The big question in South Viet Nam was: "Whatever happened to the war?" Communist terror against civilians continued. But in military operations, it was the sixth consecutive week of only scattered and brief engagements, which the Viet Cong broke off with surprising readiness. One explanation: the guerrilla commanders, concerned by threats of stepped-up U.S. intervention, had ordered a temporary slowdown. Besides, it was the rice-planting season in the Mekong Delta, and many a part-time guerrilla was needed at home.
In Saigon, Premier General Nguyen Khanh addressed 70 leaders of South Viet Nam's multitudinous, microscopic political parties (31 at last count),...