 The North Vietnamese had ample notice of the impending attack . A 17 March directive from the headquarters of the B @-@ 3 Front , captured during the incursion , ordered PAVN / NLF forces to " break away and avoid shooting back ... Our purpose is to conserve forces as much as we can " . The only surprised party amongst the participants in the incursion seemed to be Lon Nol , who had been informed by neither Washington nor Saigon concerning the impending invasion of his country . He only discovered the fact after a telephone conversation with the head of the U.S. mission , who had found out about it himself from a radio broadcast . 
 The North Vietnamese had ample notice of the impending attack . A 17 March directive from the headquarters of the B @-@ 3 Front , captured during the incursion , ordered PAVN / NLF forces to " break away and avoid shooting back ... Our purpose is to conserve forces as much as we can " . The only surprised party amongst the participants in the incursion seemed to be Lon Nol , <a href='null_relcl' title='1'><mark>who</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='2'><mark>had</mark></a> been informed by neither Washington nor Saigon concerning the impending invasion of his country . He only discovered the fact after a telephone conversation with the head of the U.S. mission , <a href='null_relcl' title='3'><mark>who</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='4'><mark>had</mark></a> found out about it himself from a radio broadcast . 
Da North Vietnamese had ample notice of tdaimpending attack . A 17 March directive from the headquarters of thda @-@ 3 Front , captured during thedacursion , ordered PAVN / NLF forces to " break away and avoid shootin back ... Our purpose is to conserve forces as much as we can " . The only surprised party amongst the daticipants in the incursion seemed to be Lon Nol , done been informed by neither Washington nor Saigon concerning the impending invasion of his country . He only discovered the fact after a telephone conversation witt the head of the U.S. mission , done found outt about it himself from a radio broadcast .