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SUBJECT TH VIETNAMESE BRIEFING FOR FOREIGNERS CM NORTH VIETNAM'S DIKE
LLEGED AMERICAN AIR ATTACKS AGAINST THE DIKES
ACQ SOURCE
STATE
TO NMCC/MC
TO NSA
NO DISTRIBUTION EXCEPT TO THOMAS L. HUGHES
EXCLUSIVE FOR GENERAL CARROLL EXCLUSIVE FOR ARMY ACS I. GENERAL YARBO ROUGH]
:'. ST*j; NAVYDMIRAL FLUCKEY; '.
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AIR FORCE AFC IN, GENERAL THOMAS
1 . EXCLUSIVE FOR GENERAL arter:'.
SUMMARY. 7 PHAM NT, THE NORTH VIETNAMESE VICE MINISTER OF
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HYDROLOGY, DESCRIBED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTH VluTKAMCSE DIKE SYSTEM TO THE MEMBERS OF
A vrsltlf. FOREIGN DELEGATION. MY CHARGED THAT AMERICAN AIRCRAFT HAVE BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY
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THE DIKES FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS. HE CLAIMED THE VIETNAMESE HAVEYSTEM FORKj THE* DIKES AND ARE BUILDING PARALLEL DIKES IN KEY AREAS IN PREPARATION FOR INCrfFASEO AMERICAN ATTACKS ON EXISTING DIKES.
1. UGUST THE NORTH VIETNAMESE VICE MINISTER OF HYDROLOGY, PHAM MY,ISIT!NG FOREIGN DELEGATION ON THE NORTH VIETNAM DIKE SYSTEM. MY SUPPORTED' HIS BRIEFING WITH CHARTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS AND WAS GOTH CONVINCING AND OBVIOUSLY VERY SERIOUS THROUGHOUT THE MEETING. HE BEGAN HIS TALKHORT BRIEFING ON THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE *WRTH VIETNAMESE DIKE SYSTEM, NOTING THAT PRIOR TO THET WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR fllCE GROWING AREAS OF THE RED RIVER DELTA TO SE INUNDATED FOR PERIOD OF UP TO THREE YEARS. fW NORTH VIETNAMESE AGRARIAN REFORM PROGRAM BEGAN IN THEND THE PRESENT OIKE SYSTEM OEVELOPED AT THE SAME TIME. THE DELTA AREA AND THE SURROUNDING PLAIN WHERE THE DIKE SYSTEM IS CONCENTRATED NOW CONTAINS NINE MILLION PEOPLE AND THE POPULATION DENSITY VARIES0 PER SQUARE KILOMETER. EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE SICE GROWING AREA IN NORTH VIETWAM IS NOW ARTIFICIALLY IRRIGATED AND THIS IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE DIKE SYSTEM. THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARE WELL AWARE OF THE VULNERABILITY OF THE OIKES TO AIR ATTACK AND ARE MAKINlr AN EFFORT TO INSURE THAT THE SYSTEM WILL BE SECURE AGAINST SUCH ATTACK. THE APffilCANS HAVE SEEN BOMBING THE DIKES FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS AND THE CURRENT VIETNAMESE EXPERTISE FOR REPAIRING DAMAGED DIKES HAS DEVELOPEDESULT OF THIS BOMBING. THE VIETNAMESE HAVEYSTEM WIIE3EBY REPAIR MA/EllALS AND LABOR BRIGADES AREAVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY IN MANY KEY AREAS, THEY ARE THUS ABLE TO BEGIN REPAIRING THE DIKES ALMOST AS SOON AS THE AIRCRAFT LEAVE THE SCENE. THEY HAVE ALSO
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CONSTRUCTION OF Sf-'ULER DIKES PARALLEL TC KEY DIKES BUT ON HIGHER GROUND SO THAT ANY MAJOR EOlie DAMAGE TO KEY DIKES WILL AFFECTMALL AREA AS THE WATER RELEASED WILL AGAIN BE CONTAINEDEACHES THE LEVEL OF THE PARALLEL DIKE.
2. MY CLAIMED THAT THERE WEREMERICAN AIR ATTACKS SPECIFICALLY AGAINST DIKESSTHAT THERE HAVE BEENUCH ATTACKS SO FAR THESE ATTACKS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED PRIMARILY AGAINST THE REGIONS NEAR THE TRA LY RIVER IN THAI BINH PROVINCE- AND THE NIMH CC RIVER IN NAM HAN PROVINCE. BOMBS OF UPCO POUNDS HAVE BEEN USED IN THESE ATTACKS. MY EXHIBITED TO THE GROUP BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH HE SAID SHOWEO CERTAIN DIKES DAMAGED BYND THE SAME DIKES AFTER THEY HAD BEEN REPAIRED.
3-COMMENT. THE NORTH VIETNAMESE GRIEFIN0 WASART OF AN
EFFORT TC CONVINCE VISITORS THAT THE UNITED STATES WASROGRAM TO DESTROY NORTH VIETNAM ClKES. NEVERTHELESS, THE INDIVIDUAL WHO ATTENOED THE BRIEFING WAS CONVINCED THE NORTH VIETNAMESE WERE GREATLY CONCERNED OVER THE POSSIBILITYONCERTED AMERICAN AIR ATTACK AGAINST THE DIKE SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY DURING THE COMING HIGH WATER SEASON.
NO FIELD DISSEM.
AEVANC COPIES SENT ELECTRICALLY TO STATE DIA NMCC AND NSA
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