European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 27, 1967, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 2 the stars and stripes wednesday september 27, 1967 rebuts statement by Kosygin . Denies Hanoi is willing to talk peace from a and up dispatches Washington the state department monday denied so Viet Premier Alexei Kosygin s assertion that Hanoi and the Vietcong recently have shown in creased willingness to reach peaceful settlement of the asian War. Press officer Robert said we see no significant shift in recent statements by North vietnamese Premier Pham Van do Gand the so called National libera Tion front nil the politic alarm of the Viet Cong. Kosygin in a statement published sunday said a recent speech by Pham Van Dong an the 14-Point political program adopted by the nil last Mont showed that perspectives for a peaceful settlement of the vietnamese question have been he made it Clear that the Kremlin Felt that the United states should take advantage of them. The . Spokesman respond ing to a request for comment on Kosygin s remarks said .officialswho have combed the texts of the two statements i question found that they offered no appreciable change i previously expressed positions. Meanwhile North Vietnam tuesday rejected the latest . Offer to negotiate an end to the War and termed the proposal nothing but it trick an Ameri can style the proposal wag made earlier this week by Arthur Goldberg . Ambassador to the unite nations. He had asked that Hanoi s Al lies pursue attempts to show that the North vietnamese would be willing to talk peace. The Ambas Sador held out the possibility that if such willingness was shown the United states might halt it bombing raids. The reply came in the official Hanoi newspaper nhan Dan in a scathing commentary on Gold Berg s speech. It said the Viet namese people have nothing nhan Dan s commentary charged that the . Speech was a new american style trick aimed at covering up the .Ajgrassive policy in Vietnam and Hood winking world 1,000 shells hit Marine fort in Day Saigon a the Thunder of Vietnam s heaviest sustained air and artillery Duel ringed the scarred Marine fortress of con Thien tuesday with two Marine skilled and 202 wounded in the latest reported communist bar rages. More than 1,000 enemy shells fell upon con Thien monday and Marine gunners were hurling Back More than 10 rounds for each one fired at red shelling of the Marine combat base just South of North Vietnam s Frontier went into its third there were scattered skirmishes up and Down Viet Nam the main focus of action was the grim Battle of attrition at con Thien the sandbagged fortress atop a rolling Hill of Redclay commanding the coastal urge protests Saigon up Militan buddhists tuesday called for nationwide demonstrations on thursday against president elect Nguyen Van Thieu. Nguyen Casky the prime minister warned he would crush them if they go tout of hand. Thich Tri Quang Leader of the militant buddhists has aligned himself with dissident student Sand disappointed civilian presidential candidates who Are de manding that Thieu s election be declared the Call for nationwide demonstrations limited the pro test to Thieu s recent decree which recognizes a moderate fac Tion of the Church As the Only True Buddhist representatives i South Vietnam a decree which has angered Tri Quang and his followers. Meanwhile there were re ports that the special election committee of the provisional As Sembly responsible for checking Tho results of the election May recommend that the balloting be Huu Chung a spokes Man for the committee said twas his feeling that the majority of the 17 committee member favored throwing the election Oul on the basis of Plain below the demilitarized one. The latest Marine casualty Rex its increased the total since he Battle began to 63 dead anymore than 1,000 wounded the equivalent of almost a full Marine battalion. Enemy gunners Many fro above the demilitarized zone that divides Vietnam also raked other . Installations in the Battle area including a Navy patrol boat base at Cua Viet. When the shelling started the Leet of Swift boats sped out to sea and called upon the nearby destroyer Morton to open up on the communist Shore North the destroyer Mansfield was hit by enemy Shore guns and one Sailor was killed and two More Mansfield was shelling coastal barges near Dong hoi when enemy batteries opened up. One Shell ripped into the base of its Forward stack ripping a Hole and shrapnel flew through the fire room and passageways just below the stack. The mans Field shifted its fire to the Shore guns and silenced weather Over North Viet Nam limited pilots to 124 mis Sions mostly in the Panhandle area stretching North from the demilitarized zone. A "
