Edgy Truce

The hoped-for words went out to the troops from the staff headquarters of General William Westmoreland, commander of all U.S. forces in South Viet Nam. The order read: "In keeping with the spirit of Christmas and consistent with like instructions that have been issued by the Chief of Staff, Vietnamese Armed Forces, Lieut. General Cao Van Vien, General Westmoreland has directed that U.S. forces in Viet Nam will not fire at or on the enemy except in self-defense during the hours of 1800, 24 December, and 2400, 25 December."

And so, as dusk settled over the embattled country on Christmas Eve, there was hope there would be a temporary truce for the first time in eight years.

Not since the first winter of World War I, when Britons and Germans laid down their arms to play soccer together, had a war been stopped for Christmas. It was at best an edgy respite whose mood at the start was reflected in a news photo of two G.I.s relaxing in the jungle, their weapons at the ready. But as it turned out there were repeated Viet Cong actions and it was quickly dubbed the "bullet-riddled truce." One Marine patrol near Chu Lai suffered heavy casualties.

Lull on the Ground. The idea of a holiday from death was first proposed on Dec. 7 by the Viet Cong, which does not celebrate the birth of Christ. Since it was plainly intended as a propaganda ploy, the Communist offer of a twelve-hour cease-fire was at first ignored in Washington and Saigon. Finally, though still skeptical that the Communists would honor their commitment, the U.S. last week raised the ante and proposed a 30-hour truce.

As if in anticipation of the lull, fighting on the ground was light all week. But over North Viet Nam U.S. bombers dumped more tons of bombs on Communist installations. In a series of pre-truce raids near the Haiphong industrial area, eight U.S. planes were shot down by Red anti-aircraft fire and SAM missiles. American pilots knocked out key bridges and destroyed the important Uong Bi power plant, which had first been raided the previous week. All action stopped when the truce began.

Message of Peace. Throughout the world, hopes rose that the guns would somehow stay silent for good. In his

Christmas message, Pope Paul VI exhorted: "Brothers, heed the message of peace which Christmas brings to men who even now are the object of God's love. Check the way things are going. It is possible that you are on the wrong track. Stop and think. True wisdom is to be found in peace, and true peace is to be found in the alliance of love."

President Johnson steadfastly refused to discuss the ceasefire, insisting that any comment should come from U.S. military men in Saigon. There was no letup in the Communists' verbal war. Peking continued to denounce the U.S. for defending South Viet Nam and heaped scorn on the President's repeated offers of unconditional negotiations. "They will be buried in the sea of a people's war," ranted Hsinhua, Red China's official press agency. "Neither 'unconditional discussions' nor 'suspension of bombing' can deceive the South Vietnamese or other people."

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