Cover Story: What Lies Ahead for Saigon

BASED on past experience," South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu declared recently, referring to the 1954 Geneva agreement, "we cannot rely too much on international treaties, for the Communists do not respect them. Nor can we rely too much on the International Control Commission." More pointedly he advised his countrymen: "If a stranger enters your village, shoot him in the head."

Thieu's comments may well prove to be prophetic about the immediate future of South Viet Nam. The cease-fire really marks the beginning of a period of prolonged uncertainty—and perhaps of yet a new stage in the war. Now only an overwhelming...