Two Briefings

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30952, 7 January 1966, Page 9

Two Briefings

ZA'.Z. Press Assn—Copyright) SAIGON, Jan. 6. American military spokesmen last night announced they would no longer brief reporters on fighting by the 700,000 men of the Vietnamese Armed Forces and police, United Press International said. The Vietnamese Government said that from today onward Vietnamese military officers would brief reporters at 4 p.m. each day on the activities of their forces. American briefing officers will confine themselves to describing combat by Americans, Australians, New Zealanders and South Koreans in a briefing one hour later. A spokesman for the United States Embassy said the decision to issue two separate communiques on the war was taken on Tuesday.

“We have long urged the Vietnamese to undertake briefings on at least their aspects of the war,” the spokesman said. He said the Vietnamese had pleaded shortage of qualified staff as the reason for leaving most press relations to the Americans in the past. Because soldiers of the different armies are mixed all over Vietnam, the American spokesmen said reporters would have to check with both sets of briefing officers to get an all-round picture of a single battle.