In the capital of Saigon, the Viet Cong appeared to be withdrawing, though their forces still held strong points near the airbase and in the Chinese district of Cholon. Despite this, and despite President Johnson’s claim that the Viet Cong had failed to attain their objectives, a high-ranking Embassy official in Saigon said that the Communist forces still had the power to launch a second wave of attacks, especially in Saigon. “They have shown they are still capable of presenting a real military challenge,” he added. “They certainly gave dramatic evidence of this ability to terrorise and disrupt.” The enemy threw 36,000 troops into the offensive, and these included North Vietnamese regulars as well as Viet Cong guerrillas. About a third of these are reported to have been killed. “I don’t mean to imply that the Viet Cong are on the verge of collapse because of their losses But even though the challenge is considerable and the fighting will be severe and bitter.

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