WHAT CONGRESSMEN FOUND IN VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200300130-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 20, 1999
• Sequence Number: 130
• Publication Date: January 3, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

tl STATINTL
TIN iA-RDP75-00
.ll. S. News ar eport AN 3 1966
WHAT CONGRESSMEN FOUND
IN VIETNA?P
STATINTL
Personal Reports
---------------
Here, e'STrA~vr. T.,re
from 25 members of Congress who have just returned
first-hand appraisal of how the war there is going-and what the U. S. should do
about it. Most say: Hit North Vietnam harder by air, close off Reds' big port of supply...
U. S. troops "have to
fight under wraps,
and they don't like
it. They want to win."
"We're not trying
hard enough. We
must dry up enemy's
sources of supplies."
carried away from Vietnam? Representative Charles E. Chamberlain (Rep.), of Mich-
A My impression was that our men and their officers igan, is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
felt they could win, and they wanted an objective. They Q Mr. Chamberlain, how would you size up the U. S.
could not understand why they were having to fight under war effort in Vietnam?
wraps, and they don't like it. They want to win. A. We're not trying. bard enough to win that war-and
ling, is chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the
House of Representatives.
Q Mr. Rivers, what was the main impression that you
l mi mentlof 9?6 asedCfrouArdp~ch$Veq fr rRI61eea e : GI e~ii~d'u~ 41 t'iP IS~1 tig
Copyright ? 1965, U. S. News & World Report, Inc. U. S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, Jan. 3, 1966
The attitude of Congress in months ahead is expected to ?
influence importantly the course of war in Vietnam.
In recent weeks, more than 40 U. S. Senators and Repre-
sentatives visited Vietnam for a first-hand appraisal of the
war. Most now are back. 0
For a report on what they found, members of the staff
of "U. S. News & World Report" interviewed 25 of the re-
turning members of Congress.
Almost all of these have returned convinced that this
war is going to be long and difficult.
There is strong support among them for an increased war
effort-both in greater use of air power and in a build-up
of ground strength. Most of those who visited Vietnam are
convinced that it is time to close off the North Vietnamese
port of Haiphong and to cut rail lines to Red China. .
The dominant feeling seems to be that this is a real war,
and that the important .thing is to bring enough power to
bear to win it without unnecessary delay.
There appears to be little concern among these Congress-
men that Red China might jump in to broaden the war.
In the interviews that follow, you get the broad range of
views among members of Congress who have appraised the
Vietnam war on the scene.
A It will call for greater troop commitment, but v+e've
got to do much, much more in the air.
We didn't beat Japan on the ground. We didn't beat
Japan on the sea. We didn't beat Germany on the, ground.
And you'll not beat these people in Vietnam on the ground,
because they have an inexhaustible supply of people any-
where they'll fight.
We're fighting the Reds now the way they want us to fight
them. And this is not the American way to fight. -
The only way you can beat those fellows is to bomb
them heavily. Now, I don't mean slaughter the cities: I
mean knock out the military objectives.
0 Their industries?
A That's right. And we've spared them.'
The port of Haiphong should be closed, too.' We would
not have to drop a single bomb to close ' that ke""y port. It
could be done by mines, by use of frogmen.
Q How soon could we end this war?
A. When you start hurting those people badly enough,
they will do exactly as the Communists did at Panmunjom
[in Korea]. We hurt them badly in Korea and they stopped.,' ?
But it's not enough for us to fight with',one hand tied behind
our back.
Q If this war drags on, is it likely to. i4 a political issue,,'
next November?
A The ''way it's being, fought now, it can't help being
an issue.