NEW IMPETUS FOR BLOCKADE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200320009-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 18, 1999
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: October 7, 1965
• Content Type: NSPR

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STATINTL
Sanitized - Approved Fo SP,,: #WKDP7
ALLEN-SCOTT'
REPORT.
Inside Washington
BY ROBERT S. ALLEN and PAUL scoTT
QPYRGHT
PYRG T._ :_,.. ..~
New impetus for
blooded threat to put captured
? American pilots on trial as war
criminals Is giving new life to
i a U.S. military proposal for a
naval blockade of North Viet
Nam.
Supported by a powerful group
In Congress, the Joint Chiefs of
Staff are urging President John-
son to use this powerful weapon
as a countermeasure to meet
this new Communist effort at
blackmail.
In a series of backstage meet-
ings at the White House, they
are telling the President that a
chum-tight blockade will strike
at the source of this threat by
cutting off the flow of Russian-
made anti-aircraft guns,.ammu-
nition, and missiles into North
Viet Nam.
Without a steady supply of re-
placement parts and ammunition
for-these Soviet anti - aircraft
guns and fuel to run the radar
generators, these military advis-
ers say, the North Vietnamese
air defenses will begin to fall
apart, g r .e a t l y reducing the
chances of U.S. pilots being shot
down and captured,
HEAVY PRESSURE
In presenting their case for
-x t r o it h countermeasures, the
Joint Chiefs of Staff are stress-
ing that a naval blockade would
put heavy economic pressure on
the. shaky Hanoi regime, since
nearly GO per cent of all North
Vietnamese Imports come by
sea.
It is these military advisers'
estimate, that a six to eight
months quarantine of North Viet
Nam could bring Ho Chi Minh
to terms or soften up his Red
government sufficiently so it
could later be toppled by satura-
- '
n bombing of i
tio munication,,, and
Blockade
centers near Hanoi and Ifal-
p iong' In reply to these congressional
Since the start of U.S. rinds and military advisers, President
on North Viet Nam, these strate- Johnson is taking the position
gic targets have been off-limits that their proposals must be
for U.S. bombers. 1thoroughly studied by Secretary
of State Rusk and Presidential
HITTING ENEMY Assistant McGeorge Bundy Ie-
Several of the lawmakersjfore he can make a final dc'ci-
;backing the blockade proposal
of the Joint' Chiefs of Staff are
seeking even tougher action, In-
,eluding economic pressure di-
rectly on Moscow.
Sen. Thomas Dodd, D-Conn.,
vice-chairman of the Senate 'in
ternal. security subcommittee
hnd a frequent visitor at the
White House, wants the Presi-
-
dent to bar all trade and sales
of U.S. farm commodities to
Russia until the present Soviet
leaders agree to end arms ship.
ments to the North Vietnamese.
With hacking from Speaker
sion.
Although he rejected similar
proposals In the past on the ad-
verse recommendation of Rusk
and Bundy, neither the Joint
Chiefs of Staff nor the law-
makers are taking this latest
presidential move as an indica.
tion that he will do so again.
They are encouraged by re-
ports that the., President now
goes out of his way to tell White
House callers of his deep con-
Rep, Michael Feighan, D-Ohio,
Sen. Dodd Is urging the Presi-
dent to use the same tactics on
Russia that the State Depart-
ment employed against India
and Pakistan to force their
cease-fire.
He points out that the decisive
factor in bringing about a cease-
fire between those two non-
Communist nations was t h c
threat of stopping economic as-
sistance, Including U.S. food,
(stating:
SAME TACTICS
"There is no doubt that it was
,our economic pressure on Paki-
stan and India that brought at
least a temporary end to their
,fighting. Why shouldn't we use
similar tactics to make the Rus-
tsians stop shipping arms to the
(North Vietnamese? We could cut
(off all trade and bar all sales
the So-
of surplus . wheat until
ti~at ed ,foul.. used"as pace .
U.S. airmen. In one instance,
lie pounded his desk kaying:
"Something drastic must be
done soon to bring those mad-
men in Hanoi to their senses."
BATTLE REPORT
A very' recent "situation re-
port" from ten. William C.
Westmoreland, commander of
all U.S. forces in Viet Nam,
could Influence the President's
final decision if it reaches his
desk.
Prepared for the .oint Chiefs
,of Staff, it recommends that a
.naval blockade be authorized to
cut off the growing flow of Rus-
sian-made weapons into North
Viet Nam by sea. Part of an
over-ail program to Increase the
-security of U.S. forces In South
Viet Nam, this report warns of
the North Vietnamese growing
capability to shoot down U. S.
planes both at high and low
levels$
matte ;~1P a : ! i~~
Iciest'. that' eioh Soviet. wea0ft
that reaches North Viet Nam,
regardless of whether It is an
anti-aircraft gun or a sniper's
rifle, wilt be used to kill U.S. or
South Vietnamese soldiers.
denial of these arms to the
North Vietnamese at their port
of entry will not only save Amer-
ican and South Vietnamese lives
but might well turn the tide of
battle. .
The next move Is up to Presi-
dent Johnson.
The boxed
'portion of this
article did not
appear in the
7 October issue
of, the NORTHERN
VIRGINIA SUN.
9ROO02G0320009-9"