0 - The Black Vault

V
THE BDM CORPORATION
a On aircraft replacement and transfer, the US interpreted the
Treaty to allow for the US replacement of GVN F-5A aircraft
(bVrrowed originally from the ROK, ROC, and Iran) with F-SE
aircraft if the F-5A crafts had already oeen returned to their
countries of origin,
considered "used up"
terms of the Treaty.
In these instances, 3 uch aircraft could he
and could therefore be replaced under the
0 W4hile the dismantling of all US and allied military bases in
South Vietnam was required by the Agreement, the US interpreted
this to mean those bases owned by the US. Hence, the US
transfered the titles for all its military bases in South Vietnam
to the GVN prior to the conclusion of the Treaty.
In addition, the US also interpreted the treaty 's allowing for a one-toone
replacement of equipment destroyed or no longer operable, as well as
for the supply of spare patts to the armed forces of South Vietnam. Hence,
the LIS government's interpretation of the Paris Peace Accords created a
number of avenues for the US to Gffer military assistance to the GVN subsequent
to the Treaty's conclusion.
These avenues were, however, gradually
constricted and eventually eliminated as the US Congress legislated
rectrictions on US
aid to anc military activities in Indochina in opposition
to the Nixon administration's (and,
later, Ford's) Vietpam-related
policies. This issue is discussed more fully in a following section.
3. US Aid Commitments to South Vietnam., "Uperation Enhance"/
"Enhance Plus"
In 1972, the US government initiated an intensive sjpply program
to upgrade the armed forces of South Vietnam. There were two, perhaps
equally important, reasons for this US undertaking. First, as the conclusion
of a peace agreement neared fruition, the US
military sought to
infuse South Vietnan with great quantities of equipment which could
ultimately be excharged on a one-to-one basis as provided for by the ceasefire,
Second, the effort was initiated as a got-d will gesture to underscore
the United States' reliability as an aily and, concurrently, to
promote Saigon's acceptance of the peace treaty. lO/
8-5