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Last Cartridge. Hanoi and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Viet Nam have made an important strategic shift toward greater reliance on what documents captured by Saigon call "revolutionary violence" —meaning a steady campaign of accelerated attrition. The objective is to bring about the fall of Thieu through demoralizing defeats that will erode his support in the army and among non-Communist politicians and religious leaders.
Thieu is not about to give in—or give up. As he said recently, "We will fight to the last cartridge." For their part, the Communists steadfastly refuse to return to negotiations, which were broken off last June, as long as Thieu remains in power. Saigon's anti-Communist dissidents, who published last week's indictment, agree that Thieu is the main stumbling block to peace. "The people no longer have confidence in the current leadership because it is unable to solve the war problem," said Judge Tran Minh Tiet, a probable opposition candidate for President. "If Thieu runs for a third term [in the elections next October], the war will get bigger and the country will be in total darkness—without exit." Adds General Duong Van ("Big") Minh, leader of Saigon's 1963 coup: "If you want war, keep Thieu."
Unfortunately, Tiet and Minh may very well be right. For the foreseeable future, neither Saigon nor the Communists have the strength to overcome the other side by military means—whether or not the U.S. Congress provides the aid that Thieu wants. The resulting no-win, no-lose situation benefits nobody, but the only alternative is a political compromise that has eluded would-be peacemakers for decades.