WAR IN THE SOUTH -- ARTICLE BY "CUU LONG"

Created: 11/30/1966

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

LBJ LrBRARY Mandatory Review

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Foreign Minister Martin'to the USSR linking them to. collusion and accusing Moscow of trying to induce the Vietnamese to stc? fighting in returnalt. bombing in the Worth,

^csccv's continuing assaultejection of united action to help Vietnam is highlighted by theovember PRAVDA editorial article and Sreshnev'sovember speech at the Hungarian party congress. Other Soviet cccranc again calls attention to Soviet aid and to support for the faur- and five-point stands of the DRV and HFLSV. Comment on Foreign Secretary Brown's visit stresses that Britain and the USSR hold differing positions on Vietnam*

WAR IN THE SOUTH

WTICLECuu Longntitled "New Developments in the

"CUUWar in South Vietnam,'* discusses the scope and

potential of the guerrilla war in unusual detail. It is not clear what prompted tho article at this particular time, but th* cer.tentanoi radio's treatment of It suggest disagreement over th* conduct of the war including such basic factors aa control and the role of the North

The article is notable for Its stress or. the ieportanc* of "organizing th* revolutionary masses" and for its treatment of th* nature of the leadership in this effort. Cuu Lon? says "leadership over the guerrilla va- ir. various localities is not United to military matters and center be ur.derstcod as mainly the task cf military organs." He declares that given new developments, "wa must further discuss th* problem of leadership,e gees cn to *ayater passage that "th* local NFLSV committees enviously jlay th* leading role,"

Cuuites DRV party First Secretary Le Duan as well as th* HFLSV Central Committee as his authority on the need to develop th* guerrilla va-n the basis of organizing the revolutionary masses. Th* Manoi radio version of thepartially available at thisuotation from Le Duan on th* subject as wellubsecuest reference to hin. Other seemingly sensitive passages deleted by Hanoi includestatement that the tunnels,nd other fortifications in the South are "irore extensive" than the communist fortifications of the "Dien Bien Phu battleground." Hanoi also excises

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Cuu Long's unusual details: regarding the composition of the guerrilla force: it reports his statement that forces waging guerrilla warfare include all the armed forces from the main-force troops to tha regional troops, but it omits his disclosure that they also include "special araed forces, such as the Special task force and the rangeranoi alsoubsequent reference to "the special task force, the engineer corps, and surveillance units,"

Hanoiengthy passage In which Cuu Long discusses the organization of the different categories of"hamlet, village, and intarvillago" guerrillas and "specialized and secret" guerrillas. Hanoi omits entirely his statement that the third guerrilla warfare conference, which Liberation Radio reported onctober, "determined the procedures for organizing the three typea of forces at tha basic level," (Hanoi mediaecent reference to tha conference9 November VHA report of an article on pacification in the Hanoi weekly TO QUOC. It referred to the conference as having been held at Cu Chi, Gia Dinhdetail which Liberation Radio did not provide.)

While Cuu Long notes in passing that the "regulars" play the decisive role in the warhole, his major thesis is that at this stage guerrilla action can successfully counter the allies despite their troop-buildup, superior weaponry, and air power. Butassage reminiacent ofeptember article, he shows dissatisfaction with the operations against er.ecy cecmunicaticn lines. Declaring that attacks against coraunicaticn lines have strategic significance, he says that "if leadership and organization are carried out more realistically, we will deal blows of strategic significance on the heads of. troopa."

Cuuoncludes his article with the statement that "at present guerrilla warfare in South Vietnam suggests many great problems and is undergoing several developments which cannot be entirely dealt with here."

Original document.

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