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Dec 31, 2021

South Vietnam To Use New Techniques to Attack Reds

Dec. 31, 1961 - Aided by a build-up in U.S. military support, South Vietnam is preparing a strong counter-offensive against Communist guerrilla forces threatening President Diem’s pro-Western Government. Numerous techniques are being inaugurated to help turn the tide of battle against the Viet Cong, as the Communist guerrillas are called. One of these techniques is “defoliation” from the air (pictured), a chemical means of stripping leaves from the foliage that hides Viet Con

Dec 30, 2021

G.I. Kidnapped in Vietnam is Still Alive

Dec. 30, 1961 - A United States Army specialist kidnapped by Communist guerrillas on Christmas Day is alive, reliable sources said today. The sources said that the guerrillas had displayed the 26-year-old soldier before gatherings of peasants as an “American imperialist trying to conquer South Vietnam.” The soldier, a teacher of English evening classes, was riding a bicycle toward a village north of Saigon to visit one of his students when he was kidnapped. Since the incident

Dec 29, 2021

U.S. Military Personnel Told to Stay Within Saigon City Limits

Dec. 29, 1961 - American military personnel in South Vietnam were instructed today to stay within the Saigon (pictured) city limits. Military officials also urged the soldiers to travel with companions whenever possible. The action followed official confirmation by the military advisory group that a 26-year-old American army specialist was missing. He was last seen on the streets of Saigon Christmas morning. The young soldier taught several evening classes in English and had

Dec 28, 2021

U.S. Army Sergeant Believed Kidnapped by Viet Cong

Dec. 28, 1961 - A United States Army sergeant is believed to have been kidnapped by the Viet Cong (pictured), as the Communist guerrillas in Vietnam are known. The soldier disappeared on Christmas while on a holiday trip near Saigon. Since then, helicopter and ground search parties have been constantly looking for him. The latest Communist propaganda in Saigon now blares: “Kill all Americans!” and “Throw the American imperialists out of South Vietnam!” The reported kidnapping

Dec 25, 2021

U.S. Army Helicopter Crashes Near Saigon

Dec. 25, 1961 - Two South Vietnamese paratroopers were killed and three Americans injured Saturday when a U.S. Army helicopter crashed near Communist guerrilla territory west of Saigon. The helicopter was carrying the South Vietnamese paratroopers on a combat mission. Communist rebels fired a mortar and rifles at the fallen helicopter, hitting its body. The American crewmen burned the aircraft to keep it out of rebel hands. The helicopter was one of 36 that arrived in Saigon

Dec 19, 2021

U.S. Military Takes Part in Tactical Operations in Vietnam

Dec. 19, 1961 - U.S. military men in South Vietnam were understood today to be operating in battle areas with South Vietnamese forces that are fighting Communist guerrillas. Although the Americans are not engaged in actual combat operations, they are authorized to shoot back if fired upon. About 2,000 Americans in uniform are now in South Vietnam. These soldiers, under new arrangements with the Government there, are taking part in tactical operations in battle areas. The oper

Dec 14, 2021

President Promises More Aid to South Vietnam

Dec. 14, 1961 - President Kennedy has promised more military assistance to South Vietnam in its fight against the Communists. Mr. Kennedy’s pledge was in the form of a letter to South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in response to a written appeal from the latter. President Diem had written, “if we lose this war, our people will be swallowed by the Communist bloc.” President Kennedy in his reply remarked that U.S. efforts to aid South Vietnam’s defense would no longer be n

Dec 11, 2021

U.S. Army Helicopters Arrive in South Vietnam

Dec. 11, 1961 - Two U.S. Army helicopter companies arrived in Saigon today. The helicopters, to be flown and serviced by U.S. troops, are the first direct military support by the U.S. for South Vietnam’s war against Communist guerrilla forces. At least 33 H-21C twin-rotor helicopters and their pilots and ground crews, an estimated total of 400 men, arrived aboard the Military Sea Transportation Service aircraft ferry Core. In the anti-guerrilla operations in the mountains, he

Dec 8, 2021

U.S. Urges Non-Communist Nations to Back South Vietnam

Dec. 8, 1961 - The U.S. called on non-Communist nations today to rally to the defense of South Vietnam. Warning that the Southeast Asian nation was in “clear and present danger of Communist conquest,” the Administration solicited political backing for its decision to step up aid to the Government of President Ngo Dinh Diem. The appeal for wider support was voiced by Secretary of State Dean Rusk (left) and supported with the publication of a special State Department booklet. T

Dec 7, 2021

Communist China Supporting North Vietnam

Dec. 7, 1961 - Communist China announced in a broadcast today that it would send a military delegation to Communist North Vietnam “in the near future.” The move followed a Beijing statement that termed the situation in Vietnam “extremely serious” and warned against the United States-backed build-up of South Vietnamese defense forces. #vietnam #vietnamese #vietnamflashback #vietnamwar #vietnamflashbacks #VietnamVet #VietnamVeteran #history #HistoryNerd #historyinpictures #hist

Dec 5, 2021

U.S. Sends Dogs of War to Vietnam

Dec. 5, 1961 - War dogs from the U.S. Army are being brought to South Vietnam to hunt Communist guerrillas in underground jungle hideaways. The canine auxiliary to the South Vietnamese ground forces demonstrated its value in a trial operation last week. South Vietnamese Government officials who witnessed the demonstration said the dogs, a pair of German shepherds, had flushed eight guerrillas from underground sanctuaries near Hoc Mon, about 30 miles southwest of Saigon. All w

Nov 16, 2021

President Kennedy's Plan for Vietnam

Nov. 16, 1961 - President Kennedy has decided on the measures that the U.S. is prepared to take to strengthen South Vietnam against attack by Communists. The measures closely follow the recommendations made by Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor (left), the President’s military advisor. The United States’ plans do not include the dispatching of combat units at this time. They call for sending several hundred specialists in guerrilla warfare, logistics, communications, engineering, and int

Nov 12, 2021

Air Force Flies Reconnaissance Missions over South Vietnam

Nov. 12, 1961 - Reliable informants said today that U.S. Air Force jets were flying reconnaissance missions over South Vietnam to pinpoint buildups and movements of Communist rebel forces and their secret bases. Highly detailed aerial photographs taken by the U.S. jets are being used to guide South Vietnamese fighter-bombers in strikes against well-guarded and almost inaccessible installations of the Viet Cong. South Vietnamese press reports in the last few weeks have told of

Nov 11, 2021

Viet Cong Have Bases in Cambodia

Nov. 11, 1961 - Military intelligence sources in South Vietnam estimate that 6,000 Communist troops occupy a number of bases in Cambodia. They said most of these bases were near the border of South Vietnam. The Saigon Government asserts that Communist guerrilla forces (pictured) are using several bases in Cambodia as command headquarters for recently intensified operations against South Vietnam. U.S. military advisors in South Vietnam are convinced that the guerrillas utilize

Nov 9, 2021

Air Force Strengthens South Vietnam's Defenses against Reds

Nov. 9, 1961 - The U.S. Air Force has begun a huge supply and training program in Saigon to strengthen South Vietnam’s defenses against intensified Communist guerrilla operations. The operation involves a movement of masses of U.S. eqiupment, planes, and personnel. It does not include the use of U.S. ground combat units. Whether the role of U.S. airmen in South Vietnam might be broadened to include tactical missions was not disclosed. Bombers, fighter planes, and helicopters

Nov 6, 2021

Viet Cong Terrorize Malaria-Control Teams

Nov. 6, 1961 - The Government’s malaria-control teams have taken heavy losses in South Vietnam’s protracted jungle war with Communist insurgents (pictured). This year alone, 22 Vietnamese anti-malaria workers have been killed, and 60 others who have not returned from their humanitarian missions to isolated villages are listed as missing. The anti-malaria teams are armed only with spray cans against the guns, knives, and grenades of the Viet Cong guerrillas. Members of the tea

Nov 4, 2021

U.S. Pushing Reforms in South Vietnam as Conditional to Aid

Nov. 4, 1961 - Officials sources indicated today that the U.S. would press South Vietnam to undertake major economic, social, and military reforms to provide a basis for increased U.S. support. The tendency in Washington is to rule out the use of U.S. combat forces for South Vietnam as a means of suppressing Communist attacks upon the regime in Saigon. At the same time, it appears that Army engineers — perhaps in large numbers — may be sent to help in flood-control work and o

Nov 3, 2021

TV: Guerrilla-Warfare Techniques Highlighted on CBS

Nov. 3, 1961 - A two-part study of guerrilla warfare techniques will be shown on “The Twentieth Century” on CBS-TV Sunday, Nov. 12 and 19. The telecast will report on the U.S. Army Special Forces, trained for unconventional military actions. The first half-hour telecast will show troops receiving instruction at Fort Bragg, N.C., and on Okinawa. The second will illustrate how Communist guerrillas are attempting to subvert South Vietnam with a relatively small force of men. It

Nov 3, 2021

Kennedy Opposed to Ground Troops in Vietnam

Nov. 3, 1961 - President Kennedy remains strongly opposed to the dispatch of American combat troops to South Vietnam, it was reported in Washington today after General Maxwell D. Taylor (left) submitted a report on his mission to that country. Gen. Taylor said that President Ngo Dinh Diem had the “assets” available “to prevail against the Communist threat.” However, General Taylor will probably recommend the dispatch of more Army specialists in anti-guerrilla warfare to train

Nov 1, 2021

Government on the Offensive in South Vietnam

Nov. 1, 1961 - More than 500 Vietnamese Communist guerrillas are reported to have been killed in clashes with Government forces in recent days. It appears that the Government forces have become more active in seeking out the elusive foe and destroying his bases. Formerly it was nearly always the Viet Cong guerrillas who ambushed Goverment troops, but now it is often the reverse. On the other hand, the number of Communists involved in recent operations is believed to foreshado