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Show 22 The Salt Lake Tribune, Friday, May 28, 197 Claim of 10,000 Enemy Killed Stirs New Body Count Doubts Warnin' at Paris By George Esper Wnter Associated Pre- - It the figures SAIGON can be believed, Allied forces, have killed a do'en enemy for voldiets in Cambodia every Allied soldier last. The Allied Commands claim of Stop Raids Or Else, Hanoi Says nearly 10,0u0 enemy dead is raising new doubts about the body authenticity of such count" figures. Some American officers say up to half the total is credited s to bombers, helicopter and artillery. The number erf enemy officially re- - gun-ship- PARIS (ITI North Vietnam and the Viet Con? told the United States Thursday to stop all air ported killed is suppased to be based on an actual body count, but this is not always against (raids so. In or face many cases, both air and ground observers estimate the number of enemy killed after a bombing or artillery strike in tint k jungles or ruggd terrain that ground troops never the con quenees. Hanoi deleNguyen gate Mmh Vy said m s ' bombers U. S. yfj into. This leaves room for error, duplication and in some cases exaggerate n oy overeager troops anxious to make a good showing. May Be a Chilian venture From the air, even if a body is sighted, there is the chance it is that of a peasant rather than a soldier. By the same token, many killed or wounded bv air and artillery strikes may never be known about or reported. When criticism of the body count was raised in the past officers argued that the various factors tended to equate. In some cases eyewitness accounts of Cambodian opera- te "s have failed to back up claims of a large nun' her of enemy troops killed in specific operations. N e wsmen accompanying South Vietnamese troops have repotted only light contact on certain operations, but muniques cavenng these comoper- ations told of up to 2UQ enemy killed Another seeming discrepancy is that while large numbers of enemy soldiers are Am ANALYSIS claimed as killed, only a few weapons are reported captured after combat. Most of the more than 15,000 enemy weapons reported taken in the offensive have Cambodian come from caches turned up by Allied troops without significant fighting, When the American drive into Cambodia was announced President Nixon said the primary goal was the destruction of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong sanctuaries and base for camps U'f-staging attacks into South Vietnam. This week the President mentioned personnel losses. In a letter read to the opening session of a North Atlantic Council meeting in Rome, Nixon said the Allies had killed 7,911 enemy at a cost of 201 U.S. soldiers and 451 South Vietnamese killed m Cambodian operations. Claims Increase . then the claim for enemy killed has risen to 9,375. South Vietnamese headquarters said this figure includes four previously unannounced operations into Cambodia by government soldiers prior to the first officially disclosed thrust on Api il 29. The latest Allied casualty summaries list 225 U.S. and 511 South Vietnamese troops Since killed in Camboaian opera- tions. , To some degree the body count is based on estimates." one American officer ac-knowledges. Especially when you are talking about jungles. There is no sure way to tell until you get ground forces in and often you dont. There are various ways to estimate. Normally, you get an initial estimate by the forward air controller. Depending on the situation, that may be the only estimate you get, or an Army helicopter may go in later, lower and slower. l L-Girird Perregaux VNCi Pl !,. SPARKLING jr STARLIGHT CRYSTAL t;S J ES faceted like a diamond, the Starlight Cut and E crystal adds a glowing halo to your watch. 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The Hanoi negotiator and slow-movin- g his Viet Cong colleague, Dinh Ba Thi, followed their warning with charges that the United States was pushing Thailand into entering the conflict on the allied side. Referring tc Talks They were apparently referring to negotiations held in l Phnom Penh by a Thai military delegation under Gen. Prapass Charuxa-thievice premier and deputy armed forces commander. Habib said that after months of futile attempts to strike a bargain at the Paris talks, U. S. negotiators had come to the conclusion the Communists were making all their proposals on a basis. The American negotiator told the Communists, What your side has done again was to repeat your unfounded and unacceptable demands. high-leve- TONIGHT at 6 P.M. . . . TOMORROW & SUNDAY at 1 P.M. Reds Release Belgian Video Crew Reuters News Agency VIENTIANE. LAOS A n television Belgian - four-ma- new arrived here Thursday and said they had been held captive by Patliet Lao guerrillas for two months. 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