0 - The Black Vault

THl BDM CORPORATION
For the new strategy to wcrk, it was necessary to
punish and weaken the North Vietnamese as much as possible during the
interval,
Therefore the following actions were pursued:
a a dry-season offensive was conducted in Laos in 1971 (by RVNAF
forces with US air support)
0 improved support "o Lon Nol's forces in Cambodia and continue
bombings
a increased deliveries of equipment in suppcrt of Vietnamization
The RVNAF was only partially successful with their 1971 offensive into
Laos; however they acquitted themselves later (when supported by US airpower)
during the DRV's 1972 Easter Offensive,
After Laos, the NSC staff began to assess the balance
of forces in the conflict arena,
They assessed the iipact of the earlier
operations in Cambodia and Laos on the DRV capacity to launch an offensive
in the 1972 dry-season, Because of setbacks, ths consensus opinion was
that the DRV would probably have to wait until the iatter half of the 1972
dry-season for staging their attack. The NSC estimate missed by only three
weeks -- the US showed a much improved capabilitv to assess the balance of
forces in the conflict. 126/
At that juncture, Mr,
Kissinger had developed a sevenpoint
plan which sought to bring tne US's negotiating proposals into line
with its actions The plan included-,
0 an offer to set a date for total withdrawal (with no demand for
muzual withdrawals)
* a proviso that the political future of South Vietnam be left up
to the South Vietnamese people
* that the DRV would stop its infiltration o• RVN and neighboring
countries
* a prohibition against reinforcement
e an internationally-monitored cease-fire in-place throughout
Indochina
0 guarantees for the independence, neutrality and integriLy of Laos
and Cambodia.
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