Conversations with Enemy Soldiers In Late 1968/Early 1969: A Study of Motivation and Morale

Abstract

The report presents a study of the views of prisoners of war undertaken as an aid to military and civilian decision makers now trying to assess what concessions can reasonably be expected from the enemy in the future course of the war. Based on post-Tet interviews of 22 enemy soldiers in 1968-69, the study attempts to determine what elements of cohesion in the VC/NVA forces make it possible for the enemy to retain effective control throughout many years of warfare. Allied military pounding and psychological warfare efforts have had little effect on enemy moral, even the 1968 Tet offensive. Most VC and NVA soldiers seem to expect an ultimate win, are not discouraged by U.S. weapon superiority, and appear determined to fight on indefinitely. In short, enemy morale is high, chances of rooting out the insurgency by force look slim, and areas of compromise by negotiation appear narrow.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1970
Accession Number
AD0714834

Entities

People

  • Konrad Kellen

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Aircrafts
  • Economic Systems
  • Education
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Military Operations
  • National Politics
  • Political Systems
  • Prisoners Of War
  • Psychological Warfare
  • Second World War
  • Sociopolitics
  • Students
  • Therapy
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Library and Information Science/ Studies, Southeast Asia Studies, Bibliography of Vietnam and Lao Studies.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.