53. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor) to the President1
SUBJECT
- Summary of Military Operations in Vietnam
Final reports of military operations in Vietnam for the month of August indicate favorable trends in all military activities, despite Saigon’s preoccupation with the unstable political situation. During the month of August, the Government forces conducted 166 large operations [Page 99] (battalion equivalents or more), a figure which compares most favorably with the 168 large operations conducted in July-the month which set new highs, as the execution phase of the National Military Campaign was begun. Although the number of regular combat battalions committed was somewhat reduced, ranger, civil guard, and self defense corps units were used extensively to maintain the operational tempo. Small unit actions show an increase from 10,240 in July to 15,480 in August. General Harkins attributes much of this apparent increase to better reporting procedures.
Of particular interest are increases in the last week (28 August-4 September). There were 56 large and 3211 small unit government operations in progress, as compared to 49 large and 3146 small unit operations for the previous week. This increase in tempo is somewhat offset by a reduction in friendly casualties to 308, which is the lowest figure for this category for July and August.
Viet Cong activity for the past week was at the highest level since July with a total of 391 incidents of all types. This increase in activity was not without cost, for Viet Cong casualties also rose to 567, continuing a three-week rising trend. The Viet Cong can be expected to continue a high level of activity in an attempt to create as much confusion and lack of faith in the government as possible.
Finally, as of 2 September, progress continues with the strategic hamlet program. The latest Government of Vietnam figures indicate that 8,227 of the 10,592 planned hamlets had been completed. 76 per cent, or 9,563,370 of the rural population, are now in these hamlets.
- Source: National Defense University, Taylor Papers, Vietnam, chap. XXIII. Secret. The source text bears a notation that Taylor handcarried the memorandum to the President. Taylor among others saw the President on September 3 for the noon meeting on Vietnam; see Document 54. The signed original of this memorandum is in the Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, Vietnam, Security, 1963.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩