source of sugar, rum andfsíq mow lasses for all of republic of vietnam, it was located in the mekong deltakilometers east of the cambodian border. one primary mission of the first battalion was to provide security for the mill, as well as to stop the vietcong from forcibly collecting taxes from farmers who brought in sugar cane. captain johnston made it a point not to rush matters in establishing himself with the vietnamese and captain khan. with them here is sergeant dock, a school teacher drafted into the army, and now johnston's interpreter. the american captainòi learned that the mill employed 2,000 workers, and was in an area largely controlled by the vietcong. he and khan estimated that 30% of the employees were guerillas who operated on night patrols disrupting supply lines. feeling his way carefully, one of captain johnston's first recommendations was to improve artillery emplacements, there be increasing flexibility and fire at the sugar mill. he also suggestedfua%pá living n shelters improvised from ponchos was neither helping morale nor contributing to supply economy and khan ag

operating are fighting a completely different war than those commanders that are fighting in the mekong delta. for those army units fighting in the central highlands away from is aopulation center, it completely different war than those army units fighting south of saigon in the populated region of the make on delta, where there are very few conventional north vietnamese forces but there is a whole host of the enemies in the national liberation insurgents. he can't just lay down a guided strategy for one-size-fits-all. i think that is the problem. i think your point is worthwhile. he is never able to successfully articulate this mosaic war to not only his commanders but also to the domestic homefront as well. about military operations with no political goals, i would just ask you to think about the possibility that there is a political goal. there certainly is a political goal. our are wrote about how they have a deep discussion about whether american military forces could achieve that. was a dialogue between civilian and military leaders, and that the dialogue has to be brutally honest not o