Pages

0

Media Type

Audio

Physical Location

D030.5C

Copyright Statement

NBC News, CBS News, ABC News

Number of Media

1

Language(s)

English

Format

4 Track Stereo

Time - Hr:Min:Sec

1:36:28

Digitized in HD?

No

General Note

Mississippi Democratic Senator John Stinnis gives his opinion about marches and opposition to the war. He feels that fair comment and fair criticism are okay, but the opposition is cutting too deep. The struggle against policy is only encouraging the enemy. Correspondent Mike Wallace reports on the live promulgation of the new constitution at the Independence Palace. Some skeptics said they'd never be able to resolve their differences and write a constitution and if they did the ruling generals would never permit the document to see the official light of day. The ceremony confounds the skeptics. United States Ambassador Harry Cabbot Lodge was one of the first men of the Diplomatic Corps on the scene. The men responsible for persuading the Generals of the armed forces council to come under civilian rule were two of their own number, General Ngyuen Van Ti and Nuin Cac Qui. They impressed upon Washington that it was imperative that the constitution became a reality. The document promises freedom of religion, speedy trials for defendants, the prohibition of unwarranted search or confiscation. President and Mrs. Johnson attended mass with 29 visiting Latin American diplomats at the historic San Fernando Cathedral. The Catholic Archbishop Robert Lucy gave a strong defense of the Presidents Vietnam policy. He felt the intervention was a sad and heavy obligation imposed by the mandate of love. 4,000 Australians near Hok Tui are making their biggest drive. Far to the North is an unspecified of South Koreans. 1,500 men of the United States 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade are in Fu Yen and Kan Woi province. Correspondent Howard Tucker: The voter turnout was good in Tua about 30 miles South of Saigon the day after South Vietnam's new construction went into effect to elect their own village officials. The people were voting for people they knew. American officials believe these elections are a great step forward and an effective weapon against the Viet Cong. They feel villagers with a voice will better resist Viet Cong attempts to win them over. Security measures were strong for fear that Viet Cong might try to sabotage the election. April 3, 1967, Correspondent Irving R. Levine CBS News Few American diplomats saw some embarrassing anti-American campaigns in Florence. Now Florence may have a problem gaining new tourist due to the large amount of Communist support. Senator McNamara says that a total of 500 U.S. aircraft were lost to fighting with the enemy. Under present circumstances the loss of U.S. lives will be less if we pursue our present target policies. McNamara also disclosed that 18,000 American troops have been pulled out of Europe and brought home with their 21,000 dependents. The withdrawal was carried out in conjunction with the relocation of U.S. forces from France. In Vietnam War today survivors of a Viet Cong regiment that was badly mauled by U.S. troops in war zone z disappeared into the jungles of Ta Mihn province. At least 591 were killed in the weekend battle. It was disclosed that American, Australian, and South Korean troops are carrying out 3 new operations along South Vietnam's coast. The main objectives are to drive the Viet Cong from food supplies and to secure strategic roads. Saigon officials reported that about 80% of eligible voters took part in South Vietnam's 1st round of village council elections. This delayed terrorist who murdered at least 4 candidates, kidnapped 10, and wounded half a dozen police and militiamen. Overall, the elections went off without surprising smoothness. Correspondent Mike Wallace reports about the voter turnout in Wong Tho Phu. The village election had a large turnout because the people feel safe. Just about 50 yards away is a tiny moat behind barbed wire stands a military post manned by popular forces of Vietnam. Polls opened at 8am and within 2 hours a full third had cast their ballots. It was a remarkably well-organized election. This is the first village election in 22 years. The national police radio the results. Some people vote because they want their papers in order when they need help. The previous day South Vietnam got its own constitution. The Vietnam was not a problem during the elections. CBS News correspondent John Hart interviews Ambassador William Porter. Ambassador Porter always the question to how many bullets are given to a certain situation. They are convincing that Communism is not the best political regime. Ambassador Porter believes that night operations should be increased to prevent assassinations and kidnappings. The guerillas have a good knowledge of the terrain. Senator Edward Kennedy went to criticize the National Rifle Association. The cost of planes and supplies is very costly. The average cost of munitions used over Vietnam is $2,000 a minute. Wa Minh was among the first to appoint village councilman. The council of 8 will appoint a village chief, but he will not rule absolutely. It has the potential to create a democratic society from the ground up. Civil rights and the peace movement are discussed. Racism and militarism are the two evils facing man. Elsworth Bunker replaced Henry Cabbot Lodge as the United States Ambassador South Vietnam. Chairman Fulbright questions the principal objective in Vietnam. Dr. Martin Luther King called for a unilateral ceasefire. He also called for a withdrawal of all United States troops. 5,557 Viet Cong defected and came over to the allied side. The total of defectors are nearly 11,000 Viet Cong in 1967. If North Vietnam really wants peace then Ho Chi Minh will meet in the buffer zone during a ceasefire. Mike Wallace interviews Chu about who is the number 1 man in Vietnam. Chu believes that the press is confused about who is the number 1 man. He also believes that South Vietnam needs more allied troops. He wants 6 troops to 1. Hardcore Viet Cong units destroyed a police station. The Viet Cong have relied on kidnapping as a weapon in ruling the countryside. Viet Cong kidnapped 13 Khe Trung villagers and the popular forces kidnapped 13 Viet Cong villagers of their own. The Viet Cong used the Ben Hai Bridge to enter South Vietnam. The Viet Cong helped 250 Communist prisoners escape. In Fung Tao a fence of fence is being built in order to isolate the Viet Cong. Its purpose is to cut of the Viet Cong from moving with relative ease. The fence will hopefully cause the Viet Cong to move in smaller numbers. The land on the other side was prosperous and the Viet Cong used it as a supply for medicine, food, and taxes. John Kenneth Galbrath again criticized the bombing of Vietnam. He feels that the Democrats are headed for election trouble. Galbrath thought that if Liberals sit on their hands it will be detrimental to the Democratic Party. 194 Americans were killed in action the previous week, 1679 other Americans wounded, the number of Communist dead - 2,373. South Vietnamese had 211 killed. President Johnson gave the Medal of Honor to Daniel Fernandez (posthumously). President Johnson is sending General Craton Abrams Jr. to be second in command to General Westmoreland. Mike Wallace interviewed Ambassador Lodge. Ambassador Lodge thinks the war is in four parts: overt aggression, political war, economic war, and clandestine aggression. He feels that the overt aggression is going very well, but the clandestine aggression is hard to prevent and detect. American air raids have entered the area near Hanoi. A soldier feels that there are some targets that he would like to put his wing on. He feels that the mig is a threat, but not a great threat. The bases in North Vietnam could be taken out. A war is never won without escalation. The speaker did not see any differences between Governor Romney and the President. He has much more confidence in the American pilots. The previous week the United States lost their 500th aircraft. He believes that the Secretary is not giving accurate statistics to the American people. (A story about a frontier boy seems to be recorded over because it is in bits and pieces.) The Vietnam War - part 65- Children of War: this program focused on the innocent victims of the War. The report showed how they managed. The Vietnamese children are familiar with death. The Viet Cong killed Nguyen Van Tai's father. His mother is entitled to a year of her husband's salary as compensation for his death, but it will take several months for her to receive it. The Viet Cong can take out the outposts at any time. Wives and children stay at the outposts with their husbands. Their work and responsibility begin early in life. The children learn cleanliness in a shallow moat with the Viet Cong base only a mile and a half away. Children work along side their fathers in the fields. The tenants pay half their harvest to absentee landlords, but if they also had to pay the Viet Cong, they may not have enough to eat. One child was shot in the leg and it was eventually amputated. Some American GI's see the little boy hobbling with his crutch. They take him to Saigon. The boy was taken to a rehabilitation center to get a new artificial leg. Many children have been struck by North Vietnamese, South Vietnamese, and American troops. The privileged chose to send their children to French schools. For most Vietnamese children, English is replacing French as the most important foreign language because it will enable them to get a better job. Some women choose to work in bars that cater to GI's. She has come to Saigon to make money and she has not been disappointed. The bar girls are not the only people searching for American dollars. Some six year olds sell peanuts at five cents a bag. They seek out the drunken soldiers because they are more likely to give more money. Most bar girls do not need to be prostitutes because they make enough money as bar girls. Some girls pick up several hundred extra dollars a month by becoming mistresses. Some girls can make more in a day than a Vietnamese soldier can make in a month. Some boys work in a print shop. They represent some of the families that have left the war torn countryside for the city. To is and apprentice and he earned eighty cents a week. Fu earns four dollars a week. Fua's father and family welcome him back. It is the first time they have seen him with his new leg. Fua is now a celebrity of sorts among the other children. As the children of war grow up they become part of the military. Draft dodging is becoming more difficult even if your family is wealthy. Basic training last 12 weeks and is very similar to American training. Every week a new Battalion of 500 men graduates. Sunday is family day at the camp. The children of Vietnam must adapt to survive. In and area just South of Saigon the Viet Cong and American troops fought from noon to nightfall. General John Tolson had a close call when a Plexiglas window only nine inches from his head. The second round of elections in under way. The Viet Cong terrorists are not succeeding in keep people away from the polls. More voters have turned out in the second round than in the second round. Latin American issues are discussed thoroughly. The South Vietnamese government has stepped up its inducements to get more Viet Cong to defect with the open arms policy. The Chu Hoi Center is an open arms center. Since the department opened, 35,000 defectors have accepted the offer of the South Vietnamese government. Hai was a member of the Viet Cong. His family managed to move to a secure village before his defection. He is treated well by the center. The main diet for the defectors is anti Communist propaganda. Hai says he left the Communist because it was a dangerous life. The open arms program will not win the war, but it does represent a progressive step forward by South Vietnam's government. The B-52's have now come to Thailand. They can drop bombs from forty to fifty thousand feet, without being seen by the enemy. General Westmoreland considers this to be one of his most effective weapons. The B-52's have regular duties in Vietnam, but they also have nuclear capabilities. The B-52's are within striking distance of most of the cities in China. A Conversation about the power situation of the president and foreign policy follows. GI's have hit the enemy hard. They have killed 209 enemies during 3 days of fighting. The Viet Cong want the Mekong Delta's rice and the allied troops want to take it away. Some Viet Cong know about Marine operations because the South Vietnamese have Viet Cong agents planted among the other soldiers. B-52's have saturated many enemy targets. The 503rd plane was lost. There is an increasing number of malaria in the United States because of the soldiers returning from Vietnam.
Lang Vei bombing - Captain John Duffy - NBC News - CBS News - infiltration - Kennedy - CIA - draft lottery- racial bias - John Wayne - propaganda - Lt Mark Nelson, USN - Sgt Shelley Blunt - Sgt Ken Sanders - Spec-5 Dale Kembrey - Capt Peter Dawkins - nation-building - social evolution - USAID - West German Education Center - Iranian Surgical Team - Vung Tau - Training Center for Revolutionary Development Cadre - Capt James Salvaggio - RF/PF - VC infrastructure - DIDG - politics: U.S. - economy: France - deGaulle - foreign relations: USSR - OP Junction City -