war Moves Closer To Saigon

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30936, 17 December 1965, Page 17

war Moves Closer To Saigon

(N.Z. Preu Allocation—Copyright) SAIGON, December 16. The Vietnam war moved closer to Saigon toefay k a new terrorist bomb attack was made in the city fentre. Viet Cong raiders were reported on the outicirts of the capital and buildings were rocked by a L’nited States air strike east of the capital.

I A United States officer and three I servicemen were slightly wounded when I the bomb was thrown at a group of I American troops outside a military compound in central Saigon.

I The commander of the unit, Colonel Richard Adams, said: ■lt could very well, and prob■bly will, happen again. AU Ire can do is be on our guard. If someone tosses one over pie fence, we will have had A small group of Viet Cong 'aiders clashed with police >atrols five miles from the ■entral post office yesterday, tilling two police officers and founding three others. The police said that the raiders left behind more than 2500 anti-American and antiGovernment leaflets, together with five huge banners and 30 flags of the National Liberation Front, the political arm of the Viet Cong. Two of the raiding party were killed. GENERAL STRIKE The material they brought was believed for use in a general strike the Viet Cong are trying to promote next Sunday.

The bombing raid by United States Stratofortresses was carried out early today against suspected Viet Cong concentrations in Phuc Tuy province, 35 miles east of the capital. In Washington, the Defence Secretary, Mr McNamara, said today that American planes would continue to make air raids similar to the one against the power station near Haiphong in North Vietnam. Mr McNamara said that the bombing of the power plant was “representative of the type of attack we have carried out and will continue to carry out.” AIM OF RAIDS His statement was in reply to a question as to whether yesterday’s raid was a result of the “hard steps” which President Johnson recently indicated might be taken in Vietnam. The Defence Secretary reiterated that the primary ob-

jective of the air raids against North Vietnam was to destroy military supplies which flow to the Viet Cong in South Vietnam.