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Hanoi gloated that the abandonment of Khe Sanh was a "grave defeat for the United States." The move might be a bitter comment on war and on the way in which a bravely and passionately held position can become irrelevant. But, in fact, the evacuation of the base reflects recognition of changed realities—and a return to the flexibility that has always marked U.S. military tactics.
*The decision to give up Khe Sanh had been in the making for weeks, but an embargo on the news was finally broken last week by Baltimore Sun Correspondent John Carroll, who received an indefinite suspension of his Saigon accreditation for his pains.