'{I |:| /~ I———‘ EOEC)e (t 'fi6PP~y_e<!T‘Approved t2r:.,for 13~E!_ase:Release: 2019/01/12019/01/17 ~ C02430079002430079 3.35(0) 5( c) - w’ 13526 ~L-------~I ~ 3.5(c)3.5(0) 3.5(c)3.5(0) rj. j In..- E I 3.5(c)3.5(0) .u-Ii- /‘ CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Directorate of Intollige~ceIntelligence l· Feb1·uary 1968 ' u L February 1968 —" i. ! INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM 0v.- f. ;· Q q I i‘mh‘n‘q . Cfiyaflgaewb~ The SiSituation tuatio11 in SouthSonth Vietnam No.No, 6 c""'\ 1 ~ 'IJ- (Xs(£18 of0137‘ 1 AM;r.~ .· Dt)EST) fi:.:_.2.,c..,J‘"x. '~* · __‘ meet 1· 1.·1.' The vigor of the Communist Tet offensive-­offensive—- nownew in its third day--isday-uie slackening. :The'enemy·The enemy still ·has1nu3_partial partial. coJ1trolcontrol of several 'majormajor prov­prov— I“I- . i1tcialincial captcapitals, tals, but his attacks for the 1nostmost part.,­part, have been_reducedbeen reduced to scattered pocket~pockete of resistance If" i th1·oughoutthroughout the rest of the country. I .;. ”n.4-H.II-‘ I•,so - 2. I-niInitial, tial, incomplete repo1•tsreports i•efleotreflect ex­ex- tremely high enemy losses in personnel 111in co11t1•astcontrast_ t.oto allied cas\,alcasualties. ties. More thu1than G,6,000 00Q Commut1istsCommunists report.edlyrepertedly have beenbee11 killed during the past three days·.days)‘ ThisThie numbet·number is ex1,ectedexpected to i1tc1·eascincrease as more complete reports come in. F1•iondlyFriendly’losees >losses 110wnow stand at 571 killed (99 US) and 1,714 wound~d (562 US). w at 571 killed (99 US) and 1,714 wounded (562 US). "NoNo estimate of civilian casualties is'yetis yet available, but it is expected to be high. · f“m 3. The Communists have added a new element to '0'... thothe situation with their ann,ounceme11tannouncement on 31 January of the establishment:establishment o:rof a "Revolutionary Administra­Administra— “m I tio11"tion" in Sout11South Viet11am.Vietnam. It appears that they plan to use t·hethe new organ1zat1011organization as another mechanism for attempts to rally support from the South Viet­Viet- namese populace.pop\tlace. Details of the new ap1)a1•atusapparatus are ..deecribed described below. II'Corpe Corps 44.. •. With the ~xceptio11eaception of Uue·.:in:fine in TbuaThua ThlenThien Prov­Prov- ince, allied reaction forces have •rfectivelyeffectively coun­coun- torodtered the enemy'senemy‘s latest thr1L1stthrust throughoutthronghodt the ; northern I Corps area. I, • I - ' 3.5(c)3.5(c) . 1 v . 1 i -c fl h - ~CRET\L___WRET Li__ 3.5(c)3.5(0) fl iI Mg Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 C02430079002430079 it‘J . 0' ··1r 'w r0 ,Approved for Release: 2019/01/1.7 C02430079002430079 3.5(c)3_5(c) fl .Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 \·I -m- t _~111,KNI I I ._- .,o I . ‘- ( I «.23- Q "' -. I ' 3.5(c)135(0) \ =?1·· ' .· '2 -!. U i Q Iusun-qus-n-o'l- • ' "I 5. QuangQuang_Tri Tri city: Two battalions of Commu- 'i ." - ' nist t1·ooi,stroOps'atfacked attack"eatliisthis 11O1·thern1110~tnorthernmost provincial ca.picapital t:al ·i ye.sterdayyesterday afternoon, but were forced _toto withdraw -.Io‘ "'""'""""'" 0 early this 1110.r.ning.morning. An estimated 300 bodies were , left behind by the retreating enemy force. The , gone lj'·" . city is now considered secure,secure. l I . ·· 0‘. - ...q‘l . ...' . I 6. Hue,Egg} An el\emyenemy for•ceforce believed to be of regi­regi- I . -W,. mental siz'e';"size, and te11tativel;ytentatively 1dentif1eelidentified as the North 5- fl Vietnamese 6th Regiment, is stlllstill in control of an us. important sector of the cit:.,.city. TileyThey are concentrated r. n--——--- north of the Huon~Huong Rive1River.. in thothe "impe_rial"imperial city" or ._.o u ‘citadel.citadel. However, key military installations in this r·1. ...__ . ' sector, including the South Vietnamese 1stlet Divisi.'011Division LawW- ;, Headquarters, are still in allied hands and believed to .:l-- , be in no 1mn1edi.ate danger. The ene,ny may attem1>t to I be in no immediate danger. The enemy may attempt to ---i—._ . p1~0J.onged stanci tho - mak&make_a a prolonged stand within the :citadel,citadel, whicl1which is ' ’ relatively easy to defend. ~ .. ' . ·I)•f" ··= . 7. Hoi An: The provincial capital o:rof Quang Nam is reporteareported'by by MACV tc>to be·he‘under under complete allied l.. control. -Howeve1·,-However, several s:rnallersmaller towns, including ' a district capital west of RoiHoi An, were attacked by enemy foi:cesforces yesterday. Sou.thSouth Ko1•ea11Korean Marines were dispatched to the area and have encounte1·edencountered sporadic u resistance. ' "v •:( . I- - —.-—..—__ ' 8. Tam Ky:K : Enemy attacks and attempts to over­over- run Quang TfnTIn‘s1s capital city were rep~lsedrepulsed late yesterday and the city is now quiet. TileThe fighting r costoost the enemy somosome 226 killed; South Vietnamese and American casualties were light. ‘ o O RA o ___.__..,. 9..9. QuangQuanggNgai Ngai CiCity: tx: ·-Sporadic S_po1.. adic contact was re­re- .._ po1•ted e'arly this morning wJ.t'hwith enemy units i ported continuingconfinuing early this morning :I-. in isolated areas of the cit.Y.city. The c~ty,city, neverthe­neverthe- ·1n -.—.I_—n-, less, appears to be largely in111 allied hands. ... , . :; ·· II11 Cp1•psCorgs ,., 1 -~:· 10. The cities of Kontum and Ba11Ban Me Thuot in u the western highlands remai.nt~dremained in contest at last ll report. MostMeet of the oi.tiescities :lnin tl1ethe CO&\Stalcoastal provinces j--: ‘._.‘_._._.._14-— have been secured, but sporadic contact is still t .n. - outskirts of provincial reported in the outskirts of several provincial -A. capitals. - ,.,... : :c .____._g_ ' .. 2 .... · I • 3.s(c)3.5(0) - ~Kl!.l 35(c)3.5(0) l ·}. .. Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 C02430079002430079......... ............. I t l—.——l 3.5(c) Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 C02430079002430079 i ‘4'W"Jl‘UL t _.,,.,~'" l' &..:, .I. I I .’. -----'] I _, 3.5(c) :1 11.ll. Kontum: The Communists :stillstill occupy about I .,. half of the city; however, all al~iedallied military com­com- Hal—n— Iu.- pounds and installations aroare controlled by friendly a forces. VSUS reinforoemeutsreinforcements are ex~ectedengected to completely IH clear the city todny.today. A South Vietnamese civilian ! .. who claims to have mingled with.thewith the enemy troops this morning re1,02."tedreported that they hope to hold the WIMJO'M r- town for seven days until reinfot·cementsreinforcements arrive from :1. I' ,,,. v across the Cambodian border—~someborder--some 35 miles to the wostwest._ •. , n. “a...” To date, 210 enemy troops have been l'epo:t•tedreported ltilledkilled ,1o. ·· ~t-9 in the heavy fighting. Enemy for6esforces in the city are fl 1‘. "ido11tifiod .as elements of the No1~th Vietnamese 174th '.~ h the North Vietnamese fl fidentificdas elements of u Regiment supported by tlu-eethree Viet Cong local force and _ I sapper battalions. ' ' w.h I ' "I. c no flfl _ 12. Ban.Ban MeMe_Thuot: Thuot: At mid-day on.on l1 February, I lI heavy fight Ing was reported still_still going 011on in this I· heavy fighting was reported " _ -.—.—-— uitycity with thothe enemy force concentrated near the air­air— fl - l fl .field.field. Two battalions of the North Vietnamese 33rd ‘n Regiment, togethertagether with a Viet Co11gCong local force i I“ -battalionbattalion and a district company have been identified i -——-—--— as pa.rt:icip~t:ingparticipating i11in the action. The MACV compound I and Headquarters o!of the South VieinameseVietnamese 24th Divi­Divi- "' t sion have been subjected to hea.vyheavy fire, but have i.‘“‘%Wtwqm.hm managed to hold out. The South Viet11ameseVietnamese 231·cl23rd Rangel'Ranger managed to hold ”m Battalion has been airlifted into:theinto the city to assist I n 6 in driving outout-the the attackers. _. w.” "‘ a I fi I. i 13. fiNhaha Trang:Irang: LiLight1ght contact with elements of I .. r the retreating 8th Batta:Lio11 of the North Vietna1nese the retreating 8th Battalion of the North Vietnamese ' - 18B183 Regiment was repo1~te.:lreported west of·of the city during t —.__. ! —_.—-___'——.—— the night. Als6Also during the night~night; the airfie1dairfield and nearby SpeciaSpecial 1 Forces compound were hit by a ba1•i-agobarrage ! of mortar fire. The action caused no casualties or ( damage to aircraft or fa•::dlities,facilities, however, the city i is now quiet and com1,1et•~\lycompletely in friendly cot,trol.control. ·l. - 14. Qui Nhon: An •;)nemyenemy force of undetermined l- u- Isizesize attacieclattacEed an ammuuit:ionammunition duJJtpdump at;Quf:Nbonat3Qui=Nhoh late 1 #MaWJ-IIMudI-a-hqqhwuqn ~- .. last night withWith 90-mm.90—mm. ri3coilleasrecoillees rifle fire. At I . ' h. fl last repo1·t,report, the d.epotdepot wasw1ls still 011on fire with parts ' n of it already destroyed. A reaction force has beenboon Jq‘Q I I .. I“ ~ 'deployed.deployed. a .. " I>u a 1 !·.mm _· 15. No further act:Lonaction i11in the other 1najo1·major cities of II Corps hashas.been been reported. i.I - c 0 ' ‘ j k-0 I W—‘uu' .‘ ' ‘ fi 1 . c. a c- ·-“ 3 - . MWM 3.5(c) —J fl . 3.5(c) - War L11 cot-Ink. ~ETI~-~ '- Approved for Release: 2019/01/17 C02430079.002430079. -·····-.......... .. J.n- - .. 11 Approved for Release: 2019/01/1724019/01/17 C02430079002430079 3.5(c) ~• ••- ,__.... - H • I ;r -V" 3.o(c) - EaSaigontaggers! an~ Ill.II_I, CornsCorps 16. Sharp fighting flared.flared.again again 111in the Saigo11Saigon .areaarea late on 31 JanuaryJanua1•y 1:t11dand 011on 1 Feb_rl\ary.Fohruary. WiWithin thi11 athethe Tan Son Nhut airfield and headquartershead.qi.iarters complex northwest of the city;city_, allied fo1forces.