Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #668… Ho says: “The Americans are less able, more confused; and we are stronger and our armed forces will be dashing forward and the impetus of new successes will win many still greater victories.”… forewarned… but first…
Good Morning… Day SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT of a return to the “maelstrom” of the 1960s and the air war that divided America…
4 January 1968… HEAD LINES from the The New York Times on a Thursday full of snow that will go all night…
GROUND WAR: Page 1: “NORTH VIETNAMESE ATTACK TWO U.S. ARTILLERY BASES”... “The North Vietnamese Second Division smashed at two American artillery bases in the Queson Valley south of Danang tonight. According to first reports, 241 enemy soldiers were killed in a series of ground assaults that followed an intense mortar bombardment. The reports said that 18 Americans had been killed and 100 wounded. The defending units were the Third Brigade of the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and the 196th Light Infantry Brigade of the Americal Division. An intelligence source said that the assault had been coordinated with a rocket attack on Danang air base before dawn today and at lest 20 assaults on South Vietnamese outposts, district headquarters and combined platoons of United States marines and South Vietnam militiamen. ‘They have been planning this for a long time,’ the sources said, ‘and it looked like it could continue for a long time, too.’… Scores of bloody battles have been fought in the area, which is part of the coastal plain–first by the French, then by United States marines and in the last six months by the five United States army brigades that were brought in when the marines were concentrated in the three northern most provinces… Details of other attacks were sketchy, but a combined platoon of American Marines and South Vietnamese militiamen defending a hamlet a mile and a half north of Holan, the capital of Quangnam Province, about 15 miles north of the Queson Valley, was almost wiped out this morning… about 25 defenders were killed, including four marines and a Navy corpsman... In the Rocket attack on Danang the number of aircraft destroyed was increased to three–an F-4 Phantom and two light observation planes–and 23 damaged… Meanwhile, 21 miles north of Saigon, a company of the 101st Airborne Division that arrived last month (bringing the total troop count in South Vietnam to 486,000) tasted their first combat, coming under fire as it took part in a training patrol. Nineteen of the paratroopers were wounded and ten enemy soldiers were reported killed.”……
NYT, 4 JAN 68, PAGE 5: PENTAGON REPORTS 55 AMERICANS KILLED IN ACTION IN VIETNAM”…. NYT, 3 Jan 68, Page 2: PENTAGON CASUALTY LIST OF 54 INCLUDES 49 IN THE MARINES…
Page 1: “Senator Eugene McCarthy To Run In New Hampshire In Surprise Move–Asserts He Wants Direct Confrontation With President in Primary”… Page 1: “A Johnson Envoy Expected to Visit Cambodians Soon–Mission Would Be a Result of Sihanouk’s Indications He Would Welcome Tanks–Ambassador Bowles May Be Choice–Emissary Is Likely To Be in Phompenh Next Week To Discuss Border Issues”… Page 2: “Use of Herbicides By U.S. In Vietnam Defended–Pentagon Advisor Asserts that Killing of Foliage Has No Long Term Effects”… Page 2: “U.S. Troop Build-Up Near Complete”… Page 2: “U.S. Clerics Of # Faiths Begin Trip To 7 Nations In Peace Effort”… Page 4: “New Bid On Talks By Foe Reported–Hanoi Aide in Paris Confirms Willingness”… (see Document 4. “Telegram for the President…read on…)
State Department, Office of Historian, Historical Documents, Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-68, Volume VI, Vietnam, January to August 1968… Document 4. “Telegram from the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to the President in Texas dated 4 January 1968 provides interesting detail on the excitement caused by changing “could” to “will” …Document 1 Editorial Comment provides a 1 January 1968 discussion on the word game necessarily played by lawyers in the State Department… Humble Host is referencing a third Historical Document (3) that is a telephone conversation between the President and Secretary McNamara, who is still on duty with his relief Clark Clifford at his elbow, discussing the bridges in Hanoi–go or no go–due to sensitivity to criticism of two LA times writers working on a book that might be critical of the President’s bombing policy… Read these documents at:
4. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d4
1. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d1
3. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d3
4 JANUARY 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…New York Times (5 Jan reporting 4 Jan ops) Page 1: “Flying through breaks in the clouds and mist that veiled North Vietnam for weeks, American pilots attacked major transportation routes near Hanoi and Haiphong yesterday...Among the targets were a rail and highway bridge three miles north of the capital, a highway ferry at Phuthi, 12 miles southeast of the Hanoi, and the Hagia railroad bridge 20 miles to the north. Air Force pilots penetrated 82 miles northeast of Hanoi to strike the Langson railroad and highway bridge, which is about 10 miles from Communist China. It has been attacked before Marine pilots from Chulai attacked Somtra railroad yard, about 80 miles northwest of Hanoi. The loss of two planes was announced, bringing total losses over the North to 776. The latest losses were an Air Force F-105 and a Navy A-4 Skyhawk that went down Wednesday. Both pilots are missing.”
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 4 January 1968…
(1) LTJG RICHARD WILLIS MINNICH of the VF-162 Hunters embarked in USS ORISKANY was downed while flying an F-8E on a TARCAP mission supporting a Carrier Air Wing 16 strike on a bridge near Haiduong, midway between Hanoi and Haiphong. After covering the successful strike, while exiting the target area at 15,000-feet, LTJG MINNICH’s Crusader was hit by an SA-2 and exploded. The aircraft was seen to spiral into the ground with LTJG MINNICH aboard. His remains were returned to his homeland in 1985…he rests in peace this day, fifty years after he gave his life for his country and his fellow warriors…The loss was the 34th of the cruise for Oriskany…
(2) CAPTAIN J.E. POLLAK of the 308th TFS and 31st TFW out of Tuy Hoa was downed while flying an F-100D on a strike on a gun position in the Central Highlands 20 miles southeast of Ban Me Thuot City. He was on his second run when hit by ground fire. He was forced to eject from his blazing Super Sabre a few miles from the target where he was rescued to fly and fight again...Chris Hobson notes: “The F-100 was still the most numerous USAF aircraft in South Vietnam in January 1968 with a total of 193 aircraft in 13 squadrons soon to be supplemented by five more squadrons…
From the Compilation, “34TFS/F-105 History,” by Howie Plunkett… 04-Jan-68: “Four flights of F-105s from the 388th TFW struck the Lang Son railroad and highway bridge (JCS 18) interdicting both the north and south approaches. The planes dropped 72 750-pound bombs cutting both north and south approaches…’The flak suppression aircraft expended 12 CBU-24s, one CBU-29 and 61 M-117s on four active flak sites defending the bridge. Pilot estimates were that all four sites were silenced.’
“Strike activities against the Lang Son railroad bridge complex on 4 and 5 January were partially successful. The main bridge was attacked on 4 January. ‘Pre-strike coverage of one of the bypasses on 5 January showed 3 movable spans adjacent to the rail lines. Post-strike coverage of the same bridge on 6 January revealed that strikes on 5 January destroyed one of the supporting piers, thus rendering the bridge unserviceable.”…
RIPPLE SALVO… #668… NEW YORK TIMES, Charles Mohr, Page 1: “HANOI SAYS NATION STRONGER DESPITE THE BOMBINGS”…
“North Vietnam said today it had become ‘stronger than ever’ despite United States bombing and the pressure of the war. A New Year’s editorial in the official Hanoi newspaper, Nhan Dan, stated that ‘our communications lines remain open as ever’ in the face of bombing and asserted that ‘the political and moral unity of our people has strengthened. President Ho Chi Minh issued a personal New Year’s message urging both South and North Vietnamese to fight on and to emulate each other in combating the United States. The statements from Hanoi made no reference to the possibility of negotiations or a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
“There has been no amplification or clarification of a statement Saturday by Foreign Minister Nguyen Duy Trinh, who said in a speech that ‘after the cessation of bombing and of all other acts of war, we will begin talks with the United States on all pertinent problems. Whether Mr. Trinh’s remarks constituted any modification of the North Vietnamese position was unclear. The theme of today’s statement was resistance. In a related development, the North Vietnamese government issued a special statement warning that its people ‘are ready to do everything they can’ to resist a possible United State intrusion into Cambodia.
“President Ho Chi Minh’s New Year’s message said the people of both North and South Vietnam ‘were united as one man.’ This year,’ he said, ‘the United States aggressors will find themselves less able than ever to take the initiative and will be more confused that ever, while our ground forces, dashing forward with the impetus of new successes will certainly win many more and still greater victories.’ He extended best wishes to all friendly people in the United States who have warmly supported the just struggle of our people. The Nhan Dan editorial asserted that the situation of the United States in Vietnam ‘is already hopeless’ and that its great military and economic power could not ‘turn failure into victory.’
“The North Vietnamese statement on Cambodia was broadcast by the Hanoi radio. It may reflect concern over the fact that Cambodia’s Chief of State, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, had modified his position on the prevention of American ‘hot pursuit’ of Vietnamese forces that use Cambodian soil as a sanctuary.’… “The Vietnamese people are ready to do everything they can in all circumstances to meet all the requests of the Cambodian Government and people.”… This was apparently an allusion to Cambodia’s statement last Tuesday saying that she would ask for foreign assistance if the United States violated her terms…”
RTR Quote for 4 January: VINCE LOMBARDI: “The strength of the group is in the strength of the leader.”
Lest we forget… Bear
