Jan. 20, 1963 - Communist guerrillas trying to subvert South Vietnam admit to having underestimated the depth of U.S. intentions, according to an important captured document, and consequently have had to move back their timetable for victory. They now see the U.S. as their No. 1 enemy in Vietnam. Yet they also see an increased American role there, inevitably driving more and more Vietnamese to their side. The Viet Cong see themselves as military inferior to Government forces but assert they have “absolute political superiority” against the anti-Communist Government of South Vietnam. Authoritative sources in Vietnam have testified to the authenticity of the document, which was captured in October and is basically a review of the year following the massive U.S. military buildup in Vietnam. It appears to have been written by a senior Vietnamese Communist who is familiar with the Communists’ successful war against the French. It is by no means a pessimistic document, yet it emphasizes repeatedly that guerrillas must be prepared for a long and difficult war in which they “cannot defeat the enemy immediately but will have to corner them, repulse them step by step, confirm our advantages step by step in order to advance again and again.” “In judging the enemy, we should not consider Diem as more important or equal to U.S. imperialists, but we should realize that the major part is played by U.S. invaders, and we should direct our weapons against them,” the document says.
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