f :'\'

U. S. INTERVENTION AND ACGRESSION

IN VIET NAM
DURING THE LAST TWENTY YEARS
PERIODICALS & MONOGRAPHS
Indochina Archive
University of California
VIETNAM WAR - HISTORY
Ministry of foreign Affairs
Democratic Republic of Viet Nam
HANOI, 1965
"IL-..-., _
i i ~
U. S. INTERVENTION AND AGGRESSION
IN VIET NAM
DURING THE LAST TWENTY YEARS
- )
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Democratic O'f Viet Nam
HANOI,1965
CONTENTS
Page
I. First U.S. intervention in Viet Nam. 9
II. 'Second ,U.S" intervention in Viet Nam, systematic
sabotage of the. 1954 'Geneva Agreements. 13
III. U.s. armed. aggtession against South Viet Nam. 19
IV. The !Jnlted,States launch.es air and naval altacks on
the Democratic Repuhlic.of Viet Nam. 25 .
V; The sacalled ,will for. peace:. 31
VI. The sound basis' for a seillement of the Viet. N am
problem. 37
U.S. IN VIET NAM
After accomplishing the August 19, 1945 Revolution and taking
over p6wer [ro111 the 'Japanese Fascists, the Vietnamese people
founded the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, a state' with full
so\'ereignty, ihdependence, and territorial integrity from North to '
South. .
In an attempt to reconquer Viet Naill as well as the whole of
Indo-China, the French colonialist aggressors started their "dirty
war" at the end of 1945, Under tlie leadership of the Government
of the Demo,cratic Republic of Viet Nam headed by President Ho
Chi Minh, ,the Vietnamese people dealt at the aggressors repeated
heavy blows, .
For Its part,since the. end, of World War II, the United States
has nurtured the design of conquering Viet Nam ahd Indo-China
as a whole, and turning this region into, a U.S. military base with
a View to, carrying out its schemes against the socialist countries
and the national liberation movement in Indo-China and South-
East Asia. Soon after. the tril.lmph of Jhe August Revolution in Viet
Nam, sent to North Viet Namdown to ,the 16th parallel,200,OOO
Chiang Kai:shck troops under LuHan's cOmmand asarJ'instrument
for ihterveritfon inVlet"Nam. It will be recalled that at that time,
U,S, Oellerais Lure'made frequent visits to Viet
Nam for ac'tivfties.'Iri 1945, despite the
fact thattheDlill11ocratic Republic,of Viet Natn had beenp'roclaimed
an independent country with a unified.government, eXerCis'ing its
--'9 -'
authority all over the territory, the then President of the United
States bluntly declared that it was necessary to place the Indo-
Chinese states under U.N. trusteeship. It is clear that ever since
that date, the United States has schemed to conquer Viet Nam, Laos
and Cambodia through the u.S.manipulated UNO.
After beling driven out of the Chine.se mainland, from 1950
conward, the United States, taking advantage of the French coloni
alist aggressors' ever heavier defeats, has gradually increased its
intervellllion in Viet Nam and other parts of Ind'OChina, endea
vouring to help the French pursue their aggressive. war, and at the
same time seeking to kick them out.
On March 16, 1950, an aircraftcarrier, 2 cruisers and 71
aircraft were sent by the United States to Saigon lor a show of
force. This stirred up a sweeping wave of indignation among the
Vietnamese people. On the following day, South Viet Nam gueril
las mounted a mortar attack against theU.S: navy units. On March
19, 1950, a huge demonstration attended by more than 500,000
people was held in SaigonCholon, and the U.S. ships and planes
were forced to leave South Viet N am.
OnMa), 8, 1950, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson and
French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman met in camera in Paris
and agreed that the. United States' would increase military and
economic aid to France and her puppets.
On June 27, 1950, immedl,i-tely after the start of the aggressive
war against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the
occupation of Taiwan by U.S. Navy, U.S. President Truman
declared that he had ordered to illcreasemiHtary assistance to the
French forces and those of the "Associated States" of IndoChina
andio dispatch there a military mission which was to cooperate
closely with these .. . .
On July IS, i950,. thefinst .. U.S: military mission headeq by
Major'Gel1el'al Graves B .. Erskine and John Melby,. Head. o,f'the
South East ASia Division of the u:S. 'State Department, arrived. in
Saigon to survey the situation of the French forces andthe po:ssibi
lity fOor the United usem,iJi,tary basesin .
. On August 10, 1950, the first shipment of U.S. arms' arrived
in, IndoChilla.
., I
On December 23, 1950, the United States signed with France
and the Indo-Chinese "Associated States" a "mutual defence"
treaty which was in reality an instrument for intensifying U.S.
intervention in Indo-China.
Early in 1951, it set up under this treaty the Military Aid Advi-'
sory Group (MAAG) in Saigon.
Since then, it has engaged in an ever deeper intervention in
Indo-China. The U.S. and French Staffs closely cooperated in pur-
suing the "dirty war". Hundreds of U.S. military advisers and
hundreds ofthousands of tons of arms and war materials were sent
to Indo-China. U.S. aid tothe French in Indo-China rose from 314
million in 1950-1951 to 1,000 million U.S. dollars - approximately
4/5 of the total war expenditures of the French in Indo-China - in
1953-1954, All in all, from 1950 to 1954, U.S. aid to the French in
Indo-China amounted to 2,600 million dollars.
Explaining the reason behind the increasing U.S. intervention
in Indo-China, P"esident Eisenhower told a meeting of governors of
the various states on August 4, 1953 that if Indo-China was lost,
"the tin and tungsten that we so greatly value from that area would
cease coming".
In July 1953, it was decided at a meeting of U.S., French and
British Foreign Ministers that increased military aid would be
given the 'French on condition that the latter wohld carry out the
Navarre plan, - which was in fact.a U.S. plan, -for stepping up
the war in Indo-China, and that U.S. aid would be given directly
to the BaoDai puppet administration. The French Government had
no other choice than to accept lheseconditions.
When the Viet Nam People's Army began attacking Dien Bien
Phu at the beginning of March 1954, the prospect of defeat o,f the
French Expeditionary Corps became clear. U.S. Secretary of State
J.F. Du1!es declared that henceforth Indo-China would be included
in the "inviolable area"ofU.S. strategy. President Eisenhower also'
threatened that the UnHeilStates would take partin the Indo-China
wadfthe situation became alarming. The U.S. scheme consisted in'
taking advantage of the opportunity to take in hand, Prolong and
expand the Indo-China waf. The.United States. strove to inwlve
Britain and other. countries into the war along with it. A plan 'caNed
. "Operation Vautour" was worked out jointly by the Americans and
the French for a,I11l,assive ,bombing of North Viet Nam by'hundreds
of. U.S. Air Force platies: Meanwhile two aircraft-carriers of the
U.S. 7th Fleet came to the,Bac Bo Gulf.
But the United States could not realize i,ts plan of directly
, intervening -in, the IndCl.China war, and expanding it in face of
the tidal wave of struggle of the people in france and,in the world
for tlJe restoration of peace in Indo-China, and in .face of the
disapproval of its aliies. The historic victory scored by the Viet,
namese army and people at Dien Bien Phu forced it to go to the
, Geneva Conference to discuss a settlement of the IndoChina
question,
, Then, the United States sought every means ,to sabotage the
negotiations at th'e Ge'neva Conference. However, the Conference
went ahead and wound up success{ully:' peace was restored in
Indo-China on the basis ,of the recognition of the sovereignty, inde-
pendence, unity and territorial integrity of Viet Nam, Laos and
Ga'l11b6dia: '
The great victory gained by the peoples of Viet Na'm, Laos and
Cambodia at the 1954 Geneva Conference marked the complete
failure 'not only of "the dirty war", but also of the first 'U.S. infer-
vention in Viet Nam. Howevet, the Undted States has not given up
its policy of intervention in this country.
II
SECOND U.S. INTERVENTION .IN VIET NAM,
SYSTEMATIC SABOTAGE OF THE 1954 GENEVA
AGREEMENTS
The. 1954 Geneva Agreements stipulate that:
- The participants in the 1954 Geneva Conference on indo-
China shall respect the sovereignty, independence, unity and terri-
torial integrity of Viet Nam, LaDs and CambDdia, and shall refrain
frDm any interference in their internal affairs.
- Viet Nam which is temporarily divided into two zones with
a view to facilitating the elimination of. the state of war, and in
substance the repatriation of the French Expeditionary Corps, shall
be reunified through nation-wide free general eledions to be held
in July 1956 ..
-'it is prohibited to bring foreign troops, military personnel
into either part of Viet N am and establish foreign military bases
therein ;. the regrouping zones of the armed forces of both parties
must not join any military alliance or be used for the resumption bf
hostilities Dr ,the furtherance Df an aggressive pDlicy.
While the GDvernment of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam
has always beenstr.il;t1y implementing the Geneva Agreements, the
United States has embarked on an entirely opposite course with the
. .of pursuing its intervention. in Viet Nam.
, While at. the Geneva Conference W. Bectem Smith, Head ufthe
US.' Delegationi' gave a solemn undertaking the United States
.... 13-
would refrain from the threat or the use of force to disturb the
execution of the Geneva Agreements, U.S. President Eisenhower
stated that:
"The United States has not itself been party to, or bound by, .
the decisions taken by the Conference."
On Septeniber 8, 1954, the United States drew Great Britain,
France and a number of other countries into signing the Manila
Treaty, founded S.E.A.T:O., an aggres'sive military bloc, and includ-
ed South Viet Nam. Cambodia and Laos in its "protection area".
This brazen act which took place barely two months after the con-
clusion of the 1954 Geneva Agreements on Indo-China, testified to
the U.S. scheme of systematic sabotage d,f the Agreements.
The United States' on the one hand endeavoured to gradually
kick the French out of Viet Nam, and. on the other made every
effort to help the N go Dinh Diem puppet administration to "stabilize
the situation", with a view to using South Viet Nam as a spring-
board for aggression against the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam.
It secured firm control over the Ngo Dinh Diem Administration
by means of assistance programmes which amounted to 1,600 million
U.S. dolJars for the period from 1954 to 1960, a network of "advisers"
and missions dubbed "Military Aid Advisory Group" (M.A.A.G.),
"U.S. Operations Mission" (U.S.O.M . .), and the "Michigan State
University". mission (M.S.U.). which fully control the military,
administrative, economic andfl.nancial affairs of South Viet Nam.
In fact, South Viet Nam has been turned. into a U.S. new-type
. co.lbny. Indeed, N go Dinh Diem said in 1957 du'ring a visit to the
.United States:
"The frontiers of the United States extend to, the 17th paralll!l."
After wiping out the armedforees of the opponent religious
sects" Ng0 Dinh Di.em organized a ttaudulent "referendum" to
deposeBao Dai (October23,1955},. founded the so-called "Republic
of Viet {October 26, t955),and l1.eldrigged. elections to set
up the.sQ-caHed "National, Vi.et .Nam (January
23; J;956). .
Inexecution. of the scheme ftir the perm'anel1tpa'tfiti6wofVief
N Ifni, the Ngo1i>ilihDiem the j1h6pooa]s
ma de.liy"th e .. GoVe.rIlPulilrlt. Mthe'Democtati e . RepO blic oLVi"et,N nm
': " , '. -. ,'-,',
on the holding of consultations and general elections 'for the reuni-
ficationoi Viet Nam in July 1956 as explicitly stipulated in the
Geneva Agreements. .
The United Stales and the Ngo Dinh Diem Administration went
ahead with .ever more serious violations of the military provisions
of the Geneva Agreements. Thel)nited States set ,about 'building up
the P1!p.pet army, bringing into South Viet Nam arms and other war
materials, establishing a network of milita.ry bases and strategic
highways, in feverish preparation for a new war.. '
,From 1954 to 1960, the United States boosted the strength of
the puppet regular army to ten inlantry divisions fully armed with
US. weapons,and organized new navy and air force units. It alSO'
trained. and equipped about 200,000 men of the regional troops,
police force and militia of the South Viet Nam Administration.
By the end of 1960, it had built in South Viet Nam57 airfields,
Le., nine limes more than in 1954, and the 32.km'long and 100
metre-wide Saigon-Bien Hoa autobahn - which was in fact a
camouflaged air base, -:- t.hteenew naval bases and many strategic
highways linking up the various military bases in South Viet N am
and connecting South Viet Nam with military bases in Laos and
Thailand ..
The United States has also illegally brought into South Viet
Nam hundreds oJ thousands of tons of weapons and war materials.
Clandestine at first, these operations were later or! carried out
openly andtlhinterruptedly. In 1960 alone, the value of U.S. arms
introduced into South Viet N am amounted to 74,000,000 U.S. dollars.
Ffqin a staff of 200 men atthe endo(the war in VietNam, the
U.S.' military mission M.A.A.G. swelled to 2,000 men in 1960. This
command of the South Viet Nam army,. from the
Defence Ministty (lownto army battalions.
Inviewofthe repeated clamimrs of the NgoDinh Diem Admi- .
nlstatioll about "Marching North," arid "Fi\lingup. the Ben Hal.
obvious that the military bui/dupin South Viet
, . hadl'!w6tller:aj,m .. thal) to prepare for an armed aggression against
the Qemocratk<R'epilbHcof Viet Nam, and to oppose in'accord'ahce
with the U.S. ,'P1'8"1Sr.t\1e of the: Kil)g-
doms and .;; . " .'
...;,' _: "",-",,L
-,,'
,I y'.
:,:">;1'90,13011 'Hai' :"iver floWs 'along 'the' 17th' .
'I:'
, On U.S. orders, the South. Viet Nam Administration has cease-
lessly smuggled spy"commandos into North Viet Nam for espionage
and sabotage activities. 1958, 1959 and 1960 witnessed hundreds Qif
vJolations of the air space and territorial waters of the Democratic
Republic olf Viet Nam by South Viet Nam air and naval craft, At
the instigation of the United States and the South Viet Nam regime,
the pro-U.S; Phoui Sananlkone clique of Laos undertook harassing
actions on the Viet Nam-Laos border, and even staged armed
provocations in Huong Lap (Vinh Linharea), a part o.f the terri-
tory of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam. Military personnel of
the Ngo Dinh Diem Administration were iJlegally brought into
Laos to participate in the U.S.-fomented civil war in that country.
The United States and its South Viet Nam agents fostered the
reactionary Khmer Serei clique, plotted the murder of the King and
the Queen of Cambodia, and attempted to overthmw the Royil! Cam-
bodian Government headed by Prince N orodom Sihanouk. Further-
more, South Viet Nam and Thailand made frequent harassments
and provo.cations along the Cambodian borders.
Also on U.S. orders, the Ngo Dinh Diem Administration carried'
out large-scale and unimaginably savage repressions against the
patriots who stand for freedom, peace and national reunification.
Former Resistance members were arrested, subjected to inhuman
tortures and massacred. Jails mushroomed, hundreds of thousands
of patriots were detained; in addition, there were many other pri-
sons and concentration camps camouflaged under such names as
"prosperity zones" and "agricultural settlements". A series of
fascist laws were promulgated of whiCh the ill-famed 10/59 Law
prescribing death sentences without trial against any suspect. By
the end of 1960, tens of thousands of people had been murdered, and
hundreds of thousands of others tortured to infirmity.
The above facts show that the United States has been systema- .
ticaJly s.abotaging the Geneva Agreements on Viet Nam, vio,lating
the clauses on the reunification of the country, the military pmvi-
sions and thOse dealing with the democratic. liberties of the people.
The U.S. policy ofiiItervelltion has trampled upon the deep
aspirations of the people of South Viet l'i1ain and ofiillViet'Na,midr
peace, unity, intlependence and democracy. Even the rights to .life
and peaceful labou" hnveno(been respected by the ruthless fascist
-16 -
dictatorial policies of the N go Dinh Diem Adrriinistration.
exercising their rights of self-defence and self-determination--
which are the inalienable rights of all peoples - the undaunted
South VietNam people have resoluteily risen up against the U.S.
imperialists and their agents.
The patriotic movement in South'Viet Nam has rapidlydeve-
loped into a mighty tidal wave which threatens to sw'eep away the
positions of the United States and its agents, Once again, the U.S.
policy of intervention in South Viet N am has sustained disastrous,
fai'lure.
III
u.s. ARMED AGGRESSION AGAINST SOUTH VIET NAM
The vigorous struggle of the South Viet Nam people has;
brought about heavy defeats for the United States and caused the
puppet regime to head for disintegratiofl. Yet, Washington is
stubbornly clinging on to South Viet Nam.
"The United States must pay whatever price is' necessary to
hold South Viet Nam. If u.s. troops are required to defend
South Viet Nam, the United States must also pay that price.'"
The above statement of Senator Jackson,a member of the U.S ..
Senate Fprces "<::ommittee, is highly illustrative of the O.S ..
Government'sp.oIicyin the SO\1th Viet Nam question.
On May 13, 1961, Lyndon JohnsOllsigned with Ngo Dinh Diem
a joiI1tc.om\hunique, which w,as' actually a bilateral military agree-
ment behvellu the United. States and the South Viet Nam Adminis-
tration. The .ebncluslofl of thisagreeme,t:lt marked a turning point:
in the South Viet Nam: now
resorted to aggnssionin an attempt to save itself and
its agents from
Tlje aggression now took on the form of an undeclared war-
fought along the pattern of !'speciaL warfare".
, , ", - j - ','-' "'" "
AJlis welIlmown,. theU:S .. imperialists, faced with a'change
in the wOrld'balanceo! ,orce$unfavourable to them, have had to.
repla'ce their miIUary' strategy of "massive retaliation" an'd (heii:-
"brink-ol-war" . loreign policy with the so;called "strategy of
flexible response" which envisages three categories 0,1 war: world
war, local war, and special war. _
"Special wars" are nothing but wars 01 aggression. They are
aggressive wars suited to neo-colonialism. In the "special warfare"
now being experimented in South Viet N am, the puppet army is
used as the main body of fighting troops, whereas command and
supply of arms and dollars are assumed by the U.S. imperialists
through a network of "advisers". U.S. troops aTe to take a direct
part in the fight only to such extent as needed.
On June 19, 1961, a U.S. mission headed by Eugene Staley
came' to Saigon and worked out the Staley' plan which was later on
amended by Maxwell Taylor and kMwn as Staley"Taylor plan. This
plan envisaged the following three stages:
1. To pacify South Viet Nam in 18 months, to establish bases in
North Viet Nam.
2. To proceed with the military reinforcement of South Viet
Nam, to rehabilitate its economy, and step up' sabotage activities in
North Viet Nam. ". .
3. To develop South Viet Nam's economy, and attack No,rth
Viet Nam.
In execution of this plan, the United States set up on February
B, 1962 ail 'OperatiOflal comm.and under General Paul D. Harkins,
and brought into ,South Viet Namlensof thous,ands of additional
.' :' !, ," "','
U.S, troops and huge of arms aod other war materials.
On the other hand, it made every effort tOiilCrease the strength of
the puppet army, and set about scheme O'f herding
. millions 01 people into a netw,ork' 01 'camoutlagedconcentration
camps dubbed "strategic hamlets". ' . .
U.S. military' aid to South Viet Nainfrom1960 tb 1964 amount- .
ed'to 2,400 million U.S. dollars.: "
Military bases rapidly ihcredsed itl' otlmber.'Bythe'n1iddle of
1964, there were ill South VlefN am '169h1ilitary aifii.lds;or'three
times as many as in 1960, and 11 naval bases; or twice as many as .
in 1960. :' ." ,; 'II ',I' , ';,':;
During the same United Sta'tes'broight 'intb'S0uth
" Viet ,1\1311J ;militm;y and
Jypes,:9(, :modem .na,p:alm
'. ana. bpmbs .. n<?1{i9,lIs anc:! ,p,oj&6n,g,ase&" et9
BASES AERIENNES ET.NAVALES DES ETATS-UNIS
ET DE L'ADMINISTRATION FANTOCHE AU SUD vIlT NAM
t
i'""MAIN AIR AND NAVAL BASES' OF THE UNITED STATES
*:
THE SOUTH VIET NAM STOOGE ADMINISTRA nON

(Ph(Joqutlc)
CAMBODGE
CAMBODIA
@
Lt SaA
KON-TUM
.
PLlil-KU
IJJ
THur
,
LEGENDE - LEGEND
AND
The strength of the South Vietnam puppet troops which was
270,000 at the end of 1961, rose to 400,000 at the end O'f 1962,500,000
at the end of 1963, and 600,000 early in 1965. The Un.ited States is
now. trying to draft another 160,000 men for this mercenary army.
U.S. military personnel and combat tropos in South Viet Nam
also increased to over 50,000 men in May 1965, i.e., 14 times as
many as in 1961, and 3 times as many as in 1963. This includes
5,000 officers, nearly 1/4 of the total number of officers in the U.S.
standing army.
Using the so-called "helicopter-supported tactics", "armoured
car-supported tactics", U.S. and puppet troops have been intensi-
fying terrorist raids with a view to herding the population into
"strategic hamlets", and wiping out the people's armed forces. The
number of terrorist operations, big and small, which was 30,000 in
1962, rose to 35,000 in 1963: In the course of these raids, atrocious
crimes were committed by the U.S. aggressors and their agents,
who even used rockets, phos,phorous and napalm bombs to destroy
villages and crops, and massacre civilians,mostly women and
children. Noxious chemicals were sprayed, poisoning tens of tho,u-
sands of people, and destroying hundreds of thousands of hectares
of rice and other food crops. Recently, in defiance of international
,law, and of the mounting protests of world public opinion,the
United States has gone to the length of using poison gases against
the Vietnamese people.
, According to, .stillincomplete data, up to 1964, ~ h casualties
suffered by the South Viet Nam people as a result of the U.S.
war of ag'gression' totalled 170,000 p ~ s o n s killed, and 800,000
wounded or tortured to infirmity. Anorther 400,000 were detained
in over 1,0qO jails all over South Viet Nam.
In condemning the U.S. aggressive war in South Viet Nam,
Lord Bertrand Russel, a welr-kli.own British scientist, called it a
"war of annihilation".
But the heroic South Viet Nam people have riSen up in arms
against the aggressors for national salvation and self-liberation.
Theirs is a thoroughly just struggle which fully conforms to the
1954 Geneva Agreements and to international law, The South Viet
Nam National Front/or'Liberatioh, founded .on December 20, 1960,
'more and more clearly proves to be the sole genl!ine representative
of the people, the mobilizer and organ'izer oo/all pafrio,tie .forces in
South Viet Nam',
- 21-
Born iI), the midst of the anti-U.S. - Diem upsurge, the South
VietNam National Fmnt for Liberation wlthLawyer Nguyen Huu
Tho, as its President, unites all soCial strata, classes, nationalities,
P0'litical parties, organizati0'ns; religious, groups patriotic
personalities irrespective of political tendency, in order to fight and
9verthrowthe rule of the U.S. imperialis,ts and their agents,
achieve independence, democracy, better living conditions, peace
and neutrality for South Viet Nam, and eventual peaceful nalional
reunification.
The Fr0'nt has succeeded in rallyin'g ever br0'ader patriotic
forces to the struggle against theU .S. imperialists and their
South Viet, Narn agents., OUr southern compatriots, who, enjoy
the broad sympathy and vigorous support, 0'f the peoples of the
s,ocialist countries and, peace-loving people througllOut th,e world,
have scored increasing victories.
To date" the South Viet Nam National Front for Liberation has
gained control of 4/5 of the territory and 10 million people, i.e.,
2/3 of the population in South Viet Nam. It has, become a powerful
force which has a dec.isive voice in the South Viet N am problem .

The Front is a growing prestige in the wo,rld. It has
successively established official representations, in Cuba, Algeria,
the Getman Iildonesia.
China, and the Soviet Union. It has also established a permanent
representation to the Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Council in
Cairo, and a permanent .observer near the Executive Cornmittee of
the, International Union of' Students in Budapest. Its delegations
have been, warmly wei corned to varlousinterriational confereilces
where they were regarded as the genuine representatives of the
South Viet Nam In particular, three major international
c'6ilferenceswere recently held to express the world peoples' full
$Upp&t '['O'f the 'patriotic movernent i't! South Viet Nam. They ate r:
the Meeting- o( the International Trade Union Committee for
Workers and' People of South Viet Nam, held
iilHatll.ofat'the endQ;f Octobetl9$3, the International Conl.etence .
. fot:SoUdatiitywith'tl1e Petlpleo,IVietNamagainst U.S.
. Defence of Peae',' held in Hil'F)oi in
N ovem 6ibtHlt1r4; the .. ,pd\!)-Chirtese iPeUipTe'S :CbMeren'ce' held ear Ii.
. .in'MarcfuW,9,65,ln 'Rhl1tO,in,'Pen,l\( .. Go(!1fntrtfeesi f or Solidarity . with
being: setup ittl'fin4ncreasl11!;{ nu!llber .
.of cQufItties.'/., .. ,,>,":'::\:
',"
In the military field, with the of Ap Bac, An Lao, Phu
My, Binh Gia, Pleiku, Qui Noan, Tuy Haa, Soc' TrilOg, Song Be,
etc" ,the U,S. imperialists and their agents from. ane
defeat to another, .and are now bagged down. At first,
they wanted to' "pacify", the Wha,le af Sa.utli Viet Nam. Later an,
they had to' restrict their "pacification" efforts Jlrstt9 ten, then to'
,five, then to twa provinces, anti finally to' lhe' defence of Saigan- .
Cholan. Over 80% of the "strategic hamlet.s" have been destroyed.
The' much-vaunted "helicapter-supPbrted \actii:s" ain). "armaured'
, car-supported based an the use'"'f maderflarms such as
M. 113 and M. 114 armo'ured cars alld helico'pters HU.IA; HU.IB,
HU. lD ... have failed to' bringabaut the expecte(!effecls.From the
beginning of 1961.to Aptil 1965, 550,000 puppet traops and 4,890
U.S. "advisers" were put out of. acti6n. Nearly 170,0'00 saldiers
. deserted from the puppet army. The liberated areas have expanded
from the mountainous regians and the plains ,to the outskirtsts of
the towns and Cities, and cbmeclose to' the strategic highways. As
a result, the U.S. aggressars, and . their agel1tshave to retreat.;
gradually to' the cities. the sa,fest, "
they. are still exposed to"erushingblowsqfthe vailantUberation
, Army, as, was the case in Bien Haa, Bltlh,Gia"Plelku, QUi Nhan,
and,Saigol1. . ,
In the political field, the U.S.imperiallsts have. d,ismaIly failed
in their efforts to set up
(0' be relied upon in' their, aggressian. in South .. Coups
. havelollo",edcoup.,successive."chal1ges of horses .in midstream:.'
been United states is unal11e,xo . find a way
out . .of pqli;ti.cal cris.is. in .,'
.and:t!Ii'eir, ..
., arly . '.' pening':,Tre
disin(egrath,gw.ith;ftsmoraie'sil1l<&Ilg. ,clay.
'\(., "
IV
THE UNITED STATES LAUNCHES AIR AND NAVAL ATTAC/(S
ON THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM
From the own admission of the U.S. ruling circles, by the. end
of 1963,the military and political moves made by the United
States in order to retrieve its predicament in South Viet Nam had
turned out to be unable to prevent the s.ituation .in the aggressive
war from going from bad .to worse. On March 7, 1964., U PI
remarked:
"The question no longer is whether the war is being lost,
but how fast the United States and South Viet Nam are losing
it and whether there still is any flimsy hope of saving. the
situation".
In. an attempt to find. a way out of this crumbling pQosition, the
United States plots to extend the war beyond South Viet Nam's
b'orders.
Since early 1964, the U.S. ruling circles in Washington have
envisaged "carrying the war to North Viet Nam". Many plans have
been mapped out by the U.S. strategists in the State Department
and the Pentagon. NQotewQorthy is the plan NO' 6 worked out by
Walt W. Rostow, the policy-planner Qof the U.S. State Department.
This plan envisages three stages:
I st stage: naval blockade of Hai Phong port. ,
2nd stage: naval attacks On North Viet Namcoastal Instal-
lations.
3rd stage: air bombing of NorthViet Nam.
- 25 -
The' U.S. rhjHtarycircles, particularly the generals of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff and Un4erSecretary of Defence McNilUghton, have
amended plam Rostow No.6 and put forward plan McNaughton for.
bringing pressure to bear on North Viet Namby means of air
. atlaeks. in the vain hopepf reversing the tide.
The . .14th Honolulu Conference held in early June 1964 decided
to carry the war to North VietNam in the form of air and naval
attacks of destruction. .
Two months later, the United States set about carrying out
this decision while intensifying the war in'South Viet Nam and
directlY committing (he U.S. Air Forcl!' to the war in Laos.
On August 5, 1964, it launched the first attack, bombing and
. strafing rnanylocalities along the coasts of the Democratic Republic
of Viet Nam;' To create a pretext for this new ad of war, it sent
the ,destroyer Maddox of the 7th Flee! into the territorial waters
of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam'for provocative activities
from July 31 to August 2,. 1964, alJd engineered the so-called
"T,onkih:Oulf Htcident" on the niglltofAugus( 4, 1964. In the
b&nibitlg raids of early Februaty,1965,the. pretexfinvbked was
'. "tit for tat retahation" for the attacks launched by the Liberation
Army and guerillas in S<;>uth Viet Nilm. In Apr,il'i'96.5, after the .
"tiffor tat retaliation;' arg
ll
ment exposed, the Uni,ted States
. . to the "continuous reta:!iation" argument to justify its
round-the-qlack indjscriminMe bombing of populated areas, which
it' called one paraUeffo another. The tempo of
attacks was also According to figures
officially announced in Sai'gon and Washington, the U.S. Air
Feirce launched:' .
" ' , '". '" " _' " >, ", c-- _ ,',.',"'" f:,' ",' :,.-; ,,'" ii',
. ". Febrllary 1965:3 attacks with about 250 sorties,
with 716 sorti'es;ancl':th<l:dtop-
pihgof over 1,200' tOilS of
ill April 1965 .:'.98 attacks 'II1ith 2,202 sorties, a.hi:I'iqedro.p-
.' .... . .......... of ..
In on Apr,I1;28',
.jsarecl)rtd:ri umber'.:sb Iar,. . .'i"
: ,-'26'--
The. (axgetpf the ]110$t ferociousi,attacKs is Con Co,'<anislet
in the northempart.of the Demili.yarizedZone> helonging to the
territory of the.Democratic Republic of \{iet Nam: about 100 raids
were. recorded from August 1.964 to !l<\ay 1965. I,
In addition. to rockets, 20mmguns, and bombs of 5QO, 750,
1000 and 2000 pounds, the "United States has alsotlsed .riapalm;l
white phosphorus bombsi ' radar"guideq . BullpliP air.to-ground
. missiles, On April 25, 1965,iteven wenfto the length of spreading
toxic chemicals' on cart Co. islet.
These are cynical premeditated:war actIVities, brazen vIolations
of the sovereignty'and territory of the Democratic Republi'c of Viet
Nam, unde!1iable violalionof the 1954 Geneva.Agreements on Viet
Nam and iH!lOnnS of international)aw. They pose a heavy threat
to peace in South-Easf Asia. That is. the reason
why the U.S. air and naval attacks on the territory of the Demo-
aratic Republic ofyiet Nam ha'vebeen sternlycondemned by the
. peoples of the Whole world and byrhany 'goveiriments .
. The Johnson Administration has repeatedly asserted that U.S.
aircraft targets". This. is' a sheer lie
since U,S. apd'S04th llircraft have btmIbed and strafed
in Dopg Hoi, .lio Xa, Nghia Dan, primary.and secOndary
schools in VinhLinh,.l;)ongHoi,.Can Loc(HaTinhL pagodas and'
ohurches Tam church eNghe An province);
markets t]l'e markets of HoXa. (Virih Linh), Dung,Soi
(Nghe Am), Tu'Tru (Thanh Hoa),busstati9ns at A[l), .
Rf,lyale-owryed, fishing- boa .u.S. raid
ismarkeq witNmost odious crimes. .. . [. .... .
. lEi d.Mend tli:,soyereigntYand territory o(;theircounlry, and
these'\.:uHty of,theirpeop'Ve, uniis., .. air fbfC(,\.p,aVY,
self-detence. enits.q.f the;Qemocratic ,Repub.Hc of'Viet
N am .dealtfti .....
evet heav:ier,c}?lIntet,bloW's.!'/bj1!1A.uguS( 5; 1.1 965, ' .. ,
tMe N 01'lllli .. fire
b9rnmandC\ boats,. ....
'of .o.thers,OH ..
. air force; of Thllnhf!l,oa,. #;;ng
B inh and p .
Sf'lites )he .. 1q$'i .. Yi evl:'!artiJ: .lWe .
Pi)stJ>fioi:J: .. ,,;ilt . .",;:' .' .. " t .,,:, "'i'"
-,,' , ,"i;,' t::>:' :, .
While carrying out air strikes against the mainland and some
offshore islands, the United States has aiso used the 7th Fleet
and warships of the South Viet Nam stooge administration to
provoke, menace, inspect ships and junks sailing in international
waters off the Vietnamese coasts or visiting D.R.V. ports. On March
21, 1965, the merchant-ship San Spyridbn, flying Lebanese flag and
carrying goods for civiliijn use from Hai Phong port to Europe,
was strafed by 1J .S. and South Viet N am aircraft, which caused
many killed and wQunded. On March 24, 1965, the Soviet merchant-
ship Ljma was by U.S. planes while sailing in
international waters off the 'Vietnamese coast. These are piratical
acts, which constitute.crude violations of the freedom of navigation
in international waters, and brazen encroachments on the sove-
reignty of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam and the other
countries concerned.
The U.S. "special war;' in South Viet Namand war activities
.against the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam have roused a moun-
ting wave of indignation.in the world .
. The governments of all socialist countries have raised thei-r
voices to energetically protest against" U.S. imperialist aggression,
\ " '
wholeheartedly support the just patriotic struggle of the South
Viet Nam people, and express their determination to fulfil their
internationalist dtity towards the Democratic Repulllic of Viet Nam,
a member 0.1 the socialist camp. In all sociali'st countries, the
people have displayed their militant solidarity with the Viet-
namese people.
Concerned at the developments in VietNam, the governments
and .leaders of many nationalist countries in Asia, Africa and Latin
America have sternly condemned the U.S, pO'licy of aggression
against South and North Viet Nam, and urged the United States
tocorrec,try implement the 1954 Geneva Agreements on Viet Nam,
arid strictly 'respect the sovereignty, independence, unity and terri-
torial integrity <'>I ,Viet Nam. .
The World Fedenition of. Trade-Unions, the World Peace
Council, the WO'men's International Demdtratic Federation, the
Wo!'.ldFederation of Democratic Youth, the l'nternational Union of
Stild'ents, the International Association O'f Democratic Lawyers, the
Perma'nent <::ommittee 0& the People's Solidarity Coun-
ciland nearly one htindred in\ernationaland national organiz3'
tions, 'represehting people frorn all walks' of life and comprising
28 -'-
hundreds of millions of members, wholeheartedly take sides with
the Vietnamese people, unreservedly support their just struggle,
and resolutely the "special war" in South Viet Nam and
the U.S. war activities against the Democratic Republic of
Viet Nam. .
Tens Qf mill.iQns Qf people throughQut the world have come
down to the streets to show their indignation at the U.S. policy of
aggreSSion and war, and demand the withdrawal oJ American
troops and arms from South Viet Nam and the cessation of all
war activities against NQrth Viet Nam. This unprecedented move-
ment is powerfully and continuously developing both in intensity
and scope, taking on varied forms, such as rallies and demonstra-
tions, damaging U.S. embassies, legations and infQrmation halls,
giving moral and material supPQrt in the form Qf funds,. clothing
and medicines. Millions of people have volunteered to go to Viet
Nam to fight side by side with the Vietnamese people against
U.S. imperialism.
Even in the United States, the administratIon cannot conceal
the truth about Viet Nam. Thousands of intellectuals, religious
leaders and other prominent personalities, tens of thousands of
young people, stUdents, and women have voiced their opposition to
the JQhnson Administration's policy of war against the Vietnamese
people. The struggle of the American people sometimes assumed
resolute forms, such as students' hunger strikes,orthe trespassing
O'f barbed-wire fences surrounding an Oakland naval base by
hundreds of yO'ung people to. prevent a U.S. cargo of arms from
leaving. for South Viet Nam. Helga Herz will be remembered for
, ever as the woman who burnt herself to. death to.protest against
the poHcy of ,aggression and war in Viet Nam. This. is indeed
. one stirrinl!1 image of the Amedcan people's movement against the
'war of aggreSSion in South VietNam.' ,
In short, since the el1dol the I<crean war, never has the United
States been soisol'ated at home and abroad.
, ..... ,,29 .:...
ZONES ATTAQUEES L'U.S. AIR FORCE AU NORD VIET NAM
DE A MAl 1965
. MAP OF AREAS IN NORTH VIET NAM ATTACKED BY U.S. AIR FORCE
FROM FEBRUARY TO MAY 1965
POPULAIRE
o
,
,
,
,
"-
,
DE
CHINE
REPUBLIC
OF CHINA
Limite Nord des z""es bombard,"
Jusqu' Bu ler iui" 196:;
\
Northern limit of the TtlideJ 1"!taB up'
to June 1st, 1965
,.
- Limitrl M:Jfd d(JS bombardhs
jU5qU'.u ler mal 196$
"-
"-
Nort},ern,Jim,'t of the raidad IIT,",S up
to M"y 1st, 1965
,
,
- Limit" Nou} des bomba,d.,
. ler avril/965
Northern limit 01 the ,eided .ffN!lS up
to April 1st, 1965
- Limite Nord rim z8nes bomba,dw
/usqu'eu Ie, mtlrS 1965
Northern limit 01 the r.idfld ar.us up
to Mercl! 1st, 1965
v
THE U.S. WILL FOR PEACE
The U.S. GO'vernment has put forward one argument after
'another, and published a "blue boO'k" and a "white paper" in an
attempt to cO'ver up its aggression in SO'uth Viet Nam.
Since April 7, 1965, U.S. President JO'hnson has repeatedly
stated that the United States has. cO'me to South Viet Nam "to
defend freedom", "to' aIlO'w the people O'f South Viet Nam to' guide
their own country in their o,wn way". He has also accused North
Viet Nam of "ag,gressiQn against SQuth Viet Nam".He has said
that the United States is ready to engage in "uncO'nditional discus-
sions" to find a peaceful settlement of the war in Viet N am .
. Is tIre U.S. Oovernment "defending freedom" in' South Vi.et
Nam?
As everybody knows, after World War II, the Vietnamese people
seized PQwer the Japanese Fascists, and founded the Demo-
. cratic Republic of Viet Nam, a unified country exercising sovereign.
ty from. the Viet Nam-China border down to' the southernmos't
end Qf Viet Nam. But the United States actively helped the.
French colonialist agj:!ressors with' dollars and weapons to
ca,rry out "the. dirty war" fot.the purpQse of imposing' once
agaiN. the wlonial' yoke on the Vietnamese, Khmer and 'Laotian
peoples, After the of the 19M Geneva, Agreements,
wheJ;1ViehN'amwas . partitiQnedd'nt6 two;ZQoes,
the South Viet NampeQple longed to see Sou!hVietNam achieve .
. -31-
independence, democracy, peace and neutrality. But the United
States has set up a fascist regime under the Ngo Dinh Diem
brothers and, later on, under a succession of military dictators; it
has sabotaged the peaceful reunification of Viet Nam as provided
for in the Geneva Agreements. It has brought into South Viet N am
nearly 50,000 troops from the ,United States a!ld. thousands 01
mercenaries from a number of satellite countries to wage,together
with the Saigon puppet army, an undeclared war, thus encroaching
on the sovereignty and territory of Viet Nam, It .is crystal-clear that
the United States, instead of "defending freedom" is. carrying out an
armed aggression in South Viet Nam; it does not "allow the people
of South Viet Nam to gUide their own country in their own way",
but is st\fiing their deepest and most sacred aspirations, in an
attempt to turn South Viet Nam into a U,S. military base and new-
type colony. . .
The successive coups d'etat used by it to oust the stooge
dictators desRised by the South Viet N am people have borne out
the fallaciousness and utter bankruptcy of the U.S. argument about
"defending freedom".
The United States is the aggressor in South Viet Nam,
Such is the truth, That is what hundreds of millions(Jf peace
and' justice-loving people, and many governments' all over the
world recognize when they sternly condemn "the special war"
waged by the United States, and resolutely support the South'
Viet Nam people's just patriotic struggle,
The so-called "aggression of North Viet Nam" is but an
awkward and ridiculous myth fabricated by the White House. It
can by no means C()ver up the truth, hut will only expose further
the mean and 'deceitful tricks of the Johnson Administration and.
their .ilk.
The South Viet Nam people have every right to rise up in
arms against the U,S. aggressors and their lackeys to defend their
country and their freedom, they aiJ'e fully entitled to use all neces-
sary means in accordance with their iightof self-defence and self-
determination, including an appeal to peace 'and justice-loving
countries for m0tal support .and material aid in the form of fUiIds,
weapons and volunteers.
32 -
Is it true that the United States is ready to engage in "utlcon-
ditional discussions" with a view to finding a peaceful settlement.
of the o n ~ i t in Viet Nam ?
It will be recalled that nQt IQng ago, President Johnson deman-
ded, as a pre-conditiQn tQ any negotiationsfQr a settlement Qf the
South Viet Nam question, that North Viet Nain should "stop its
aggression against SQuth Viet Nam". This time, he proposes
"unconditional discussiQns" presumably because he wants to give
better proof of his "will for peace",and even of his desire "to raise
the living standards" Qf South'East Asian peoples. The U.S. ruling
circles probably hope' that Johnson's April 7 speech might mislead
the world's peoples into taking this as the sign Qf a change in the
U.S. policy.
Unfortunately, the April 7 speech is full of contradictions:
- It is a fact that U.S. and puppet troops are fighting against
the South Viet Nam Liberation Army and people which are led
by the South Viet Nam National Front for Liberation. The United
States talks about its desire to hold "discussions" with a view to
finding a peaceful solution to.the South Viet Nam question, bilt it
refuses to recogl1ize the South Viet Nam National Front fQr Libera-
tion as the sole' genuine representative Qf the South Viet Nam
people. It is obvious that the United States wants neither peace nor
"negotiations" .
- The United States says that it wants a peaceful settlement
of the war in Viet Nam, but at the same time, it declares that "it
will not withdraw, either openly or under the cloak of a meaningless
agreement". A peaceful settlement which does not include the
withdrawal Qf U.S. and satellite troops from South Viet Nam canllO't
be regarded as such by sound-niinded people. It only means tha.t
the United States which has launched an armed aggression against
South VietNam, is insolently asking the heroic South Viet Nam
people to lay down their arms and surrender tQ those on whom they
have inflicted defeat after defeat. This is the kind of "negotiations
from a position of strength" repeatedly mentioned by the U.S.
ruling circles, from Johnson to Dean Rusk and MeN amara. But
they should not have any illusions about it. The indQmitable SQuth
Viet Nampeople deeply love peace but they are determined fo
struggle against the U.S. imperialist aggressors; never will they
layd0wn their arms llntil they win final victory.
- 33-
-The United States says tl>at it 'wants to' seek a peaceful
'settlement of the war in Viet Nam because it "wants peace quickly
to be restoted" but it deems it "necessary to increase its response
and make attacks by air',', While President Johns.on says that the
United States "will strive not to extend the hostilities", Maxwell
Taylor, the initiator nf the tlieory of ';specialwar"" who is nnw
the plenipo,tentiary representative nUhe U.S, Government in South
Viet Nam for carrying out this kind of war, bluntly states that
"no limit exists to the potential escalation nf the war", and that
"America may directly, enter the fighting ground if necessary".
While talking abnut peace, the United States continues to
intensify the war in South Viet Nam, and to extend the war with
its air fnrce and navy to North,Viet Nam. This may lead to unfore-
seeable consequences. It is clear that ,the U.S. aggressors and
warmnngers are using dOUble talk tn covet up their new dangerous
miHtary adventures in this area.
Over the, recent period, the United States has brought into
South Viet Nam the major part of the third division of marines
,commanded byMajor General Williams Cnllins (this is stationed
in the bases nf Da Nang, Phu Bai and Chu Lai, a new air base
now being built about 100, kilnmetres south of DaNang); the
whole 173rd brigade of' paratronps commanded by'Brigadier
General Ellis WilIiamson (this is stationed in Bien 110a and'Vung
"Tau bases),; many support units such as those of, engineers, artil-
lery, Hawkanti-a'ircraft missiles. On'April 10, 1965, the United
Slates setup in Saigon the Support Command No ,I, a bQdy
responsiblefor ensuring materiaIsuppliesfoFt,heoperations nf U.S.
army corps .
. The ,Ullited States,hasalsnordered its satel1l'tes to'send troops
"to South Viet 'Knrean puppet
government has, sent2,OOOtroops;'i!:\ustrtl'!Ia ,has S,el1t a battahon
of 800 men; the Philippine aUfhorIties are plotting to send 2,000
mercenaries.to$outh Viet" Nath. '
,With fegardt0arms and'equipmeni,the United States(1.as '
intr0dllqea'U1to'Soufh Viet of warfare
, sllch<asI".t!D4Starilghter ah<!" P.,
-equiip:pe!l'E;C: 121 planes, Dig-guns
-eapabl,e9f!;,flrHfJgtacticall'1uclear 'sheIls,etc. 'ogcasfdns:
it ir baSes 'friTha'iHmd 'I gandstr,'afin It
"
of the territory of the Democratic Republic .of Viet Nam, With a .
view to intensifying the bombing of North Viet Nam by night and
.' in the forthcoming rainy season, it is sending to South Viet Nam
many A.6 Intruder jet fighters specially equipped for this purpose,
While' U.S. reinforcements in troop.s and weapons are flowing
in, the U.S. Seventh Fleet with the Ranger, H,ancock, Coral Sea
and Midway task forces keeps operating in, aii'd south of, the Bac
Bo Gulf, multiplying provocations against ships plying in this area
or visiting the harbours of the Democratic RepubIic of Viet Nam,
The. aggressive and bellicose features of the U.S .. Government
are further laic! bare bythefoHowing arrogant action: on' April
24, 1965,President Johnson designated the whole of Viet Nam and
the waters adjacent thereto up to 100 miles from the Vietnamese
coasts, and part of the territorial waters of the Chinese People's
Republic arouncithe Paracels ishindsas a "combat zone"of the
U.S. armed forces. This is in essence a mo,ve towards a blockade
of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, and at the same time, a.
preparation for larger-seale military adventures. .
In fact, the United States is frenZiedly il)tenstfying the aggres-
sive war in South Viet Nam, stepping up the war of destruction
with its air force agains(North Viet Narn, and. menacing the terri-
torial waters of the I;)emocratic Republic of Viet Nam with its naval
forces,in an attempt to turn defeat and weakness into victory and
strength, getbutO:L its present impass in South Viet N am, a11d
obta:in atih'e conference table what it cannot win on the
battlefield ..
'I'liIe.so-l:aHed "will fo:r peace" and. "economic' aid" recently
.l11enti6nedbyJohnsonare but. familiar tricks of .psychological war-
fare)o/. the U,S:',imperia]ists . designed to soothe and deceive public
oplni()n>ia,md coveruptheir.attempt to extend a"lldenslave
'the Indo.,<)ni'hese and. South-East Asian peoples. But"suth tricks,
/ hoV{eyerp,el'fidious"i:.'CanJoolno one. The U.S,. know better
. miln'YC(J!untries renourr,
. '[iced the noose oL"U.S,aia"and how many.U.S: persoumelcarrying
>ouftfie peace" .. and:'aUiance .f?'f
expelled frQrn ASian,.Africim and
.couutt{es/; " . .' .. ...
)
SECTEUR DECRETE ZONE DE COMBAT DES FORCES ARMEES AMERICAINES
,
PAR LE PRESIDENT JOHNSON LE 24 AVRIL 1965
SECTOR DECREED BY PRESIDENT JOHNSON ON APRIL 24, 1965
AS COMBAT ZONE OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES
"
"
..
.,
.....
,
,
. THAILANDE
r
j
'\
,.
,,,'
('-. .-,
"\.
"\.
'\
0
1
( LI,.. d. -
milila;re provlsol,.
t Proyj,hlll.d I
dllma.rClalioll. tlna
.....
\ ......
""
)
(
{
;-"\t-"'''\./t./
\...-.
CAMBODGE
DE CHINE
, ,

!II' m
::0
I
\I
1:7
'. m
,,'
tu'
r- de combet: .
. Combat zone '
n
::I:
Z
m
:I:
::0
6
0
z

r-
m
"
:
!