By Terence Smith Special to The New York Times
March 26, 1970
SAIGON, South Vietnam, March 25—South Vietnamese Air Force planes have struck inside Cambodia at least twice in the last week, in support of Cambodian Army operations against the Vietcong, reliable sources said today.
On Friday, March 20, and again on Monday of this week, South Vietnamese A1‐E fighter bombers attacked positions be lieved to have been occupied by the enemy a few miles inside Cambodia across from Anphu district in Chaudoc Province.
[In Pnompenh, Prince Siso wath Sirik Matak, the First Deputy Premier, disclosed that the Cambodian Govern ment had received notifica tion from North Vietnam and the Vietcong that they were recalling their diplomats from Cambodia. Page 17.]
Both South Vietnamese strikes had been requested by the Cambodian area command ers in meetings with the Anphu district chief, Lieut. Col. Truong Dinh Chat. The meetings were held in a mud‐walled outpost on the Cambodian side of the border.
In addition, South Viet namese artillery batteries have provided close combat support for Cambodian units on at least four occasions since March 16, the sources said.
More than 100 rounds have been fired in Cambodia by the 155‐mm howitzers based in the Anphu district capital during that time.
The air strikes represent the most dramatic example of cross‐border cooperation be tween South Vietnamese and Cambodian troops since the overthrow last week of Prince Norodom Sihanouk as the Cam bodian Chief of State.
During the last 10 days, Cam bodian troops have conducted a battalion‐size sweep opera tiùn on their side of the border in an apparent effort to drive the North Vietnamese and Viet cong units across the South Vietnamese border.
Communist troops have long used the eastern provinces of Cambodia as sanctuaries and supply bases for their opera tions in South Vietnam. The new Government in Pnompenh is seeking the evacuation of the North Vietnamese and Vietcong from Cambodian territory.
According to reliable sources, United States involvement the cross‐border cooperation against the Vietcong has been limited to the use of spotter aircraft. No American troops have been involved in the oper ations, nor has American artil lery been used, it was said.
French ‐ speaking advisers, however, have participated in several of the meetings be tween Cambodian and South Vietnamese officials on the Cambodian side of the border, the informants said.
In the meetings, the Cam bodians are reported to have proposed that Cambodian and South Vietnamese troops coop erate in a large‐scale sweep of the known Vietcong base areas just across the border. The Cambodian commanders are said to have suggested that the South Vietnamese troops operate as a blocking force to trap the Vietcong as they escape across the border. At no time have they asked the South Vietnamese troops to operate on the Cambodian side of the bor deer.
They have, however, recommended that the areas in Cambodia be “softened up” by advance air strikes.
The sources said that the Cambodians had proposed that napalm be used as well as teams of helicopter gunships.
It is not known whether the South Vietnamese command has agreed to participate in such large‐scale joint operations or to provide anything beyond air strikes and artillery.
A spokesman for the South Vietnamese Army said today that the local commanders had already been authorized to pro vide artillery support and ex change intelligence information with the Cambodians but so far not to commit troops.
Such a decision would presumably have to be made by th the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff.
In general, the South Vietnamese are anxious to exploit the current differences between the Cambodians and the Vietcong and to do everything possible to assist the Cambodians in their military operations.
The Americans here are reluc tant to become involved in any thing that might involve a widening of the war or compromise the professed neutrality of the new Government in Pnompanh.
As a result, the United States command is probably advising against extensive South Vietnamese military activity across the border.
Air strikes called in during the last week are not the first by allied planes. On several previous occasions allied planes have struck back at after having received artillery fire from the Cambodian side of the border.
In these instances, however, the Cambodians protested, the allied actions and demanded reparations for the damage caused by them.