(5 of 5)
Even if Saigon regroups its defenses and forms a tight perimeter around the capital, holding off the attackers until the summer rainy season slows the fighting, the Communists are likely to be on the capital's doorstep when the dry season arrives; they already have seven divisions and at least 200 tanks in the area. Without some political solution — meaning a coalition with the Communists — Hanoi and the Viet Cong will press for the military victory that they have been seeking for ten years. Saigon can probably hold out for quite a while, at great cost to any attacker. Eventually, however, it is hard to imagine South Viet Nam decisively reversing the defeats suffered in the past three nightmarish weeks.