SENATE-Thursday, April 25, 1968

10588 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD- SENATE April 25, 1968 understanding which has been encour The third COSVN directive, dated Feb. 21, ago. Here in III Corps, the historic big aged by some Americans. I would like to then canceled the order for further attacks units-the 9th, 7th and 5th Divisions-also on the towns and cities, as impractically moved out to lick their wounds in the same have Mr. Alsop's column of today appear. dangerous. Yet, it offered no surcease to tho manner.· And yet there is still the intelli in the RECORD: unhappy enemy Gis, since their units were gence of a new attack on Saigon noted above. [From the Washington Post, Apr. 24, 1968] stlll sternly commanded "to hang in" close It is only three or four days' march, it must NEW RED ATTACK ON SAIGON WOULD UNDER- to the towns and cities that had been their be remembered, from the suburbs to the LINE TET FAn.URE ·objectives. South Vietnamese capital. If the intelligence (By Joseph Alsop) The result was the kind o:f situation that is correct, suicide squads of sappers will work Gen. Giap's able predecessor in command, the with the historic big units, above listed, LAIKHE, SOUTH VIETNAM.-Reluctant enemy late Gen. Nguyen Chi Thanh, had found to be who were only in a supporting role at Tet. acknowledgement of costly defeat is now con militarily untenable as long as two years ago, But if we and our allies have reasonable spicuously here in III Corps, where our First before the retreat to the border sanctuaries luck, in the event of this attack, which is Division has its stamping ground. If there began. Here in III Corps, the result was a highly speculative, a renewed attempt on is another attempt on Saigon, one can pre cruelly risky situation comparable to a mili Saigon by outfits which have already suf dict with reasonable confidence that the des tary subway rush, in which further heavy fered so terribly will be remembered in his perate character of the enterprise will ac enemy losses were unavoidable. tory as an act of desperation-although God tually underline the fact of past defeat. Such losses were unavoidable because all knows how it will be reported at home. The sickness at home is so serious that the the enemy units, from divisions downwards, enemy's own documents are thought to be a and all the U.S and Allied forces were angrily huge joke, if they prove our soldiers' and our charging about in this Corps area in a fattish allles' success in the field. Yet facts are facts, oval centered on Saigon, with a long diameter Riot Insurance hard evidence is still hard evidence, and it of hardly more than 50 miles. For the enemy, is best to begin with the captured directives it was far worse than the situation two years from the enemy's southern headquarters, ago before Gen. Thanh ordered the retreat to HON. PETER W. RODINO, JR. COSVN, which trace the rather grisly story. the border sanctuaries; for our forces were The first directive was issued on Feb. 1 after much stronger and the near-in-VC base OF NEW .JERSEY a meeting of the COSVN Current Affairs areas had all been Rome-ploughed or other IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Committee on the night of Jan. 31, while the wise rendered near-useless. Wednesday, April 24, 1968 Tet offensive was still officially in full swing. The inevitable consequence was the con As this paper is both long and well-drafted, tinuation through March of losses for the Mr. RODINO. Mr. Speaker, I am in the peculiar timing makes one suspect that enemy nearly as horrifying as those suffered troducing, today, legislation designed to it had been quietly prepared pre-Tet, in ex in February. A fair though perhaps extreme assist in meeting the mounting insur pectation of failure, by southern-experienced example was a battalion of the 101st Regi ance crisis in our Nation's cities. The bill staff officers naturally skeptical of the im ment of the Seventh North Vietnamese Di mensely over-ambitious plan of Gen. Vo vision. would provide relief to the inner city Nguyen Giap, who had no direct experience Prisoners taken towards the end of March propertyholder who.now finds it increas of the southern war until a few months ago. revealed that the battalion had begun the ingly more difficult to obtain regular in Like all enemy documents, it accentuates Tet offensive with 400 men. It had lost its surance coverage--if indeed he is able the positive for the benefit of the wretched battalion commander, executive officer and to secure any protection at all. Though lower echelons, speaking of surging victories most of its staff. It had been reduced in guaranteed reinsurance, im;urance com of all sorts. But the heart of the paper, none strength to under 50 men. And it had lost panies would be insulated from the · theless, is the said acknowledgement that the all touch with regimental headquarters since offensive had already failed to attain its the beginning of the month. In general, potentially catastrophic losses that can grand objectives: The general uprising, the Giap's Tet failure and his subsequent obsti accompany large-scale civil disorders. collapse of the South Vietnamese Army by nate refusal to admit that defeat, reduced This legislation encompasses the defection and in other ways, and the occupa all his units in South Vietnam to near-ruin recommendations of the President's Na tion of the cities. ous condition; and this was by no means tional Advisory Panel on Insurance in In these bitter circumstances, all enemy compensated, except in the Delta, by intensi Riot-Affected Areas, which was chaired units were adjured to attack and attack fied local press ganging. by the distinguished Governor of New again, at no matter what cost, until the The defeat was then belatedly acknowl grand objectives were finally and fully at edged, when Giap at last permitted the Jersey, the Honorable Richard J. Hughes. tained. The same theme ran through a sec scramble back toward the sanctuaries on the Its implementation would launch a ond COSVN directive, issued after another Cambodian border. This happened in all frontal attack on a serious national Current Affairs Committee meeting, less than Corps areas. In II Corps, for example, at least problem through the cooperative efforts a week later. Attacks on U.S. units were now five of the seven regtments o! the B-3 front of private insurance industry, State gov excluded, however, as too co·stly. sought their usual sanctuaries some time ernments, and the Federal Government. SENATE-Thursday, April 25, 1968 The Senate :met at 12 o'clock meridian, tllis disgrace and our disregard of law · tivity of illiteracy; help them to make and was called to order by the President that desecrates our land and disgraces our Nation more than an empty together pro tempore. our humanity, be changed. ness as we stand by seeing the liquidation Rev. William G. Kalaidjian, minister, Our Heavenly Father, we acknowledge of the treasures of our Nation's soul. As Bedford Park Congregational Church, that we have failed Thee and we have · Thou dost call us to a better life, as the New York, N.Y., offered the following failed the blessing of freedom in our police of America patrol and watch our prayer: land. We have too long neglected our cities' streets, we pray Thy protection Almighty God, we pause and look to basic responsibilities, turning from Thee, upon them; and we pray for the libera Thee to bless this Senate session that placing secondary things first and first tion of the social ills of our cities that Thy will may be done through the Mem things last. Help us to be turned around make police necessary. bers of this distinguished body, reflecting in mind and spirit that we may abandon May the content of our character, the the highest hopes for a history that be the lesser gods of materialism and false possession of religious values and the de longs to Thee. values, replacing them with the power velopment of our divine-given talents Thou hast given our country blessings of Thy love. Help our Nation to love itself· become the basis for where we live, how beyond our greatest dreams. We have more, and its people to love one another we live and the kind of work we perform. richness in material goods and richness that we may fulfill our mutual destiny Bless every race, creed, and national in human and spiritual values. Yet we · in Thee. background of the American people, 0 confess, 0 God, we have not lived up to Gracious Father of our land, like God, and to Thy glory may the U.S. all that we should be nor to all that we Moses led his people to a new land under Senate guide us, in the name of Him who can become. the new Commandments; like Christ led is the Lord of life we pray. Amen. May the shame in our Nation's home His people from death to life eternal in life; the tragedy of child abuse and the resurrection; help this U.S. Senate neglect, where-more children will die at to redeem the environment of our Na-: THE JOURNAL the hands of their parents than from all tion in Thy spirit. Help them to lead our Mr. BYRD of West Virginia. Mr. Pres other childhood diseases combined, may land out of the wilderness of the cap- ident, I ask unanimous consent that the April 25, 1968 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE 10589 reading of the Journal of the proceedings The bill clerk proceeded to call the ever a monument of light in a dark era of Wednesday, April 24, 1968, be dis roll.

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