Vietnam bombing renewed

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32461, 23 November 1970, Page 15

Vietnam bombing renewed

(N.Z. Pr«M Asin.—Copyright? SAIGON, November 22.

American aircraft made a 28-hour bombing attack on North Vietnam at the week-end, in retaliation for North Vietnamese anti-aircraft attacks on United States reconnaissance flights. The announced aim of the raids was to suppress antiaircraft installations, the New York Times News Service said, but there were strong indications that their primary purpose was the destruction of Ivar stocks in the North. The United States Secretary of Defence (Mr Melvin Laird) confirmed that the raids were taking place a few hours after Radio Hanoi had first broadcast the news that “waves” of American planes were bombing the HaiphongHanoi area. However Mr Laird said that the attacks were taking place south of the 19th Parallel, well south of Hanoi. HIGH COMMAND SILENT The raids, the heaviest on North Vietnam in seven months, were denounced by Radio Hanoi as “a serious act of war." They ended at 11 a.m. (New Zealand time) today. Radio Hanoi said that five American aircraft and one helicopter were shot down.

The United States Command in Saigon has not yet ■ announced any losses, however, and has been reluctant to disclose any details of the actions. No mention of the attacks was made in the regular daily briefing of reporters this morning. A force of carrier-based

United States Navy' planes, apparently striking in a series of heavy attacks, ranged in waves over North Vietnam’s southern delta region during the raids. The bombing came as North Vietnam prepared to move a heavy backlog of war supplies to South Vietnam, Southern Laos and Cambodia, for use during the dry season, now imminent.

As during the last big "protective reaction” raids in North Vietnam in May. officials in the Pentagon acknowledged that the latest raid provided the opportunity for destroying some militarysupply “targets of opportunity” in the area of the retaliatory strikes. "Nobody will be very upset if our pilots knock out supply trucks they may spot while carrying out the ‘protective reaction' strike,” said one official. Mr Laird said in Washington that the raids were in retaliation for recent attacks on unarmed American reconnaissance missions over the North. He warned the North Vietnamese: “I want to state that we will continue to take protective reaction, as necessary, to protect the pilots of our unarmed reconnaissanceplanes.” He gave no indication of how. many raids had been made, but Radio Hanoi said that wave after wave of jets struck targets near the capital and the port of I Haiphong before dawn yesterday. The radio station said the 1 aircraft flew over four areas i —Haiphong, Quant Ninh, Na Tay and Hoa Binh; attacking i populated areas and hitting a ’ prisoner-of-war camp for > Americans. Some prisoners were inI jured, said the broadcast, Mr

Laird denied that any prison-er-of-war camp had been hit in the attacks. Radio Hanoi said that the jets returned later in the morning and attacked Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces. Many civilian buildings had been destroyed and casualties caused in the raids, it said. The Foreign Ministry in Hanoi issued a severe protest against the attacks, and demanded that the United States should end such “piratical acts.” A statement said that the attacks violated America’s pledge to stop completely the bombing of North Vietnam and posed a grave threat to the work of the Paris peaceconference. Repeating Its denial that there had ever been a tacit agreement with Washington to allow American reconnaissance flights over North Vietnam, the statement called the United States claim to be protecting American lives “the argument of gangsters.” SENATE REACTION In .the United States, it is thought that the raids were certain to sharpen domestic debate on the Nixon Administration’s Vietnam policies. Leading Democratic "doves” in the Senate were critical. Senator George McGovern, a foremost critic of the war, said that it was “sheer folly” to believe that anything could be accomplished by renewing the bombing of North Vietnam. The attacks were seen by observers in Washington as another example of the Administration’s determination to take a tough line With North Vietnam.

They felt also that the Administration would not have allowed the attacks before the recent United

States Congressional elec tions. It is now thought that the Viet Cong may retaliate bj rocket attacks on Saigon oi other large South Vietnamese cities.