FULBRIGHT REJECTS VIET LEGALITY PROBE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200900051-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 17, 1999
• Sequence Number: 51
• Publication Date: May 13, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

Sanitized = Approved For Kele81e1A-RB?-ff14
1ulbright Rejects
uii of the'aid-measure next week.
This afternoon, the Fulbright
committee heard closed-door tes-
timony from Henry Cabot Lodge,
Ambassador to Saigon, who repor-
tedly assured senator," that the
United States 'wanted l}td "wid t
Vietnam elections tentatively
scheduled for this fall.
His attitude was encouraging to
J/et Legality. Probe'
t PROFILES--Senator Vulbright (left) and Ambassador Lodge
before envoy gave secret testimony In \'ietnnmese Inquiry,
Or J0$EPFI R. L. STERNE
[Washington Bureau o/ The Sun)
Washington, May 12-Senator treaty, United *Wations Charter
Fulbright (D., Ark.) today turned provisions, international law,
;aside the proposal of Senator presidential pronouncements, the
Worse (D., Ore:) for Foreign Re- Gulf of Tonkin resolution and var-
iations , Committee hearings on ious foreign assistance programs.
the legalities of the American In- But the Arkansas Democrat
volvement in Vietnam. seemed disinclined to have future
Such questions are "interest- hearings narrowed to such. "tech-
Ing," particularly since ''it Is a nical" and "complicated" issues.
Patter of moment -whether 'a Challenged Rusk
great state is law-abiding," , he At a Monday session of the
said. gommittee, Morse angrily de.
But a "much more 'Is4sportant manded' an extensive inquiry into
question, Fulbright added, con-
cerns the "wisdom and prudenhe"
lof the policy, the United States
now is following, regardless of.
how it got involved. :
Sure Of Further Sepslone
The committee chairman,
whose break with the Ad-ministra-
tion on Vietnam 'policy led to a
series of nationally televised
hearings, said he was confident
there would be' ? further kess1pns
"as things develop." I ''
Fulbright,, together with Morse,
1)as taken the lead' In challenging
AAdministr tion attempts to justify
the AmerlRa?combat.roleln'Viet.
V4 Kam?
cretary of State, responded to
earlier requests by reviewing the
Senator Gore (D., Tenn.), a war
critic who has suggested that
even the Viet Cong should be
urged to take part In the- elec-
tions.
But while Gore appeared satis-
fied with Lodge's description of
United States policy In regard to
the elections, the senator said he
doubled the elections can be con-
ducted 'unless th eViet Cosa so-
eepl a cemse-tire.
Queslie" 16 9"41
? The 'Amhmsaador hlrrhself Ig-
nored question put to him by
newsmen after the committee
hearing. lie merely said it was "a
thoroughgoing session on all as-
pecls et uur policy, and I tried to
bring the committee up to date."
Fulbright temarked that Lodg?
c'-~ testimony was similar to that
offered' by other Administration
witnesses.
Earlier in the day the senator
gave a soft; slightly sardonic re-
sponse to President Johnson's
Princeton- University speech sug-
gesting that the United States Is
not afflicted by the "arrogance of
power," as Fulbright has cau-
tioned, but from the "agony" of
power. '
Fulbright called the President's
statement "an important contri-
bution to the dialogue on foreign
policy."
"Room For. Differences"
the legal basis of the Vietnam In-11 He said he felt the speech would
volvement after Dean Rusk, 'Se- 1contribute to a better public u o
derstanding of Vietnam policy so
that, hopefully, the American
people could make a "sound judg-
ment in a. way natural to a demo.
Morst ll ncracy :through elections."
guments "fallacious" and said, he 'In, our'system there is plenty
plenty
wanted the opportunity to present l'oV,.rbom.?tor differences of opt-
ittinl l
nernaoaawyers in
rebuttal., He suggested that, action
on the pending foreign aid bill be
postponed until the legal inquir
y
was made. speech, Fulbright said he had not!
At an executive session. df the stated. that the United States had'
connmlttee today, however, it was succumbed to the "arrogance of
power but merely had served a
dCFld~:"h~Y!?k' warning that this mistake could
be' ads'.
tho.`;Ptestdept had him In mind
dui'Ifg,""' yesterday's' ? Princeton
The senator rebuffen.."cfiticism
that' he had no alternative,, to of-
fer In Vietnam.
He said-he had specifically sup
Ported more' restraint - even
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