Tuesday, 18 January 1966 
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1:00 AM .-,, ' ­
DECLA,SS!FJFD 
E. 0. 12356. Ste. 3. 1 
M£1Vl.ORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT 
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f3y_~ i':ARA. O:ltc ~°Y-1'2-ff
South Vietnam 
Communist; guerrilla activity has intensified over wide areas of the country 441'! the ev-c of the Tet cease-fire. A series of incidents near Saigon during th~ }'as.f..two d::i.ys has resulted in heavy civilian casualties. 
Tl1-:.: Soi.?.H11 v ·ictna.mese Army Special Forces camp at Minh Thanh received 
rr10:..·'.:a::.: and small arms fire early yesterday, and an outpost north of the 
canl.? was probed. Elements of the Viet Cong attacking units, estima. ted to 
be fiv.:: companies, were also reported on the nearby airstrip. Air strikes 
we~e cc..11..:; d for, and a reaction force was dispatched to the area. So far, 
l.4 1!.e~enders have been killed and 27 wounded. 
1'·t.vo Sol:th Vietnamese were killed and 21 wounded when a command post in Qvcr\'j N~a.i city received 20 to 25 rounds of mortar fire and light :)•01.Jh~ ?robing attack last night. Nine rounds of the mortar fire landed in ~n orphanage compound during the attack killing 3 adult civilians and WOl.l.ndinlj 5 children. A nearby ob~ervation post manned by a Regional Force c..Dmpun}' of about 100 pe'rsonnel was overrun. Casualties for this action h~VoC' not yet been determined. 
JI'\ 1hua Thien Province~ northern South Vietnam, a special forces patrol b~sc h--ienned by 53 South Vietnamese and 2 US Special Forces, was attacked .fa, ,... i:e.n hours yesterday. Thirty air sorties were flown in support of the c....a~p. Four South Vietnar.nese were killed and 6 wounded. Viet Cong c...~sual:ies are not known. In the same province.11 Viet Cong were killed :in~ one-ci.ay combined US/South Vietnamese search and destroy operation. 
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An ~utpost" 50 rT.t-iles west of Saigon wo,s overrun early yesterday. Seven 
h.curs late< & South Vietnarr~ese reaction force had reached the camp and 
re:pocted 13 Vietnamese killed, 8 wounded and 7 missing. They also 
re pocted thdt 9 civilians had been killed and 5 wounded. A large number of 
Selll.th Vie~namcse youths were captured by the Viet Cong. 
"fwe.niy one operations of battalion size or larger are in progress at the 
pre~e..nt hme. US forces are participating in seven of these operations. 
A c.omhined operation involving 2 US Marine and 4 South Vietnamese b ill.Lons~ which began on January 9 south of Danang, was terminated ye~ie!!:day. Viet Cong casualties were 34 killed, 29 captured and 221 si.is.pe.cts detained. US casualties were 4 killed and 51 wounded. 
Three ba.ttalior..s of the US 1st Infantry Division continue Operation Buckskin 
2.D miles northwest of Saigon. Casualties to date are 13 US killed and 95 wc1,...,"lded, 2 South Vietnamese killed, ll wounded and l missing, and 48 
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Vi<t·.J; Cong killed and 3 captured. 
Fvur survivors of the 8-52/KC-!35 collision over Spain yesterday have been rf cov~r~d and are reported to be in good condition. The bodies of the rt..rn~ining 7 crew members of the 2 planes have been reported recovered. lhe nose and t~il section of the 8-52 have been identified as .part of the wn~ck.~~e.. on. land. The fuselage section has not been located. One of the 4 thern-:ionuclea.l' weapons has been found intact near the crash scene and 
1.s und~r .<}uar d. The remaining 3 are still mis sing. A disaster contr9l b:~ i.s on the site. Three Hundred Air Force personnel are proceeding to the. S-cene -to assist in search operations. 
White House Situation Room 
/' fi /\,Ill) (. / J.) . 
c,f.;t:(,..,,,. Ill l<ll-Briefing Officer ~ 
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PRESERVATI.:. 1COP't