Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #825… THE KOSYGIN LETTER OF 6 JUNE 1968. ROSTOW to LBJ: “THE ATTACHED LETTER TO YOU FROM KOSYGIN WILL REQUIRE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION…” KOSYGIN: “Mr. President, candidly to express to you these considerations, in view of the great significance that a peaceful settlement of the Viet-Nam problems and an end to the bloodshed would have. One would like to hope that opportunities that are presenting themselves will not be missed.”… Letter: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d262
Did President Johnson botch a valid opportunity to end the Vietnam war with honor in June 1968?… but first…
GOOD MORNING… Day EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE of recalling and refreshing memories from fifty years ago and honoring the warriors who alone carried the Vietnam war into the North Vietnam heartland in Rolling Thunder…
HEAD LINES from THE NEW YORK TIMES on Saturday, 8 June 1968…
THE WAR: Page 1: “FOE’S GUNS CONTINUE SHELLING OF SAIGON”….”The enemy shelled Saigon again this morning, firing 21 rounds in the southeastern section of the city, which includes the port and the central business district. First reports said that at least one person had been killed and five wounded. Several small exchanges of gunfire broke out in Saigon yesterday after a predawn shelling in which 25 South Vietnamese civilians were killed and 46 wounded….the shells destroyed or damaged 27 homes…Despite the shelling, the fighting in Saigon appeared to have diminished, but a resurgence in enemy activity is expected….In order to prevent the enemy from massing a large force for an attack on Saigon allied infrantymen continued to operate in the rice paddies and scrub jungles surrounding the capital.”… SKIRMISH OF THE DAY: “In an early morning operation, helicopters landed a company of American soldiers in a clearing nine miles north of Saigon. Enemy troops, who had surrounded the clearing, opened fire as the first aircraft touched down. One helicopter carrying troops was shot down and destroyed in the landing zone, but no one aboard the aircraft was injured. Two other American companies reinforced the unit pinned down by enemy fire and the battle raged until after midnight. Thirty-two of the enemy were killed and four Americans were killed. Sixteen Americans were wounded.” …. Sharp fighting also broke out in the northern provinces south of Danang…three companies of marines fought enemy troops through the day in the rice fields about 35 miles southwest of Danang reportedly killing 64. The battle cost the marines 15 dead and 37 wounded… in another battle near the marine outposts at Khe Sanh the marines lost 27 killed and 45 wounded while killing 63 North Vietnamese…”… Page 2: “Classical Combat Near DMZ”… “A senior American military officer said: ‘This is the only classical combat that exists in the country today. It is almost comparable to World War I, except that there are no fronts.’… “
PEACE TALKS: “HANOI SAID TO HINT IT WILL RESPOND TO BOMBING HALT–Willingness Reported to be Linked to Absence of Any U.S. Call for Restraint”… “North Vietnam is reliably reported to have implied to American negotiators through intermediaries that it would be willing to respond to a bombing halt in some unspecified way provided the United States did not demand military restraint ‘as a condition.’ American officials are understood to be uncertain how to evaluate this indirect message. They are reported to be looking for some more direct and explicit confirmation from the North Vietnamese delegates to the preliminary talks here…. Allied diplomats close to the negotiations report that the United States is still fearful of being maneuvered into stopping the bombing without sufficient knowledge of what the enemy will do.”
Page 1: “100,000 FILE PAST KENNEDY’S BIER–FINAL RITES IN ARLINGTON TODAY–A Mile Long Line–Rich, Poor, Young, old Stand For Hours–Heat Fell 100″… “…By 3 A.M. more than 100,000 persons had filed by the Senator’s African mahogany coffin set at the head of the mosaic central aisle of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”… Page 12: “KENNEDY WILL BE BURIED A FEW STEPS FROM THE ARLINGTON GRAVE OF HIS BROTHER–FAMILY MEMBERS CHOOSE LOCATION AT 3.2 ACRE SITE–A Motor Cortege Will Take Body On 4.6 Mile Route From Union Station–6 Navy Pallbearers”… Page 1: “SIRHAN IS INDICTED ON MURDER COUNT–HELD WITHOUT BAIL IN DEATH OF KENNEDY–His Lawyer Wins Mental Test For Client”… “…The 24-year old Jerusalem born Jordanian, who was seized at the scene of the fatal shooting in the Ambassador Hotel early Wednesday morning, was indicted also on five counts of assault with intent to kill five other persons wounded in the fusilade of bullets.”... Page 1: “DE GAULLE OFFERS A CHANGED SOCIETY–Asks Voter To Rally Around Him In June 23 Vote So Republic May Live”… “He promised new ‘society of participation’ that would be different from both Communists and capitalism. ‘Workers must participate in the management and the benefits of their enterprises, students must participate in university decisions and citizens must participate in their Government,the President said.” Capitalism and Communism are both ‘bad solutions from the human point of view.’ “… Page 1: “RUSTIN QUITS MARCH–CALLS AIMS UNCLEAR”… “Bayard Rustin resigned today from a key role in the Poor People’s Campaign and his announced replacement–Sterling Tucker–declined to say whether he would accept the appointment.”…
8 JUNE 1968… THE PRESIDENT’S DAILY BRIEF (CIA)… CZECHOSLOVAKIA: The Czechs have appointed a special military spokesman to handle publicity for the upcoming Warsaw Pact exercise in Czechoslovakia. We see this highly unusual move as part of a plan to allay fears that the Soviets will use the exercise to cover military intervention.”… SOVIET UNION-EGYPT: Soviet press and television have seized upon the assassination of Senator Kennedy to launch a vicious tirade at US domestic and foreign policies and the entire American system. Conspicuously missing is a message of sympathy to the Kennedy family or the people of the US…. JAPAN: Leftist students have mounted demonstrations every day this week against diplomatic posts nd military facilities throughout japan. Thus far, the police have been able to keep these demonstrations under control….NORTH VIETNAM: Recent photography shows the North Vietnamese have been busy improving the rail lines to China. The new construction consists of additional sidings and by-passes around tunnels and rail yards–all designed to make the lines less vulnerable to bombing and to speed the flow of traffic.”…
8 JUNE 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times… Page 2: “PILOT RESCUED FROM NORTH AFTER COSTLY SEARCH–2nd U.S. Flier and 3rd Aircraft Are Lost During Operation Above The Buffer Zone”… (This incident was reported in the RTR post for 31 May “The Rescue of Streetcar 304,” LT KENNY FIELDS)… NYT, 9 June reporting 8 June ops: Page 2: “American pilots attacking North Vietnam described anti-aircraft fire as light to moderate as they flew 131 missions. They attacked coastal shipping, supply trucks, storage dumps and antiaircraft gun positions.”…
VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 8 June 1968…
(1) MAJOR CARL B. LIGHT was flying an F-105D of the 34th TFS and 388th TFW out of Korat on a strike mission targeted to hit a trucfk park about five miles north of the demilitarized zone. The following is from the “Compilation 34 TFS/F-105 History” by Howie Plunkett …
“08-Jun-68: Two pilots from the 34 TFS formed a two-ship ‘Master’ flight, whose targets were SAMs on a transporters in a truck park in RP-1. The line up was: #1 Major Carl B. Light flying his 61st mission and #2 Lt Col Rufus Dye, Jr. flying his 82nd mission. Major Light’s F-105 was hit by 37-mm AAA while attacking a truck park and crashed in Route Package I, North Vietnam. He was rescued after spending the night on the ground (22 hours) evading hostile forces about 15 miles north of the DMZ.
“Major Light was lead of a two-ship flight of F-105s working with ‘Misty 31.’ LCOL Rufus Dye, Jr was ‘Master 02’ and destroyed a SAM on a transporter. On 9 June Major Light was rescued by a team of three HH-3E Jolly Green helicopters of the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, call sign Jolly Green 28, 24 and 31. Supporting the rescue was ‘Misty 41’, and F-100F Fast FAC, Covey 265, an O-2 slow FAC and four A-1, Sandy 5 and 6 and Sandy 9 and 10. Major Light was brought to Danang AB, South Vietnam, where the uninjured pilot spent the night before returning to Korat.
“A mission report from Crown 4 summarized the first day’s attempt at rescuing Major Light. At 0910Z 8 June, an F-105, ‘Master Lead’, was reported downed by ground fire at 326/22 Ch 109 by Busty 51 (FAC). Good chute-beeper-voice. JG 27-22 an Spad 11-12-13 launched Ch 77. Busty 51 advised weather good, heavy ground fire. Worked 10 flights. Hayfire, Sidewinder, Streetcar, Spuds Locust, Fresno, Hornet, Tampa, Nash, Bobbin. Busty put in 8 flights in attempt to suppress ground fire. C-4 held Nash and Bobbin for recovery effort. Held JG feet wet and Spads advised area too hot for JG and darkness approaching. Blue Chip directed all forces RTB. JG27-22, Spad 11-12-13 to Ch77. C-4 to Ch 85…
“Major DICK DURANT, ‘Misty 53’ and CAPTAIN CHUCK SHAHEEN, ‘Misty 52’, from Phu Cat, South Vietnam were one of the F-100Misty FAC crews who participated in the SAR effort: ‘Master 01, Carl Light, an F-105 pilot was shot down at 1708, 8 June 1968. Chuck Shaheen and I put him in on a SAM site, which he killed with MK-117s. We then put him on four trucks, and he was hit by 37mm and punched our right into the biggest mess of guns south of Hanoi. Chuck and I marked guns until we ran out of rockets, and then had to mark with 20mm. We were able to keep the NVA off Carl by buzzing them. We didn’t want to start to strafe because it looked for sure like Carl would be caught, and we didn’t want the bad guys to be any more pissed at him than they already were. A Misty on the way home came back to the area, and we were able to kill guns and hold ’em off Carl until dark. Our tanker stayed until minimum fuel and just did make it back to Danang. The next day the greatest rescue effort of the war was mounted. It was conducted under an overcast, and everything from 23mm to 100mm was coming up. An F-4 was shot down, but Mamlock (Misty Commander LCOL STAN MAMLOCK ‘Misty 42’) talked them into staying with the bird, which was torching badly until they were over the Jollys holding off shore, and they ejected and were both picked up from the water.
“We got Carl out at 2:30 that afternoon after many, many guns had been killed, and they all finally quit shooting. The rest of the day was somewhat anticlimactic”…
Major LIGHT was CAPTAIN LAMONT H. PHARMER’s Flight Commander. While supporting the rescue CAPTAIN PHAMER received his third DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS… The citation in part:… “Captain Pharmer purposely exposed himself to intensive hostile anti-aircraft fire from some well camouflaged gun positions in close proximity to a downed pilot in order that his wingman might pinpoint their exact location from the muzzle flashes and attack them. Captain Pharmer then attacked a firing gun position, pressing a shallow dive through intense fire to low-level to deliver his ordnance precisely on target. By his courageous and selfess action, Captain Pharmer made a significant contribution to a search and rescue operation which succeeded against great odds.”… ooohrah…
RIPPLE SALVO… #825… FOR THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: “DID LBJ MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO END THE WAR IN 1968?”… Humble Host turns to Edward J. Drea’s McNAMARA, CLIFFORD and the BURDENS OF VIETNAM, 1965-1969, pages 227-8…
“As the vicious May (1968) fighting left the president apprehensive over the lack of progress in the negotiations, he asked Clifford to consider alternative actions if Hanoi should continue to reject U.S. demands for reciprocity. Clifford in turn directed the Joint Chiefs to prepare alternatives should North Vietnam prove inflexible or the Paris talks collapse. The Chiefs recited the standard litany: The North Vietnamese were stringing the United States along at the Paris talks to gain by negotiation what they could not win through aggression. Stopping the bombing only guaranteed higher U.S. casualties. Limiting the bombardment to 20 degrees continued the discredited policy of gradualism. The military solution, as it had been all along, was unrestricted attacks against all targets in the North, except the Chinese buffer zone, to force Hanoi into serious negotiations. In early June they cautioned the president that continued restraints on the use of U.S. military power during the protracted negotiations at Paris would result only in a deteriorating allied capability. Should the talks break down, they desired immediate resumption of unrestricted air and naval attacks on North Vietnam. The JCS found little support.
“The CIA felt a resumption of bombing to the 20th parallel would signal a hard-line U.S. policy but not likely lead to any North Vietnamese concessions. Opposition to a military solution remained stronger, however, within OSD. (Paul) Nitze (#2 at Defense) asked if there was any evidence of increased movement south by enemy forces and what a bombing resumption might accomplish. Clifford counseled the president to continue the current course because renewed escalation would almost surely cause the breakdown of the Paris talks. He reminded Johnson that no one had expected the talks to be easy and results to date were about as anticipated.
“Two events in early June stifled talk of immediate escalation. The 3 June arrival in Paris of Le Duc Tho, North Vietnam’s special advisor to the peace talks, caused the U.S. lead negotiators, Cyrus Vance and Averell Harriman, to recommend that further consideration of air strikes between the 19th and 20th parallels be deferred ‘to test the water’ for any new proposals. Two days later, the president received a letter from Kosygin stating that he thought North Vietnam ready to negotiate if the United States stopped its air strikes completely.
“(Dean) Rusk, suspicious of the Soviet overture, wanted a guarantee that Hanoi would do something concrete in response to a bombing halt. Vance was unsure what the letter meant, Harriman too favored clarification, and Wheeler saw nothing new in the proposal. Fearful that a pause might lead to higher American casualties and lower troop morale, the president, as usual, worried that communist violations might go unpunished because it would be difficult for him to restart the bombing. Clifford insisted the letter offered ‘a great opportunity’ to bring the war to a conclusion and advocated that the president accept Kosygin’s assurances. Having been burned by Moscow’s similar guarantees in the 37-day pause in late 1965 and early 1966, the president greeted the latest Soviet proposal with understandable cynicism. Finally, on 9 June, he decided to ask Kosygin what specifically would happen if the bombing were stopped.
“Two days later (11 June), the president informed Kosygin that the United States stood prepared to end the bombing of North Vietnam ‘if we know it will lead to the de-escalation of the war.’ Hanoi, Johnson continued, must not take advantage of the cessation and must state what actions it would take to further reduce the violence. The next day Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin confessed that he was ‘disappointed’ by the conditions the president had raised and did not feel he had been responsive to Kosygin’s letter. Once again Johnson had straddled the issue, willing neither to escalate nor end the air war. Like so many earlier peace moves, the Soviet initiative went nowhere.”…
OPPORTUNITY LOST…. and the war goes on. Another 33,000 American men will die fighting 10,000 miles from home before it’s over…
RTR quote for 8 June: SUN TZU: The Art of War: “When the strike of the hawk breaks the body of its prey; it is because of timing.”…
Lest we forget… Bear
