RIVERS ASKS RESUMPTION OF BOMBING IN NORTH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000700020024-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 9, 2004
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: January 10, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

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Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-y0p_WR0007100020024-0
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the pause in bombing North Viet
Nam targets. Two key Republi-
can congressmen agreed.
"I don't see any reason to
the House Armed Services i
Committee said today a decision
must be reached soon on ending
By the Associated Press
Chairman L. Mendel Rivers of t
undeserved sanctuaries in
Hanoi, Haiphong and other
places -- would make North
Vietnamese President He Chi
Minh reach an early decision.
The American people feel he
has been given enough time."
His views on resuming bomb-
ing of North Viet Nam, similar
to those expressed Saturday by
the chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee,
Richard B. Russell of Georgia,
were echoed in separate inter-
views by Rep. Leslie C. Arends
of Illinois, assistant house GOP
ment of the Vietnamese, war,
Targets Suggested
Although he emphasized he
supported the President's peace
efforts, Rivers said, "The
American people want to win
this thing or get out."
He added: "I feel that a few
well-placed bombs on military
targets in North Viet Nam that
have been heretofore spared-
continue to keep giving them
this respite," said Rivers, a
South Carolina Democrat, in an
interview as the 89th Congress
reconvened here. "They're not
entitled to this holiday."
U.S. planes have not bombed
,.North Viet Nam since before a
30-hour Christmas truce as part
of President Johnson's efforts to
convince Hanoi of U.S. sincerity
in seeking a negotiated settle-
Arends, a senior member of Glons;.;Con;rmittes? --a. -closed
Rivers' committee. ,some lsession today.
decision is going to have to be; Arenas, Gruening and Church
made unless we can see some said they felt the report on Viet
tangible results - some willing Nam issued -Friday night by
ness on their (the Communists') five senators headed by Demo-
part to. talk these things over." cretin Leader ,Mike Mansfield
. Reds Collecting Forces
"There's a limit to how long
we can keep this up," said
Said Henlooper "I don't
see that the suspension has
accomplished anything. The
only result has been that the
other side has been able to
collect their forces. When the
pressure is on they're being
hurt. I think it is a mistake to
stop the pressure."
Two Democratic senators
disagreed.
Alaska's Ernest Gruening, a
leading critic of the Johnson
administration's policies in Viet
Nam, said, "I think the pause
should continue.
"I don't think there were any,
results from the bombing. This
has been at least?as successful
if not more so. We're killing
fewer people. That's an im-
provement," he added.
Sen. Frank Church of Idaho, a
Foreign Relations Committee
member, agreed with Gruening.
"We have to wait and see what
"
he said.
Hickenlooper of Iowa, senior I'wl" happen,
GOP member of the Senate- ?R aborxi.., director
Foreign Relations Committee. 1 of the_ Cerltr 1,,.?,rIntelligency
Agency, _ar~d,_;, other _?high4evel
intelligence... officials will ..brief
senior .,members of the Senate
Arnieil Seryiceg,,, and 4ppropria-
25X1
'was a frank appraisal of theI
'situation. I
Mansfield and his colleagues
said that despite U.S. efforts the
military situation in South Viet
Nam was about the same as a
year ago and that the present
alternative was between. an
expanded land war that might
engulf all Southeast Asia! and a
just peace settlement which
would be difficult to attain.
'Surprised at Unanimity'
But Sen. Jack Miller, R-Iowa,
an Armed Services Committee
member, told an interviewer he
was "surprised there was such
unanimity in the report," drawn
up by three Democrats, Mans-
field, Edmund S. Muskie of
Maine and Daniel K. Inouye of
Hawaii, and two Republicans
George D. Aiken of Vermont
Iand J. Caleb Boggs of Dela-
ware.
"It struck me as unduly
depressing," Miller said.
"Granted that the situation is a
tough one, maybe it was intend-
ed to be depressing to lay the
foundation for some hard deci-
sions by the President."
Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000700020024-0.