UNVEILING THE TAPESTRIES OF THE VIETNAM WAR: PART 6

Reviving the Southern insurgency: North Vietnamese Strategic Moves

In March 1956 Lê Du?n, a southern communist leader, proposed a daring plan, "The Road to the South," to reignite insurgency. Remember Vietnam had just been divided into 2 with the South falling in West's plate while the North adopting communism. Despite initial rejection due to opposition from China and the Soviets, the North Vietnamese leadership cautiously greenlit measures to revive the southern insurgency by December 1956.

At the 11th Plenary Session of the Lao Dong Central Committee, a decisive move was made, aligning Communist forces under a unified command structure by 1958. By May of the same year, the North Vietnamese forces orchestrated a pivotal moment by seizing the transportation hub at Tchepone in Southern Laos, strategically positioned near the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam.

The narrative intensified in January 1959 when the North Vietnamese Communist Party sanctioned a "people's war" against the South. In tandem, Group 559 emerged, entrusted with the maintenance and enhancement of the Ho Chi Minh trail—a six-month perilous mountain route through Laos. This clandestine lifeline, crucial for logistical support, saw its first arms delivery completed in August 1959, marking a turning point in the conflict.

The stage for conflict widened as North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao forces launched an incursion into Laos in July, engaging in fierce battles with the Royal Lao Army along the border. Headquartered in Na Kai, Houaphan province, Group 559 operated close to the border, facilitating the movement of around 500 "regroupees" in 1954 and an influx of approximately 40,000 communist soldiers into the South from 1961 to 1963.

North Vietnam's strategic moves were fortified in April 1960 with the imposition of universal military conscription for adult males, cementing their resolve and commitment to the escalating conflict.

These calculated decisions, clandestine operations, and strategic initiatives reveal the intricate web of moves that laid the foundation for a protracted and pivotal phase in the Vietnam War.

America's headache

Amidst the fervor of the 1960 U.S. presidential election, Senator John F. Kennedy triumphed over Vice President Richard M. Nixon, stepping into a global landscape fraught with challenges. As Eisenhower cautioned Kennedy about the perils in Laos and Vietnam, the new president's focus swayed more toward Europe and Latin America, momentarily eclipsing Asia's prominence on his radar.

Kennedy's presidency swiftly encountered a series of seismic events. In April 1961, he greenlit the ill-fated Bay of Pigs Invasion, a misstep that ended in failure, marking an early setback in his tenure. Just two months later, at a tense summit in Vienna, clashes with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev unveiled stark disagreements on crucial U.S.–Soviet matters.

The world stood on the brink in October 1962 as the Cuban Missile Crisis unfurled across television screens globally, escalating the Cold War to its most precarious point. The U.S., in response, raised the readiness level of its Strategic Air Command (SAC) forces to DEFCON 2, signaling the gravity of the situation.

Despite inheriting the Cold War foreign policy from his predecessors, Kennedy grappled with multifaceted crises. With 50,000 troops stationed in South Korea, Kennedy confronted a series of challenges: from the Bay of Pigs debacle to the Berlin Wall's erection in August and the high-stakes Cuban Missile Crisis.

In the midst of these tumultuous events, Kennedy underscored the need to preserve U.S. credibility and staunchly prevent communist victories. His resolve to draw a figurative "line in the sand" led him to focus on Vietnam, acknowledging the pivotal role the country played in the global power play.

Kennedy's strategy regarding South Vietnam pivoted on supporting Di?m's forces in their fight against guerrillas, shunning the deployment of American combat troops. He astutely recognized the potential political and long-term military ramifications of a large-scale U.S. intervention while grappling with the shortcomings within the South Vietnamese military ranks.

As insurgent attacks escalated, compounded by Hanoi's support for the Viet Cong, the crisis underscored the South Vietnamese government's incompetence, encompassing poor leadership, corruption, and political favoritism within the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). An American intervention was inevitable.

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