SALTONSTOLL BACKS WESTMORELAND, REAFFIRMS SUPPORT OF PRESIDENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000700170002-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 4, 2005
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: April 28, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

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Saitonstcdl Baths Westmoreland,
Reaffirms Su of President
Former U.S. Sen. Leverett yourself, what would I do if I
altonstall supported yesterday
.Gen, William C. West-
moreland's mission home -and
the Vietnam commander's
planned speech to Congress to-
y.
lj Saltonstall recalled that
"Marshall and Eisenhower re-
ported to Congress during
1', World War II" on the conduct
of that war.
He referred to Gen. George C.
9l Marshall, later secretary of
11 state, and Gen. Dwight D. Eis-
enhower, later President.
Saltonstall also strongly reaf-
firmed his support for President
Johnson's policy, in a luncheon
speech before about 200 mem-
bers of the Worcester Rotary
Club in Putnam & Thurston's.
Supports LBJ
Saltonstall reitred from the
;+ Senate last year, after 22 years'
service in that body. "Person-
'illy, I supported the President,
and I support him today."
Ile said, "I ask you, gentle-
men, if you would wake up in
were President Johnson?"
Saltonstall said he has "not
yet heard anyone come up with
a realistic alternative" to "what
the President is doing."
Saltonstall said the United
States "has got to carry nn" in
Vietnam `until we have the, op-
portunity to negotiate."
Then he, 7:called that the
President said he. can't "nego-
tiate with hn aself."
He pa91 as fo9'naal declaration
of war ,rould inp ,lase the' risk
of Russian and Chinese inter-
ventiop ti the confi i't:
Aitaddnj,,,,Airfiek s
He said 'North Vietnamese'
airfields had not been attacked
until recently because "the
MIGs were not coming up."
Now, he said, "the MIGs are
coming tip, and we're attacking
those airfields."
He said tha.t.:in 1968, there will
be 3,464,302 men in military uni-
'form, and 1,>12,111' civilians at-
tached to the Defense Depart-
ment, "a tremendous buildup:"
u
In t
rn., they will have about 9
'wake up - as I do ---and..askimillion. dependents, he said.
"The Congress is very, sensi-
Iation,' Saltonstall said, "but
Ilike the people as a whole, they
support President Johnson."
Saltonstall also cited' various
goj,prnment controls over. Cen-
tral. Intelligence Agency activi?
ties. The agency has come un-
der fire for links with university
programs overseas and secret
subsidies of student groups.
Saltonstall was a member of
a five-member Senate unit
which met behind closed doors
with CIA officials, "We. took no
notes, there were no reporters
present, and we asked all the
questions."
Besides consultations with
.members of Congress, the CIA
also reports on its activities t
the National Security Council,
Saltonstall recalled.
CIA Spending
CIA spending is supervised by
a special member of the federal t f
Bureau of the Budget, he said.
The CIA-.budget figure is not
publicly revealed.
The ruddy-cheeked Dover
resident now serves as chair.
man of the Massachusetts M;. ;-
utemen program. The volunteer
program is designed to promote
the tourist and industrial advan?
tages of the Commonwealth..
Dr. Kenneth I. E. Macleod,
Worcester health commissioner,
presented Saltonstall with an oil
portrait done from a photograph
of the former senator.
"I've done portraits of only
two Massachusetts persons,"
Macleod said, "Saltonstall and
Approved For Release 2005/01/27 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000700170002-8