0 - The Black Vault

f THE BDM CORPORATION
Vietnamese in the face of any major threat or violation of the cease-fire
which ultimately was signed. US response in May-October 1972, 1eginning
with the DRV's Easter offensive, showed that the newly modernized PAVN
forces could be hurt and that they had acquired an inventory of sophis-
Sticated arms that also made them more vulnerable than they had been, at
least to a modern force. General Abrams and Ambassador Bunker thought that
the RVNAF could successfully defend the RLpublic &s long as the US kept its
part of the bargain by providing air and naval support in the event the
RVNAF was threatened. 24/ (See Appendix A)
By 1972 the heavy drawdown of US forces had forced the RVNAF to
build up its own army. Despite substantial, valid criticism of the RVNAF,
the results were promising if one compares the building process with that
which occurred in Korea. 25/
After three years of fighting, 1950-1953, the
Korean Army was still considered to be poor, except for a few units which
had distinguished themselves during the war.. It required several years
after the war for the ROK forces to develop the training, espr-'t, and
II
combat capability that they "inally achieved. In a similar vein, the RVNAW
had the potential to develop in a Few years into a -ompetent military
force.. To do so, however, required time. To buy time, the US had to make
good on its commitments, which was not done. 26/
To the DRV, the US withdrawal provided the opportunity for overpowering
the RVN;A7 if they could do so when the US was unable to retaliate
and before the RVNAF gained sufficient strength to defend RVN successfully,
The unilateral US withdrawal made it possible for the DRV to consummate the
cease-fire negotiations with the expectation that they could soon defeat
the RVNAF, particularly once the US fell off its earlier negotiating position
requiring the withdrawal from Laos and Cambodia of the PAVN forces in
those areas,
"3.. Consequences of US Withdrawal on International Relations
US international relations were strained throughout most of the
war. This subject is presented throughout Volume III of this study, In
brief, the withdrawal had positive and negative effects in the sphere of
international relatois. Allies in Europe nad been concerned that the US
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