Page 56 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

New Peace Path

Against this background of renewed confidence U.S. Pres-
ident Lyndon B, Johnson ordered a partial bornbing halt over North
Vietnarn as a first gesture of goodwill to entice the Hanoi leaders to
corne to the conference table, The decision was rnade public on 31
March I968 and wag universally hailed as a courageous move'

Arnerica, however, understood that the Vietnarn conflict
could only be brought to an honorable end with Allied troops keeping up
pressure against the enerny while its diplornats tried to reason with
Hanoi, On i April. a big sweep was launched to break the Cornrnunist
noose around Khe-Sanh with the participation of the First Cavalry
-ljlvr s l on (ArrrrloDlle/.
Airrnobile troops irnrnediately occupied sorne o{ the hills

dorninating National Route 9 while other Allied infantryrnen, supported
by arrnored elernents, pushed in the direction of Khe Sanh' The 20' 000
rnan colurnn did not rneet with rnuch Cornrnunist resistance and it
reached. the besieged outpost on 5 Apri1, ending a 76-day siege'
The following day Washington officially entered into contact
with Hanoi and two days later received a reply frorn the North Viet-
nalnese regirne. Both sides publicly clairned willingness to take part in

a peace but the rnatter of a site for the talks was to delay
"orrf.t".r..
its opening for a rnonth. Hanoi suggested Poland or Carnbodia while
lvashlngton proposed Ceylon, Japan, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan'
Malaysia, Italy, Belgiurn, Fintand or Australia'
The war continued pretty rnuch along the sarne pattern in
Vietnarn. In the early days of April a Viet Cong Colonel' by the narne
of Tarn Ha, rallied to the Governrnent. He told his interrogators that
the Cornrnunists were preparing for the Second Phase of the general
offensive which again had the capital as its rnain target'

In the words o{ Tarn Ha : trabout ten thousand Viet-Cong
troops are preparing for an attack on Saigon on 22 April but rnay Postpone
it to a later date The attacking Iorce consists of two regirnents of the
CT. 9 Division, two regirnents of the CT' 5 Division and another two
regional regirnents the t65th and the Dong-Nai Regirnents' For the attack
onlhe capital CT. 9 elernents will open a front to the northwest of Saigon
wi.th the rnai.n effort concentrated on Tan Son Nln-rt Airport' Elernents of
the c'L 5 Division will attack {rorn the we st and south. AlI irnportant
targets have been selected including rnilitary installations' power

-60-