"Friday, March 22 1968
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
Friday, March 22, 1968 THE MICHiGAN DAILY Page Three
,,
ARMY LIFTS SECRECY:
U.S., South Vietnamese Units
Begin Five Major Offensives
Thieu Fights Graft,
Calls More Troops
Israel
Withdraws
SAIGON
Van Thieu
(P)-President Nguyen
will try to follow up
SAIGON OP) - Allied forces'are
sweeping through hills, plains and
jungles in six widespread opera-
tions designed to seize the initia-
tive from the enemy and so far
1,888 Viet Cong and North Viet-
namese have been killed, the U.S.
Command disclosed yesterday.
The command lifted the veil of
secrecy from five new drives
ranging from near Saigon to the
coastal plains 300 miles to the
northeast. Some were begun two
months ago when the enemy still
was on the rampage in the Tet-
lunar new year - offensive.
There are about 10000 U.S.
are light for such a long opera-
tion.
The slackened pace of the
fighting was reflected by the U.S.
Command report that fewer
American and enemy soldiers
were killed last week than in pre-
vious weeks. The toll was 336
Americans and 3,970 enemy
killed, compared with 509 and
5,168 last week.
The five newly disclosed Amer-
ican drives have killed 99 of the
enemy. The big push around Sai-
gon has accounted for 1,089 more.
The purpose of all the drives is
the same: to lift the enemy threat
!to imnnrtant ities and bases and
.LA- - --- -"av wvv o.- - - - - - - -UA) bl l t .At l
troops assigned to these opera- to regain the initiative.
tions, far short of the 50,000 The five operations, which have
American and South Vietnamese cost the United States 94 dead
soldiers who since March 11 have and 397 wounded, are as follows
been pressing the war's biggest from north to south:
drive around Saigon. -On the Beng Son coastal
0 While the multiple drives may plain, 300 miles northeast of Sai-
keep the enemy off balance, there gon, where the 22nd North Viet-
obviously have been no major namese Regiment has been oper-
battles since the casualty figures ating. The U.S. 4th Infantry Divi-
CINEMA II
ALAIN RESNAIS'
""LAST YEAR
AT
MARIENBAD"
4 ALSO: Chapter 11 -"FLASH GORDON"
Aud. A-Angel! Hall Friday, March 22
7:00 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday, March 23*
A 75c
sion kicked off this one Feb. 29
and so far has killed 193 North
Vietnamese, the second highest
enemy total in the five operations.
-Around An Khe, big U.S. mil-
itary base in the central high-
lands. The 173rd Airborne Bri-
gade launched this one Jan. 17
while the enemy offensive was at
its height but it has found and
fought few enemy soldiers.
-North of the coastal provin-
cial capital of Phan Thiet, over-
run by the Viet Cong. Phan Thiet
is 100 miles east of Saigon. The
101st Airborne Division went over
to the attack 17 miles northeast
of Phan Thiet Jan. 20 and has
rolled up the biggest enemy toll
of the five drives, 475 Viet Cong
killed, but most died during the
Tet offensive.
-Near headquarters of the U.S.
1st Infantry and 101st Airborne
division 29 miles northeast of Sai-
gon. The 101st took the offensive
five days ago and so far have
killed 81 of the enemy.
-Around the Bien Hoa Long
Binh headquarters of the U.S.
Army in Vietnam 15 miles north-
east of Saigon. The 199th Light
Infantry Brigade and the 11th
Armored Cavalry Regiment be;
gan this drive two weeks ago but
have run into little opposition.
Concerning the war's objectives,
President Johnson said yesterday
that America's determination will
not "break frustration" in Viet-
nam and peace with honor will
be won.
"Let no one misread our pur-
pose: peace is our goal," John-
son said.
3020 washtenaw Phone 434-1782
Between Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti
JAMES HENRY
StEWART IONDA
his pledge of yesterday to crack
down on corruption by clipping
the wings of the nations four war-
lord corps commanders, informed
sources said.
They reported that some time
before April 15 Thieu will set up
six national administrative groups
with a civilian at the head of
each.
In a major policy speech, Thieu'
said he would serve as chairman
of two new administrative groups
-the National Planning Council
and the Committee for Admin-
istrative Reforms.
Draft Increase
Thieu also announced in the
same speech that he has ordered
an additional 135,000 men for the
South Vietnamese forces, because
"this is our country, the existence
of our nation is at stake, and this
is mainly a Vietnamese responsi-
bility."
This increase would bring South
Vietnam's troop strength to 909,,
000 including both regulars and
militiamen.
The proposed committee ap-
parently will serve as a basic tool
in Thieu's plans to attack ineffi-
ciency in government operations
and to weed out corruption from
national and local governments.
The use of civilian administra-
tive delegates, each appointed by
the president, firstwas begun by
the late President Ngo Dinh Diem.,
War Lords
During the military juntas that
followed Diem's downfall, the sys-
tem was abandoned. The com-
manders of the nation's four mil-
itary corps areas gradually took
over their responsibilities, making
themselves virtual war lords.
Until Thieu and Vice President
Nguyen Cao Ky took office, the
central government had no power
to change the situation. Nor did
it have the power to attack cor-
ruption in a corps area if the corps
commander condoned it.
Under the soon-to-be-announced
setup, the 2nd Corps - central
highlands and coastal lowlands-
and the 4th Corps-Mekong Delta
-each will be divided in half,
informants said.
Nonmilitary Function
The six civilian delegates will as-
sume the nonmilitary functions
now handled by the corps com-
manderc_
Under
j
t
i
i
1
s
t
1
t
t
The civilian delegates also will TEL AVIV P -Israeli ,troops,
function as inspectors over all 15,000 strong by Arab estimate,
civilian administrative functions reported wiping out four El Fatah
in their area, reporting all short- terrorist bases in an invasion of
comings and corruption directly Jordan yesterday, then fought
to the president. back homeward under unexpect-
They will serve as intermediaries edly heavy fire.
between the nations 44 province Jordanian resistance slowed the
chiefs and the central government. withdrawal, but the Israeli chief
Under Thieu's plan, the civilian of staff, Maj. Gen. Haim Bar
delegates also will be the presi- Lev, said late last- night that all
dent's representatives for political Israeli forces had returned to the
matters. west bank of the Jordan River,
the cease fire line between the two
Encouraged nations. The west bank was seized
U.S. officials are encouraged by from Jordan in the Arab-Israeli
the upcoming changes, for which war of last June 5-10.
they had been pressing. Fierce engagements were re-
The Thieu government already ported around the Damiya and
has fired six province chiefs and Allenby bridges between Arab
replaced two of the four corps riflemen and Israeli rear guards,
commanders riflemen after 14 hours of fight-
-ing. Amman radio claimed "the
fHeaw,
enemy has lost most of the ve-
hicles used in his attack and his
forces tried to abandon them."
The pullback, under jet fighter
cover, came after the Israeli army
said it was certain the alleged.
terrorist base at Kerameh, justj
inside Jordanian territory, had
been neutralized.
Bar Lev reported the raiders
also destroyed staging areas at
Dahal, Feifa and Safi, from which
the Arab guerrillas are accusedI
of launching terrorist attacks for
the past six months.
First Thrust
It was Israel's first major
thrust into Arab territory, since
the war of last June and the
longest sustained clash since then.
The raid on a 200 mile front was
officially described in Tel Aviv as
a police action.
T o
Jordan
Jordan Requests UN Sanctions
In Response to Israeli Invasion
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. OP) -
Jordan accused Israel of making
a "cowardly attack on refugees
and other Jordanian citizens" yes-
terday and asked that the Secur-
ity Council respond forcefully
with sanctions.
Israel replied that its strike into
Jordan was an act of self-defense
to prevent new incursions of Arab
guerrillas which It said were back-
ed by Jordanian authorities. Israel
said the 15-nation council should
urge Jordan to abandon what
Israel called a policy of war and
help toward an Arab-Israeli set-
tlement.
The exchange was at an urgent
council meeting called on succes-
sive requests from Jordan, and
Israel after the Israelis struck
with troops, tanks and planes.
Combined claims added up to 350
killed.
'Waiting'
"Sanctions are the answer,"
Jordanian Ambassador Muham-
mad H. el Farra said. "Jordan,
a small country, is waiting."
He called on the council to act
under Chapter VII of the U.N.
charter, which authorizes it to
enforce its decisions by calling for
economic boycott, diplomatic iso-
lation and even military action
against an aggressor.
Israel's note said, "Israel De-
fense Forces this morning were
compelled to take localized and
1 i m i t e d preventive measures
against the training centers and
staging bases of the raiders . . .on
the east bank." It said the council
should "deal with the continuous
acts of aggression" by Jordan.
El Farra pictured the attack as
unjustified. He said raiders cross-
ed from Jordan into Israel with-
out the knowledge of Jordanian
authorities - "young chaps" act-
ing in "the cause of justice."
He said the Israelis had made a
"criminal attack . . . to terrorize,
intimidate and expel the inhabi-
tants of the area," causing heavy
casualties and great damage.
El Farra, who had told the
council in a letter three days ago
that an Israeli attack was com-
ing, said a setback was not a de-
feat and "the war is not over."
20-Year War
Israeli Ambassador Yosef Te-
koah said his country was the
target of a 20-year war that the
Arabs were still waging. He said
their "publicly proclaimed aim"
was the "total destruction of
Israel."'
Tekoah said Jordanian authori-
ties supported Arab terrorist raids
into Israel and knew where the
terrorist bases were.
Israel had "no other choice but
to act in self defense" to head off
an expected attack.
The Israeli forces have "already
disengaged," he told the council,
but "if Jordan wishes to continue
violations of the cease fire, she
must bear the consequences."
liver
Bar Lev said the invasion was
not a reprisal raid, "but an attack
aimed at destroying Fatah in-
stallations in the three .major
sabotage holdouts."
"We really hoped the Jordanians
would take real and effective steps
to halt the raids."
The Karemal4 assault group
apparently ran into stiff opposi-
tion and was forced to hold their
bridgeheads longer than planned
and were unable to withdraw
quickly under heavy Arab fire.
Recovery Units
They reportedly held their posi-
tion to give army recovery units
time to get several crippled tanks
back across the river. Helicopters
flew a shuttle service between the
battlefront and Jerusalem hos-
pitals.
Pocket battles broke out as
Jordanian units and guerrilla
groups held out against the in-
vasion force.
Before the assault on Karemah
transport planes had dropped
leaflets on the area's refugee
camp, housing 3.000 persons
warning of the attacks.
At the fighting's height, spokes-
men said, paratroopers pressed to
within 25 miles of Amman, Jor-
dan's capital, before turning back.
Iraqi Troops
Iraqi troops stationed in Jordan
were reported to have joined the
fighting, Egypt's Middle East News
Agency reported from Baghdad.
It quoted an Iraqi Defense Min-
istry spokesman.
The Israeli command claimed
killing at least 150 of the 1,000 El
Fatah members it estimates are
active in Jordan and said heavy'
casualties were inflicted on King
Hussein's Arab Legion. A spokes-
man in Amman listed Jordanian
casualties as "very minor."
Jordan had warned att the
United Nations that a "major at-
tack" was coming this week, after
Israel threatened retaliation for
a series of terrorist raids that
have killed nine and injured 50
since Feb. 15. A mine that ex-
ploded under .a school bus Mon-
day, killing two and injuring 28
children enraged Israeli public
opinion and set the stage for the
attack.
Urge Withdrawal
Both Britain and the United
States urged Israel to withdraw
from the east bank but sources
in Tel Aviv said the retreat had
no relation to the appeals. He
described it as "a planned phase"
of the operation.
U Thant's Middle East media-
tor, Gunnar V. Jarring, arrived in
Jerusalem from his Cyprus base
and went immediately into talks
with Israel's foreign minister,
Abba Eban,
-CAR WASH-
Lambda Chi Alpha
SAT.-Noon-5 P.M.
Hill and Washtenaw
$1.00
I
i
I
MONDAY AND. TUESDAY ONLY!I
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
PROFESSIONAL THEATRE PROGRAM
I
PRESENTS
CINEMA BUILD.
Thursday and Friday
BOUDU SAVED
FROM DROWNING
Directed by Jean Renoir, 1931
First release in U.S.-1967
MICHEL SIMON as Boudu
"Boudu, bearded and long haired like a premature
Hell's Angel, is a dropout who refuses to be made
over into the bourgeois image."
(Pauline Koel, New Republic}
U
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INC.
BOOTS@ LEATHER
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215 S. State, 2nd Floor
EDWARD DAVID C.
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IN TIE H/T MUSICAL
7:00 & 9:05
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75c.
ARCH ITECTURE
AUDITORIUM
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L-887M I
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"Perhaps the most beautiful movie in history."-Bren-
dan Gill, The New Yorker. "Exquisite is the only word
that surges in my mind as an appropriate description of
this exceptional film. Its color is absolutely gorgeous.
The use of music and,
equally eloquent, of si-
lences and sounds is be-
yond verbal description.
The performers are per-
feet - that is the only
word." - Bosley Crowth-
er, New York Times.
"May well be the most
beautiful m o v i e ever
m ad e." - Newsweek.
"Speaks lyrically to the
20th.century andbe-I
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DIAL 5-6290
NOMINATED
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BEST
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-Based on material
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T-Richard Brooks-
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3rd Week
A HIT SCORE! including-
"WHO CAN I TURN TO?"
"THE JOKER"
"NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW"
Ih