Page 276 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

the Thua Thien sector cornrnand headquarters around 0300 hrs' Jan
31.
Witnesses in FIue recounted that at the early stages of
the enerny occupation enen-ry trooPs were forbidden to violate peoplers
property. Some of thern even provided food to the peoPle' Purportedly
ih"y used captured Vietnarnese rnilitary trucks to carry rice
",."n
frorn governrnent warehouses to each home on the third day of Tet as
Ita Tei giftt'frorn the socalled peoplets liberation arroy' Only afew
people really received this kind of giJt. This syrnbolical gesture on
the part of the enerny was airned at winning the friendship of the local
p.oft". Apparently it achieved its objectives with son')e naive people'
The behavior and policies of the enemy in the latter
days of occupation, resulting in the losses of innurnerable civilian
lives and great arnounts of private property served as a blunt warning
of cornrnunist savagery to the people of Hue' A lesson, a really bitter
one, was taught them : Under no circu'mstances can a free people
c ooperate wi th C ommunism '
What was left in the path o{ war were sccnes of sicken-
ing, alnrost irreparable destruction. The city was virtually reduced
to rubble. trrnaciated, haggard People wandered around, airnless, and
bewildered, The evidence of the huge loss of human liJe was seen Dn
the heads oI housewive s and children in the f orm of their mour:ning
turbans as they were roarning about the streets shopping for rr-reager'
cheap food, They were also looking for what ever might be left usable
arnong the rubble or they were just begging'
It was feared that the people of Hue might starve since
surface supply routes were still unsaJe and airlifts were difficult'
sometimes irnpossible, due to adverse weatlter corrditions'

Actually the peoPle generally stil1 had sorr-re food of
their own. Their houses were clestroyed ol darr-raged by the fightir-Lg
but their rice and other foodstuffs were saved'

In early March 1968 there were rumors that the loca1
governrnent headed by the Mayor had rnade a suspected deed concerning
tiLe distribution of rice frorn two governrnental warehouse and the
private Vien De companyr s warehouse. During this distribr.rtion of rice
people were allowed to corne and get as rnucjr as thelr could plil.sically
carry. It was said that the uncontrolled distlibrrtion of rice was an
opportunity for the local governrrrent to clarifythe Mayorts susPected action