Page 57 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

stations, and other key agenciesrr.

Arrny units in Saigon irnrnediately were put in state of 100
per cent alertness, While additional precautionary measures were
taken in the Capital Military District, U. S. airrnobile troops were
dispatched to the Ashau Valley which was known to contain an irnportant
depot of the North Vietnarnese Arrny (t'tVA). In this operation over 200
helicopters were depl.oyed on Z8 April. Right after this,a South Viet-
namese airborne task force was dispatched to join in the battle. Although
Cornrnunist resistance was weak their anti-aircraft fire was so very
intense that 30 o{ the helicopters were downed. This, however, was
rnore than adequately cornpensated by the weapons and arnrnunition
confiscated by the sweeping troops.

U. S, diplornats continued to rneet with their North Viet-
narnese counterparts in Laos in an effort to reach an agreelnent on the
site of the proposed parley, The rnany rneetings between U. S. Arnbas -
sador Williarn H, Sullivan and Nguyen Chan, the General Representative
of North Vietnarn in Vientiane, finally resulted in a cornmunique issued
on 3 May proclairning the choice of Paris as the site for the prelirninary
talks between Hanoi and trVashington.
The first session of the parley was fixed for 10 May. In
the rneanwhile both sides had rnade public the cornposition of their
delegations. On the Arnerican side, W. Averrell Harrirnan was selected
to head the peace rnission. Mr. Harrirnan was to be assisted by Cyrus
Vance, Special Adviser to the U, S, President, General Andrew
Goodpaster,and Mr. trVilliarn Jordan. Jordan was a leading specialist
{or Vietnarnese a{{airs on the staff of the National Security Council
and also perforrned the functions of Assistant Secretary of State for
I.ar Eastern Affairs.
On the North Vietnarnese side the Hanoi delegation was to
be headed by Minister of State Xuan Thuy who reportedly would have
the assistance of Colonel Ha Van Lau, Nguyen Minh Vy, Nguyen
Thanh Le, and others. Lau had served for rnany yeara as Chief of the
North Vietnarnese Delegation in charge of liaison with the International
Control Cornrnission, Le was also to serve as official spokesrnan for
the Cornrnunist tearn,
The Paris Conference finally carne into being but the war
in Vietnarn also increased in intensity, Although it was the view of
practically al1 knowledgeable observers that the conflict would not die
down, they did not agree on how and when and where it would be fought,

-61 -