Page 270 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

valiantly against heavy odds. A poorly equipped Viet Narn Quoc Dan
)ang platoon, arnong other groups stood its grounds at the Thanh Nhon
school until this part of the city was recaptured by friendly forces.
Cne hundred Phu Carn Rornan Catholic youths fought for four days on
end. until they ran out of arnrnunition and had to withdraw to Phu Bai.
Had they been given sufficient arnrnunition they would certainly not
have let the Phu Carn area fall into enerny hands. Sorne Arnerican
nationals,living in a house near the Narn Giao bridge, held out valiantly
for two days and refused to surrender' They were all killed, one after
another. Their bravery won thern the great adrniration of the people
of Hue. Another group of Arnerican civilians, ernployees of the Indus-
trial Relations Department, living at No 7 Ly Thuong Kiet, inflicted
such si.-eable enerny casualties that the enerny had to use B.40 rockets
to destroy the house. Two of the seven died in the early stages of the
resistance. The rernaining five, including two wolnen' held out {or 24
hours before they surr ender ed.
The enerny virtually controlled the entire city on the
evening of Tet Day or January 30. During the next two days enemy
troops and agents rnoved about in the city freely. They were control-
ling the people as if they were oPerating in VC territory.

The VC called pe:ple out of their hornes to rrpolitical
study rneetingsrt, classified thern into categories - civil servants,
soldiers, police and just plain citizens. Except for the last category
all the people surnrnoned were detained overnight at the Governrnent
Delegaters office building on the right bank of the Perfurne River.
They were allowed to go horne the next morni.ng.

People speculated that the enerny was starting a three-
stage rnass arrest and rnurder scherne. The case rnentioned above
was a lighter one while the serious case involved those civilians
detained in the Gia Hoi area which was under even firrner enerny
control. In this area the enerny succeeded in carrying out all of the
three stages of his sinister scherne.
First he sealed off the occupied area, herding the
people together and classifying thern into categories, The just plain
citizen category was told to forrn civic organizations. Thi.s process
was designed to help the enerny have tight control on the populace,
Each of the organizations had a representative to take orders frorn
the enerny, These plain citizens were told to continue to work norrnal-
Iy and to keep public order. Then enerny troops and agents carne to
each house con-f iscating all private radio in an aPparent ef{ort to cut

- 273 -