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Gen
William Westmoreland reported to Congress that we were making excellent
progress in Vietnam.
News
Analysis: Moderates
Steer
Wise War Course
By
David Bloviator
Political Editor
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – In the wake of Gen. Westmoreland's dramatic and
persuasive testimony, sensible moderates of both parties have agreed on
the future conduct of the Vietnam War. While
left-wing extremists call for abandoning Southeast Asia to Communism
and their counterparts on the right seek to extend the war by invading
the North, wise centrists have forged a bipartisan consensus likely to
achieve success in the long struggle against Red expansionism. The best and brightest of both parties,
including the current and a former Vice President of the United States,
have vowed to endorse General Westmoreland and support the troops,
without expanding the ground war beyond the borders of South
Vietnam. This old Washington hand
can only salute the cool wisdom of these distinguished Americans, who
have kept their heads while wild-eyed pot-smoking draft-card-burning
long-haired hippies have polluted political debate in this
country. Not content to hurl vile
accusations at our Commander-in-Chief by chanting madly "Hey, hey, LBJ
– How many kids did you kill today?", they have even
begun to question the integrity and impartiality of the press corps. According to my girl, who has to open my mail
and read the disgusting garbage that passes for informed discussion,
these wild-eyed radicals have accused distinguished journalists of
being "empty gasbags lazily repeating official lies" and "drunken
has-beens who haven't had an original thought since the
Truman Administration." Perhaps
they think that this sort of crude invective is more persuasive than
the sensible and informed judgments of experienced leaders like former
Vice President Richard M. Nixon. This correspondent, for one,
begs to disagree and would only note that the
increasing coarseness of American political discourse is
enough to
drive a man to
drink. [We were waiting
for that. – Ed.]
U.S.
troops in Vietnam clearly share their commander's belief that they are
making progress, only wonder whether home front will
surrender
| | By Douglas MacArthur
War
Correspondent WASHINGTON,
D.C. – His uniform
crisp, his medals gleaming, four-star General William Westmoreland told
a restive Congress that "good progress" was being made in the Vietnam
War and warned against "premature withdrawal" of U.S. forces. Gen. Westmoreland flew directly from his
command center in Saigon to Washington to report on the progress of the
surge in troop strength that brought U.S. combat forces in Vietnam to
a new high of 525,000. The
general's appearance had been eagerly anticipated at both ends
of
Pennsylvania Avenue. The White House has been urging Congress
and the public for weeks not to make their minds up on the status of
the war before hearing what they referred to as the "Westmoreland
Report." While acknowledging that
political reconciliation in South Vietnam had not progressed as rapidly
as he had hoped, Gen. Westmoreland sought to turn Congress's attention
to what he called successes on the ground. According
to Gen. Westmoreland, the Viet Cong is on its "last legs" and no longer
able to mount sustained military operations. "As a result,"
the general reported in cool, crisp tones, "Vietnam's major cities,
including Saigon, Da Nang and Hue, have been almost completely
pacified. You can walk down any street in Saigon without a
helmet or flak jacket." The
general, renowned for his skill as a briefer, reeled off impressive
statistics supporting his claim of progress. "More than 400
strategic hamlets have been secured and over 250,000 trained ARVN
soldiers have taken over front-line military activities in coordination
with U.S. forces," he said. "The
number of Viet Cong attacks has dropped from over 500 a month in July
to only 350 in August. This truly shows that there is light
at the end of the tunnel." Asked
when he thought U.S. forces could start to withdraw, Gen. Westmoreland
said that if current progress continues, "we could start to see some
troops coming home by Christmas 1968." When
long-time war critic Sen. William Fulbright commented that "America's
patience may be running out," the Army's senior commander on the ground
in Vietnam responded sharply. "A
premature withdrawal would undo all of the splendid progress we have
made in the last year and run the risk of a Communist terror state
standing athwart the vital sea lanes of Asia," the general said. "Those who seek to cut and run must accept the
likelihood that a Red victory in Vietnam would lead to all of Southeast
Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, falling under the
hammer-and-sickle." His voice
cracking, the general concluded: "What would you say, Senator, to the
mother of a boy who died in Vietnam, if Singapore fell to Chinese
Communists? It would be a second Yalta." The
force and
clarity of the battle-hardened commander's testimony appeared to quiet
criticism of the conduct of the war. Only a few pointy-headed
intellectuals like Sen. Eugene McCarthy dared to question the general's
expert judgment. "It seems as if
we have heard similar things now for many years, yet several hundred
Americans die each week with no end in sight," the craven Senator mused
in his reedy, almost prissy, voice. But
such lily-livered sentiments appear to represent only a small minority
of Americans. At Harvard Business School, a handsome young
man named Wilfred M. Romney told the
Spy that winning in Vietnam was an important national
priority and that he wished he could serve. "Unfortunately,
my life goal is to make big bucks and haul it off in Mack trucks.
Dodging bullets in Vietnam isn't a part of my business plan."
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