Tsing-Boum [antikvár]

In January 1968, sharing the news with earthquakes, fires, avalanches, and missing submarines, the Vietnamese People's Army had encircled and was besieging a fortified camp of five thousand-odd American Marines. On Sunday the 28th, press reports were that the defence was being built up hurriedly to ten thousand men or more, that the fortress was being supplied by helicopter under great difficulty with considerable losses, and that a generál assault was believed to be imminent. The report concluded with the words: 'Dien Bien Phu is still a magic word in Vietnam.' General Giap was believed to be commanding in person. Back in 1953, press reports used to print the 'General' between inverted commas. American air superiority and firepower is, of course, so overwhelming that we are all quite confident in the American authorities who are quoted as saying, 'A new Dien Bien Phu is utterly impossible.' It is with no more than faint unease that we recall General Navarre's omniscience and omnipotence in January 1954. * Since all but the name is now as good as forgottén, a short aide-mémoire is of somé use. Dien Bien Phu is a wide shallow valley, possessing an airstrip, appearing to possess opportunity for manoeuvre, and supposed fifteen years ago to be of great strategic value. It is in the high plateau land of North-West Vietnam, near the Laos bordér. French troops occupied the valley. The Vietminh were allowed to invest all the surrounding hills. This had no importance, given the French power in artillery and aircraft. Indeed it was encouraged. The generál idea was to attract 7