Word: saigon
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...talks between the President's National Security Adviser and the North Vietnamese on the 58-page draft agreement would continue for at least three or four days and perhaps even more. Following the Paris sessions, either Kissinger or his deputy, General Alexander M. Haig, would go to Saigon to review the terms with South Viet Nam's President Nguyen Van Thieu, who is preparing for a cease-fire while continuing to maintain a public posture of bristling opposition to a settlement...
...round of secret talks figured to be difficult. Nevertheless, during the long hiatus in the negotiations, some of the issues that Kissinger will raise have somewhat diminished. When he returned to Washington last week after a two-day visit in Saigon, General Haig was able to report that Thieu had begun to yield-though reluctantly-on some of his objections to the nine-point plan...
Where Thieu has refused to budge, at least so far, is on the issue of the North Vietnamese troops in the South. The U.S. and Hanoi have already agreed in principle on a partial withdrawal. But Saigon continues to insist on a public assurance by Hanoi that it will withdraw all of its troops-reckoned at 100,000 to 145,000 by U.S. intelligence and at 300,000 by Thieu. The North Vietnamese are not going to agree to such a condition...
...terms of dramatic impact, the most striking thing that the Communists could do before a settlement is reached would be to launch an attack on Saigon. Guerrilla forces are already operating in small units within 15 miles of the capital, on Highway 1 to the northwest and Highway 13 to the north. Allied intelligence analysts doubt that the Communists are capable of making a major thrust on Saigon, though they concede that attacks by sappers and rocket crews could occur at any time...
More Muscle. To protect the capital, U.S. B-52s have been concentrating on a portion of Binh Duong province, which lies 25 to 50 miles north of Saigon. In addition, every night at least five C-130 gunships circle the city from 8:30 p.m. until dawn, dropping illumination flares and firing on anything that moves in certain areas along the capital's perimeter. On the ground the city is further protected by 33 watchtowers, heavy artillery and a national police force of 21,000 men. Says one U.S. analyst: "As in any big city, it is possible for small...