nmmi KNIFI STATUS REPORT HO i- THE PRUNIN6 KNIFi 6R0UP N0 M U M B R 5 EIGHT AMD IS ESROUTl TO eiARX fROK HICKAM SINERAI ELfc 0 B ilHO HEADS THE PAC DELECATIOH AND I HAD VERY USEFUL DISCL'SSI HS ITH ABMIRAL MCCAIN THIS HORNING E HAVE 6ENERAL AGREEf KT OH METHOD OF OPERATION AT THIS POINT I THINK OUR APPROACH IS SOUl SD IT REHAINS TENTATIVE HOWEVER SUSJECT TO DEV LOPME JT OF SAICON INPUTSWE ANTICIPATE THAT THE PUA JNIHC CROUP WILL DEVELOP A SOUND MILITARY CONCEPT OF ACTION NEEDED TO ACHIEVE US OBJECTIVES IN SEA BY FORCE OF ARHS WE WILL THEN FIT VARIOUS ACTION INTO THIS CONCEPT IHCLUDINC AS HAHY OF THOSE OUTLINED IN REF AS PRACTICABLE OUR RATIONALE IS THIS A- SIGNALS TO HANOI HAVE NOT BEEN EFFECTIVE IN THE P A S T BECAUSE THEY WERE REC0CN12ED AS TRANSITORY ACTIONS THAT COULD BE ENDURED AND NOT AS INTEGRAL PARTS OF A CREDIBLE MILITARY CONCEPT W S I 5 N E D TO REALIZE US OBJECTIVES BY FORCE OF ARMS B SIGNALS WHICH CAN BE IDEKTIFIED AS PARTS OF A CtlBIBLE CONCEPT WILL HAVE A LOGIC HITHERTO LACKINCt AND u r N C I AN IHPROVED CHANCE FOR CONVINCING THE NVN THAT HE CANNOT PROFITABLY CONTINUE TO OPERATE AGAINST SVN- WHEN THE E iEKY EVALUATES TWE TOTAL SIGNAL HE RECEIVES HILITARILTi POLITICALLY AND DOMESTICALLYi AS ' INDICATIVE OF FIRM RESOLVE AN EFFECTIVE SIGNAL WILL HAVE REACHED HANOI THE PAUSES TO PERMIT REACTION TO SIGNALS SHOULB BE INTRODUCED IN A MANNER LEAST DAHASING TO SHOCK AND MOMENTWf OF EFFORT AS A PRACTICAL HATTER PAUSES WILL PROBABLY BE INDUCED 3 I ftHFOUt BY ilATHrR 3 WITH AN ACBIEB CONCEPT T -1 ' D Will THENi SIMULTANEOUSITr USING THE PRimiNG KNIFE a niiP A H D HACV '- T ' Af i'TK n EET ASSISTANCE DEVELOP PLANS IN A mf Jljn F A S H I O N T O FlSSi OUT THE CONCEPT PLANS ALREADY I H KI3'n' CE OP i ARTS THEREOF MILL BE A BASIS FOR THIS MODULAR PLANS DEVELOPED IS SUPPORT OP THE CONCEPT ILL BE REVIEWED COORDINATED AND l ALII ATED BY THE PRUb NC KNIFE CROUP AND FORWARDED TO YOU WITH HACV AND CINCPAC EEINC FURNISHED C M IES FOR COMMENT APPROVAL 5 WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS APPROACH MAY HOT BE ACCEPTABLE AT CERTAIN LEVELS BUT SUGGEST THAT A COMPLETELY SOUND AND AGREED MILITARY PROPOSAL SHOULD BE TATEB CLEARLY AND SUPPORTED AS THE BASIC JCS PROPOSAL WE WILL ALSO AS A SEPARATE EFFORT PREPARE A LIST OF SIGNALING ACTIONS MOPE CLOSELY FOLLOWING LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF REF THESE ACTIONS WILL BE CHOSEN ON THE BASIS OF FEASIBILITY AND DAMAGE TO THE ENEMY AND WILL OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE 6M MODULES DEVELOPED TO SUPPORT THE CONCEPT WILL REQUIRE CAREFUL TESTING FOR FEASIBILITY THE VALIDITY OF THE CONCEPT WILL NOT BE ESTABLISHED UNTIL THIS HAS BEEN D O N E WE ARE ACUTELY AWARE OF DIFFICULTIES IMPOSED BY WEATHER DURING THE N MONSOON THE UNKNOWN EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR ECH AGAIMST THE MODIFIED FAN SONG THE EFFECT OF THE LONG NVN STAHDDOWNf ON AIRCREW EXPERIENCE AND THE GENERAL HARDENING OF AAA AND AIRCRAFT HANGARIHC WE ALSO NOTE A NEED FOR COORDINATION OF THIS EFFORT WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE IHITIATIVElSf TKIRD COUNTRY REWTION ASSESSMENT WORLDWIBEj AND DOKESTIC REACTION THESE 1 X71- r m E NOT ADDRESS VERY RESPECTFULLY AND BEST R GARPr e CP-A UNftUOTE UNCLASSIFIED ISSUES W E OBVIOUSLY WILL                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu