VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000100500021-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 26, 1999
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: May 5, 1966
• Content Type: OPEN

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I said in that speech: around the world, but u,acle no t;as:c . La.r;c:;
VIETNAM "Mr. President, you have said that you in the U.S. negotiation potion,. He fin. h;
(Mr. BROWN of California (at the re- 'will never be second in the search for such Permitted the Vietnam prnblei,n to be pr-.-
a peaceful settlement in Vietnam.' I beg you sented to the U.N. Security Council, bu
gllCSt O. Iii: i':1A\U.11~~Ws gl'arited per- to consider what I am saying here, for I know ordered a resumption of the bombing
mission to extend his remarks at this that with your vision and desire for peace North Vietnam at the same time. Ile point in the RECORD and to include ex- you can do far more than what I am sup- ceptcd the goal of free elections for a civili.n
traneous matter.) porting. And, when you come to the Con- government in South Victnam, but was
Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. gress with a request for $700 million for such caught unprepared by the Buddhist demand
Speaker, so that there can be no con- a program-a program that points toward the for action now.
fusion or doubt as to the stand which I goal of a world free from war=our will find The Impact of the Vietnam war, which is
have taken in regard to the Vietnam me fi?shtang for 1t." still not a war, has grown with frightening
On August 2, 1985, just after the Presi- steed. Ten billion dollars % year, moving up
conflict, I am sending the following re- dent announced new steps in the escalation toward ,20 billion, ha.s been committed to it,
port to my constituents in the 29th of our war efforts in South Vietnam, I made At the present time this amounts to a yearly
Congressional District of California: another speech on the floor of the House of cost of approximately $50 for every man,
On August 7, 1964, I voted for the Tonkin Representatives, pointing out again the mis-. woman, and child in the United States,
Bay resolution, submitted to the Congress by' takes we were making in that unfortunate Taxes are being increased or speeded up.
the president following the attack on U.S. country. I concluded my speech with the Prices are rising. The casualty figures are
forces by North Vietnamese torpedo boats, following remarks: I ? increasing month by month.
At that time, I said: "I desire that my country be the voice for Congress is not asked to determine the
"I am of the very firm conviction that the i freedom, justice, and ? economic progress in policy of our country as to continued escala-
peace and freedom which this country is de- , the world. I believe that our success'in that, tion. We are not even asked to declare war,
cheated to achieve in South Vietnam will not role will do immeasurably more to roll back; although only the Con.. rrs has the power to
be achieved by the gradual escalation of this communism, than will our support'of petty declare war under the U.S. Constitution. We
unfortunate war." dictators around the world,'our devotion to, are only asked to appropriate more and more
At that time the United States had about a crumbling status quo thkt `claims to be money, to enact more and more controls, and
18,000 troops in Victnam-ostensibly as ad- anti-Communist, and our-willingmess to al-' to raise more and more tax revenues. At the
visers. Today we have a quarter of a mil- low our foreign policy,"to be controlled by same time, we are provided with less and
lion troops engaged in active combat, plus the machinations of the CIA. less information and, if possible, less and less
a massive air and naval force. We are still "I desire that my untry' lead the way justification for our involvement in a bloody
no closer to either peace or victory than we toward a new world, a world based on law civil war 8,000 miles away-a war which
were then, and respect for individual human beings. would have ended years ago if we had not,
I also suggested then-21 months ago-. This is the road to victory today-not just, attempted to control that country-;a war
that instead of broadening the war we should victory for the United States, but victory for which even the people we are supposed to
be seeking, and supporting, the full-scale in- mankind. The other road, which is the road be helping no longer seem to want.
tervention of the United Nations-an inter- followed by all the great empires of the It is not enough for a Congressman to
vention which we belatedly asked for a year past-the road of power exercised for the merely complain to his constituents, or his
and a half, later in January 1966. sake of power and national honor-leads but colleagues, or even the administration, that
On February 8, 1965, in a speech before the to oblivion." - he is not happy with the course of events in
House of Representatives, I suggested that. As 1965 drew to a close I made two major Vietnam. It is his responsibility to use his
the southeast Asian area be neutralized statements spelling out my position on Viet- vote, as provided in the Constitution. There-
through the creation of a U.N. "zone of peace" nam. On November 27, in Washington, D.C.,,,, fore, during the first few months of 1966
and that a Southeast Asian Development before 25,000 people assembled at'the Wash-'% I have used my vote to oppose further esca-
Bank be created through which economic aid Ington Monument, I offered my suggestions. lation in Vietnam. I have voted against the
could be channeled. Subsequently, the ad- as to how we might bring an end to the war supplemental military appropriations for
ministration did propose such a development by negotiation. On December. 2, I issued a, 1060, against the supplemental foreign aid
bank, and the bill authorizing our participa- position paper to the press summarizing appropriations for 1066, and against the tax
Lion was signed into law on March 16, 1966. briefly my views on Vietnam, In this state increases to finance the war. I plan to con-
At about the same time as I delivered that meat I said: tinue to vote in this manner as long as I am
speech, the United States began the bomb- "I accept and support the basic objec- a Member of Congress.
ing of North Vietnam. The continued bomb- tives set forth by the President-that we in-More than 2 months ago, before the out-
ing makes much more difficult the achieve- tend to resist and defeat any military,solo break of Buddhist-led demonstrations, I told
ment of a negotiated peace. tion by North Vietnam and the National, ray colleagues in the House of Representa-
In another speech a few days later, on Feb- Liberation Front (Vietcong), and thftti.wb tives, as I voted against the $4.8 billion
ruary 24, 1965, I. said: are willing to unconditionally negotiatd-a supplemental military authorization for
"The realities of the world today force us solution to the conflict at the conference Vietnam:
to recognize that our country is not all- table. I do not advocate a unilateral with- "The contradictions of the'U.S. course in
powerful; that our national will cannot pre- drawal of American troops or a surrender of Vietnam may soon be apparent for all our
vail in every situation; and that we may even South Vietnam to North Vietnam by nego- people and all the world to see. The political
be wrong in our evaluation of what is de tiation or in any other way." leaders of this country have contended that
sired by, or desirable for, the citizens of other' However, the United States, while calling our efforts in Vietnam have been motivated
countries." for peace through negotiation, has continued by a desire only for the freedom of the people
In the hearings before. the Senate Com. its course of military escalation, and has re= of that country. We are publicly committed
mittee on Foreign Affairs a year later, this fused to recognize and accept the minipauii, ;to accept the free choice of the people of
same view was expressed by some of this conditions necessary for realistic nogbbtsV"' otith Vietnam as to the kind of govern-
country's leading diplomatic figures, includ- tions. The Ky government, which we rhain.' meat which they desire. For 16 years, how-
ing George Kennan and former Generals tai, in Saigon, has not only refused to con. ever, U.S. policies have prevented the expres-
Gavin and Ridgway. Additional emphasis alder negotiations of any sort, but, much lik( sion of that free choice, despite all our pro-
has been given to this point by the recurrent the situation in Korea 13 years ago under testations to the contrary. When the day
mass demonstrations in South Vietnam dis- Syngman Rhea and in Formosa under Chiani comes that that choice is expressed-and
playing anti-U.S. sentiments. Kai-shek-has called for complete defeat o: that choice repudiates the United States and
On May 5, 1965, the President asked for the enemy, destruction of his cities, and tht its hand-picked military dictators-the peo-
a supplemental appropriation of $700 mil- invasion of the Chinese mainland. Tht pie of this country will be entitled to ask
lion to continue the buildup of U.S. forces country, to a disastrous extent; is being the question: 'Why have we labored and
in South Vietnam. I voted against that LP- manipulated in its basic foreign policy by,i?sacrificed so much, and in vain?'."
propriation, and at the same time made a handful of petty tyrants who cannot main'ti' That day may be coming sooner than I
speech calling for the adoption of a corrsti- tai, themselves for 1 day in their own coun thought at that time. , For now it appears
tution and the holding of free elections in try without the massive commitment o that we will have an election soon in the
South Vietnam, so that the people of that U.S. military and economic aid, areas which are presumably under the con-
country could determine for themselves the During 1966 a growing number of Con trol of the government we are helping. It
course they wished to follow. Instead of gressmen have called on the President fo is very likely that these people will elect a
following that procedure, we continued to an end to escalation, for intervention by th government which will seek peace by direct
embrace the military dictators we had placed United Nations, and for a more reallsti negotiation with the National Liberation
in office. Today, these military dictators have negotiating position. The President, seeking Front. If this is the result of an election
been forced to accede to such elections under a course-between the extremes of all-out wa held among the 60 percent or less of the
massive public pressure and the United and unilateral withdrawal, has not yet fount population that we are supposed to be help.
States has been reluctantly dragged along a satisfactory answer. He ordered a pause it Ing, what would be the result of an election
against Its will. bombing and a flamboyant peace driv held among 100 percent of the people of
Continued
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South Vietnam? The answer is to obvious
that even those advisers whose professional
and political fortunes have been invested in
almost a generation of mistaken policies will
be unable to escape the consequences.
As a Congressman with two sons serving
In the U.S. Navy, I a.m deeply concerned
about how their lives .are committed on
behalf of this great Nation. They would give
their lives, as any of us would, in defense,of
this country and in defense. of the freedom
of our allies or of the pririeiples which we
hold dear. However, to give those lives in
support of policies which I believe are wrong,
where no vital interest of this country is in-
volved, and where the people we are helping:
evidently do not want us, is the surest way,
to destroy all that we have sacrificed for,
over the years.
a
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000100500021-6
MAY 5 1906