CRISIS IN VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP67B00446R000300150016-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 25, 2003
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: April 30, 1965
• Content Type: OPEN

Al proved For Release 2003/10/1
TE.. April 30, 1965
CIA-RDP67B00446R00030'b150016-6',
political aicicmists alnong us have a
a
woridxous,sclleAie for southeast Asia.
All we have to do, they say, is recog-
nize that we must have an accommoda-
tion with Red China in Asia anc; presto-
instant peace.
The pressure. will vanish in Vietnam,
the"will no longer have to battle a war In
Bich we are Aeluding ourselves, and
peace-loving America will be drawn back
train the edge of the chasm,
But, Mr. President, in my judgment,
that talk is arrant nonsense, a concept
oX, certain, theorists as circular as the be-
Iief that base metal could be transformed
ill to gold.
X was heartened Tuesday by the fact
tf~at;. President Johnson, at his new con-
irerence,.demonstrated with magnificent
flxrqness that [7.S,, leadership will not be
ayecl from within by an anxiety neu-
r and that it, will not depart from
Wit I. elieYe. to., be the, best and most
productive path to peace in Vietnam
Presdent Johnso}~ said;
'rcm 141wii 11 l jil,today, we have learned
t kt to yield to aggression brings only greater
eaand more destructive war, To-stand
fir~in Is the only guarantee of lasting peace.
Overwhelm} evidence, exists-from
t ose bray men serving in South Viet-
i r , to of r citi.geps at. Mime-that .the
l 4ority of Americaps subscribe to the
1 esident's cieardeadcrshjp.,
tI subscribe to the.policies he enunci-
'ated-that we discuss without ciznditions,
!the path to peace with any government-
~but.tliat we will not retreat. ? .M
??The Gallup poll shows that by a ratio
rofmore than 2 to 1, the American people
prove of the Government's handling
pf the situation. in Vietnam.
this philosophers' debate, not unlike
tn9se, ancients of the Sanhedrin, who
pondered and agonized over the mean-
ings,of the Bible.
So perfectly could some of these men
spin their abstractions that they refused
to be confounded by realities,
So it was with the rabbi who said that
he was sure that God's law would always
make a piece ofbread fall with the hnt_
us only that the path we ,.talde is the
wrong one.
There is a curious obsessive pattern to
pradtical substitute courses. They tell
the risks-but what are the alternatives?
When a colleague proceeded to test
him by dropping a piece of buttered
bread, the servant watched it fall face
down to the earth and then with a tri-
umphant'smile said, "But you buttered it
off the wrong side."
,.,,And thus it .is today.
Tf Secretary of State Dean Rusk pro-
1uces evidence of systematic aggressive
acts by Hanoi since 1959, the critics say
the United States refuses to recognize a
civil war when it sees one.
If Secretary of Defense Robert McNa-
mara displays confiscated weapons which
betray their origin from the powers to
the north, the critics say most of the in-
surgents are South Vietnamese using
American arms.
And, say the peace-at-any-price crit-
ics, all the United States could lose by
pulling out of Vietnam would be a little
prestige-something easily repairrd in a
few years' time.
Mr. President, there is more than pres-
tige involved-it is no less than human-
ity.
Ambassador W. Averell Harriman
,
who knows as much about the struggle
for men's minds as anyone, says the issue
at stake is the "outward thrust of com-
munism."
And, says Ambassador Harriman, the
outwq, rd.thrust.mtl t bechecked in south-
east Asia just as it was in Europe.
Ambassador Harriman said recently:
The Communists firmly believe that what
they call wars of liberation will be victorious
for them.
They also believe those wars are something
we cannot deal with. I look upon what is
happening in South Vietnam as an ultimate
expression of what the Communists intend
to do in this respect.
Mr. Harriman suggests, and I agree,
that it may take a long time to convince
the Communists they cannot win in Viet-
uam-but-the firmer we are, the shorter
that time will be.
Communist strategy thrives on the
proliferation of dissent at home.
I do not suggest for a minute we should
t all sicu~.Qf .our. national goals
and objectives in Asia, but I believe any
critic of our leadership should weigh the
responsibilities he takes.
:. 1?oJdit.out that-peaceful coexistence is
part of the Communist arsenal.
Would our abrupt withdrawal from
Vietnam bring peace or only the illusion
of peace?
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April 30, 1965
CONGRESSIONAL -RECORD SEN
There are many Kremlinologists who
think that Russia's apparent moves to-
ward a detente in recent years are only
an effort to induce a relaxation of ten-
sions, even a national euphoria, and that
our Inability to recognize this could prove
fatal.
Would Asian communism be any less
likely to use such a stratagem?
I do not say that communism is a mon-
olithic_ foe and that we must react like
Pavlov's dogs to any Communist move.
But, let us not mistake our carefully
controlled air responses to North Viet-
namese aggression as anything akin to
total U.S. involvement in that conflict,
either.
All that we have done so far-from the
replies of our forces in the Gulf of Ton-
kin. to the recent air strikes-has been
carefully controlled-measured.
Ninety-five percent of the troops en-
gaged in field missions are South Viet-
namese troops-there are 450,000 of
them, to 22,500 of our officers and men.
Certainly the commitment of the
South Vietnamese, people, despite ter-
rorist attacks on the civilian population
and sustained' military casualties of
heavy proportions, should tell us that
here Is a people with a will to fight.
As President Johnson said to us:
~ think that if the enemy there beileves
that we are going to stay, that we are not
going to tuck our tails and run home and
abandon our friends, I believe In due time
that peace can be observed In that area.
Perhaps, we should remind our col-
leagues-here at home-and perhaps Gen-
eral de Gaulle as well-that a nation
foul ded in liberty's name does not read-
ily abandon its friends, even when the
riskq are great.
A convenient amnesia is not something
which the United States can afford at
this critical juncture of history.
Perhaps France can forget who came
to As rescue twice in this century, but
the United States cannot and will not
forget its pledge to freedom.
VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965
The Senate resumed the consideration
of the bill. (S. 1564) to enforce the 15th
amendmelt of the Constitution of the
United States.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT RE DEMONSTRATIONS
Mr. STENNIS. , Mr. President, the re-
cent marches, sit-ins, and other demon-
strations that have disrupted the conduct
of. government in counties, cities, and
even entire States make it apparent that
our public officials must . have some ef-
fective and legal protection, from the
demonstrators, who seem determined to
continue a campaign of harassment.
The law-abiding residents who as tax-
payers must pay the bill caused by these
demonstrators are also entitled to a
means of relief. The innocent private
citizens who must suffer inconveniences
and the dedicated public officials who
must do their work are entitled to the
'assistance of the U.S. Attorney General
in the protection of their right to per-
form their duties without unreasonable
ha#;tt?sment. If it is proper to provide
by law that the Attorney General must
throw the full weight and assistance of
his office into the effort to secure for
some people the right to vote-as under
this bill a petition by 20 persons would
do=then it is proper to provide by law
that the Attorney General must throw
the full weight and assistance of his office
into the effort of public officials and pri-
vate citizens to secure the right to live
in peace and perform their duties.
This amendment simply provides that
the Attorney General, if requested to do
so, must assist State, county, and local
government officials to do the same thing
the Attorney General did when demon-
strators invaded his office-that is, throw
them out so he "could get some work
done." Both the Attorney General and
the White House have recognized that
demonstrations interfere with and pre-
vent the orderly and efficient accom-
plishment of work. This was admitted
when demonstrators were ordered re-
moved from the Attorney General's office
and from inside the White House.
under this amendment, the Attorney
General would be compelled to come to
the assistance of public officials of any
political subdivision when persons who
have not been denied the right to vote
and are not residents therein, neverthe-
less storm into an area and create strife
and discord; and interfere with public
officials in the discharge and perform-
ance of their duty, including the registra-
tion of voters.
In brief, this amendment simply im-
poses upon the Attorney General the
duty,` when he is requested to do so, to see
that the rights of all individuals are
protected.
The necessity of adopting this amend-
ment is underscored and emphasized by
the recent statement of Martin Luther
King that he felt he was under no moral
obligation to obey laws with which he did
not personally agree. He, in fact, went
so far as to say that he had a moral duty
to violate any law which he did not mo-
rally approve.
It would be a mockery of justice for us
to provide that the full weight of the
Federal Government must be thrown be-
hind an. individual who has openly stated
that he will not obey the law if he does
not agree with it, and at the same time
give, the assistance of the Fed-
refuse to
eral Government to those who want to
obey the.lawand are anxious to discharge
their duty to enforce and apply the laws.
The proposed voting rights bill, if it
passes, will give to the Attorney General
every legal and necessary authority to
secure the right of every citizen to vote.
It goes so far in giving him this authority
that it violates the Constitution, and I am
opposed to its passage for the reason that
it tramples upon constitutional princi-
ples. I shall oppose it with all my
strength. But the hard facts are that 66
Senators have signed this bill. That is
only one vote short of the necessary votes'
to invoke cloture. If it is passed, the At-
torney General will be empowered with
more authority than has ever been given
to one individual in the history of this
Government. I am opposed to giving one
man the power that is given the Attorney
General under the terms of this bill, but
if he is 'to have such power, he should be
compelled to use it in the protection of all
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T
that the Senate proceed to the consid-
eration of House Concurrent Resolution
,PRESIDING OFFtC t The
clergy will read the concurrent resolution.
current resolution, as follows:
S,bereas the ,Dag Hammarskjold Interria-
tional Foundation, the American Association
for 'the United Natioris, the State of Califor-
nia `Dag "Hammarskjold Memorial Grove
Committee and numerous cooperating
groups including the Save-the-Redwoods
League are carrying forward the proposal for
as Dag Hammarskjold Memorial Redwood
Grove: and
Whereas the life of Dag Hammarskjold was
in opncorelance with the deep and pervading
majesty of the redwoods, among which we
find spiritual refuge and gain a more pro-
found realization of his own thought that
"we each have within, us a center of stillness
surrounded by silence"; and
Whereas, Dag Hammarskjold, until his
death on September 17, 1961, served eight
years as Secretary-General of the United
Nations, carrying on ' his widely significant
and courageous search for world peace; and
Whereas by their very grandeur the giant
redwoods imbue us with a stronger realiza-
tion of human'dignity, tolerance, and state-
liness so characteristic of Dag Hammarsk-
fold's life: Now, therefore, be it
;Resolved by the House of Representatives
(the Senate concurring), That it is the sense
of the Congress that it is appropriate to
designate a grove of redwood trees as selected
by ''the State of California, as the Dag
flaSnmarskjold Memorial Redwood Grove.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is
there abjection? The Chair hears none.
There tieing no objection, the Senate
proceeded to consider the concurrent res-
olution (H. Con. Res. 305).
Mr. KUCHEL. Mr. President, the
name of Dag Hammarskjold is a most
gallant, illustrious, and courageous name
which will live forever in history.
Dag Hammarskj old devoted his life to
the pursuit of peace with justice for all
.mankind. Americans will join the
-peace-loving nations of the world in re-
calling the majesty and dignity with
which Dag Hammarskjold'conducted the
'business of the United Nations, un-
-da;uhted by taunts, oblivious to threats,
'fearless of criticism, heaped upon him by
'those who sought to weaken and damage,
if not indeed to destroy, the "town meet-
magnificent Lutheran Cathedral for the
state funeral_'of hagHarnmarskjold.
This resolution indicatesit is the sense
of Congress that it is appropriate to des-
ignate a grove of redwood trees, selected
by the State of California, as the Dag
Hammarskjold Memorial Redwood
Grove.
'I believe the resolution represents a fit-
ting indication of the high -and never-
ending esteem in which the men and
women in the legislative branch of our
Government, representing the American
people, continue to hold the memory of a
profoundly dedicated human being who
labored unceasingly for the great cause
.of, honorable peace among all nations.
..I know that every other Senator will
join me in voting for the approval of this
resolution.
Mr. CARLSON. Mr. President, will the
Senator yield?
Mr. KUCHEL. I yield.
Mr. CARLSON. I appreciate very
much the distinguished Senator from
California's offering the resolution hon-
oring a great patriot who served with
distinction and honor and, as a matter
of fact, gave his life in the interest of
peace.
It happened that I was in Stockholm,
Sweden, on the very day it was an-
nounced that he had been selected Secre-
tary General of the United Nations. I
shall never forget the enthusiasm that
swept the people and the press stories,
to the effect that one who had given so
much service would give even greater
service to_ the cause of- peace. It was
natural for me, having a Swedish back-
ground,a to be proud of his services. Dur-
ing my . service as a delegate, I viewed the
plaque in the United Nations commemo-
rating the services and memory of Dag
Hammarskjold.
'Mr. KUCHEL. rthank the Senator.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
question is on agreeing to the concur-
rent resolution.
The concurrent resolution (H.\Con.
Res. 305) was agreed to.
WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING ON DE-
VELOPMENTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Ping of the world." He was not, nor could Mr. MORSE. Mr. President, I ask
she be, intimidated by those who sought unanimous consent that I be given the
to scuttle peace. Quite literally, Dag necessary time to read a 21/2-page state=
Hammarskjold gave his life to the cause ment.
that he so devotedly pursued. The PRESIDING OFFICER: .Is there
It was my great honor to be appointed objection? Without objection, it is so
by the late President of the United ordered.
States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, to rep- Mr. MORSE. Mr. President, President
resent the Republican Party, as a mem- Johnson called to the White House this
ber of an American delegation which morning for a briefing members of the
-flew overseas from this city, and which House and Senate Appropriations Com-
W led by the then Vice President, now mittees, Armed Services Committees, and
the President of our country, to repre- Foreign Policy Committees. He briefed
sent America at the final rites held in these Members of Congress with the
Uppsala, Sweden, at which the free na- press present on the most recent develop-
tions of the world gave their last, tearful ments in southeast Asia and the Domini-
salute to the memory of this gallant man, can Republic.
struck down in the prime of life. The President stated that under Ares -
That recollection to me is a oignant ent law, he is authorized to transfer
oAe, as I saW the delegations from" dozens funds already ' appropriated in the de-
of free countries, all In their native garb fense-budget to the unexpected financial
-arid costume, gathered together in the defense needs of the war in southeast
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