SOUTH VIET NAM PLEASE SEND ORDERS IN THE TWO MONTHS SINCE THE 
OVERTHROW OF PRESIDENT NGO DINH DIEM, THE NEWS OUT OF SOUTH 
VIET NAM HAS BEEN MOSTLY BAD . THE COMMUNIST VIET CONG 
HAVE SCORED ALARMING GAINS IN VITAL LONG AN PROVINCE SOUTH OF 
SAIGON, WHICH FEEDS THE CAPITAL . FOR ALL THE FANFARE WITH 
WHICH THEY WERE WELCOMED BY DIEM'S CRITICS, THE GENERALS WHO SUCCEEDED 
THE SLAIN PRESIDENT HAVE DEMONSTRATED AN UNSETTLING LACK OF POLITICAL LEADERSHIP; 
RECENTLY, THE CIVILIAN CHIEFS OF NINE NORTHERN PROVINCES RELAYED A PLEA 
TO JUNTA CHAIRMAN MAJOR GENERAL DUONG VAN ("BIG") MINH: "PLEASE SEND 
US ORDERS ." LAST WEEK U.S . DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT S 
. MCNAMARA FLEW FROM THE NATO MEETING IN PARIS TO SAIGON, 
FOR HIS SECOND VIET NAM INSPECTION VISIT IN THREE MONTHS . 
JOINED BY U.S . CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY CHIEF JOHN A . 
MCCONE, MCNAMARA PLUNGED INTO BRIEFINGS AT THE U.S . MILITARY MISSION 
. THEN HE SPENT AN AFTERNOON CONFERRING WITH BIG MINH AND 
THE OTHER JUNTA CHIEFS . UNDER DISCUSSION WERE PLANS FOR A 
MAJOR NEW OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE VIET CONG . BEFORE BOARDING HIS 
PLANE FOR HOME, MCNAMARA TURNED TO VIETNAMESE DEFENSE MINISTER MAJOR GENERAL 
TRAN VAN DON WITH SOME STERN WORDS OF ADVICE . "NOW," 
SAID MCNAMARA, "LET'S BE REAL TOUGH ." 