Defeating Communist Insurgency. The Lessons of Malaya and Vietnam

182 Pages·1966·2.253 MB·English

by  Sir Robert Thompson

Communist
Insurgency
Sir Robert Thompson
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STUDIES IN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
I. Nato in the 1960s, by Alastair Buchan
II. The Control of the Arms Race, by Hedley Bull
III. Men in Uniform, by M. R. D. Foot
IV. World Order and New States, by Peter Calvocoressi
V. The Spread of Nuclear Weapons,
by Leonard Beaton and John Maddox
VI. Arms and Stability in Europe,
by Alastair Buchan and Philip Windsor
VII. Strategic Mobility, by Neville Brown
VIII. The Security of Southern Asia, by D. E. Kennedy
IX. China and the Peace of Asia, ed. Alastair Buchan

STUDIES IN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY: 10
DEFEATING
COMMUNIST
INSURGENCY
The Lessons of Malaya and Vietnam
Sir Robert Thompson
FREDERICK A. PRAEGER, Publishers
New York • Washington
Published in the United States of America in 1966
by Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., Publishers
111 Fourth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10003
Second printing, 1967
© Robert Thompson 1966
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-14507
Printed in the United States of America
BOSTON PUBLIC LliRARY.
This book is dedicated to those men and
women in Asia who, in every walk of life, have
accepted the call of leadership in the fight
against communism, and have given up their
lives in the strong faith and expectation that
others will have the courage to take their place.

CONTENTS
Prtfac# page 9
1. The Setting 13
2. Communist Subversion 21
3. Communist Insurgency 28
4. Basic Principles of Counter-Insurgency 50
5. The Government Cause 63
6. The Administrative Structure 70
7. Intelligence 84
8. Information Services 90
9. Balance of Forces 103
10. Basic Operational Concepts 111
11. Strategic Hamlets 121
12. The Isolation of the Guerilla 141
13. Jungle and Frontiers 150
14. The Advisory Role 156
15. Feet on the Ground 166
MAPS ,
South-East Asia page 12
Malaya 46
South Vietnam 128