group–Unity for Unity–and outside agitators were responsible for the disorder which resulted in the arrest of 81 persons on charges of inciting a riot.” … Page 9: “Atomic Powers Warned On Pact–A U.S. Panel Cites Fears of Non-nuclear Nations”... “A panel of prominent citizens cautioned today that the atomic powers must offer more specific assurances to non-nuclear nations if the proposed treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons is to be accepted…panel produces a 39-page report: “United Nations Association of the USA, ‘Stopping Spread of Nuclear Weapons.'”…
26 November 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (27 Nov reporting 26 Nov ops)… Page 1: “…in the North, bad weather restricted the strike fighters to strikes against secondary roads and targets.”... Indicative of the impact of the weather are these two notes from 34th TFS pilot log books: LCOL RUFUS DYE, JR.… “Flew as ‘Simmer 4’ attacking a road segment in southern Laos. 100% road cut and slides…flew armed recce in RP-1, no significant sightings. 17th counter”… MAJOR SAM ARMSTRONG… “I was one of the two airborne spares for today’s strike. Since they didn’t go to the primary target because of bad weather up in Pack VI, the two airborne spares took off as a flight of two for a strike in Laos or Pack 1. We were given a Combat Sky Spot over the clouds just southwest of Mu Gia pass. Then we flew across Pack 1 to the coast for a weather check and a counter.”
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 26 November 1967…
(1) An A-4B of the VSF-3 Chessmen embarked in USS Intrepid suffered an engine failure on a training flight. The pilot ejected and was rescued.
(2) COLONEL ROBERT OWEN BRENNAN and 1LT DOUGLAS CRAIG CONDIT were flying an F-4C of the 390th TFS and 366th TFW out of Danang on a strike on a bridge a few miles north of Ban Karai Pass about 20 miles west of Dong Hoi and went down on their second dive bombing run on the bridge. It is not clear whether the aircraft was shot down or the aircraft was destroyed by an early bomb detonation. In either case , both COL BRENNAN and 1LT CONDIT perished. In 1992 the crash scene was investigate and while wreckage and personal equipment were found, no remains were recovered. However, 1LT CONDIT’s remains were returned in June of 1992 and identified on 1 April 1993. COL BRENNAN lies where he fell fifty years ago today…
RIPPLE SALVO… #630…NYT, 25 Nov 67….OpEd…”From Dissent to Disorder”…
“Advocating a shift from ‘dissent to resistance,’ a small but vociferous body of young and immature older war objectors has begun to incite acts of anarchy that could destroy precisely the values they profess to defend. Their contemptible attacks on government officials, physical assaults on police and violent interference with the peaceful pursuits of other citizens–appallingly reminiscent of the behavior of Communist and Nazi hooligans in pre-Hitler Germany–make a mockery of their professed ideals.
“Defending such actions which turned a recent local demonstration against Secretary of State Dean Rusk into a nightmare, the leader of a group at Columbia University called The Resistance, declare the other day: ‘Ending the war in Vietnam’ transcends everything else and is therefore far more important ‘than abiding by all the traditional rules,’ including preservation of ‘an orderly America.’
“Nothing could be more fallacious. A disorderly America would be a disaster for the cause of peace in this world. Peace in Vietnam cannot be won by violence in the streets of America and more than it can be won by violence in the air over North Vietnam. Justice for others cannot be gained by obstructing the essential machinery of justice at home.
“If there were not in American society ample opportunity for legitimate protest and machinery for peaceful change, there would be grounds today for vigorous resistance to policies that are profoundly disturbing to many Americans. The key point is however–contrary to the arguments of the resisters–that the channels for dissent are wide open and are being employed with increasing effectiveness by a growing number of responsible and articulate opponents of the war in Vietnam. The machinery for change is working–although slowly–on Vietnam, as demonstrated by increasing opposition in Congress to the President’s policies and by Senator McCarthy’s challenge to his renomination.
“Responsible debate and legitimate political action–these are the ways to change policies in a democratic society. The resisters only retard the cause they seek to advance while threatening the foundation of the freedoms they recklessly exploit.”
RTR Quote for 26 November: EDMUND BURKE, Letter, 1790″ “The tyranny of a multitude is a multiplied tyranny.”…
Lest we forget… Bear
