ENTRENCHING THEMSELVES IN VIETNAM AS NEW COLONIAL MASTERS
In the official 14-point statement of the position of the Johnson administration on "negotiations" with regard to the Vietnam war, point No. 7.-reads: "It wants noe -military bases in Southeast Asia.". Point No. 8 even <“implies readiness to withdraw U.S. troops: Tt does not want a continuing American military presence in South :. Vietnam.: . . aw
Among the American forces in . Saigon, however, the ‘attitude is quite the opposite to the one expressed in these fair statements ‘which Johnson's: diplomatic emissaries sought to peddle during the Tull ordered by the: ‘White House in the bombing of north Vietnam.
Writing: from Saigon “January 24, Robert Guillain, “special correspondent of the.Paris daily Le. ‘Monde, ,reported that the phrase - ‘he heard everywhere was "We are: here to stay. " ;
"'We'll still be here.in:five years, in ten.years,.in twenty years, if it's necessary.' Those are the literal words.of all the Americans I :questioned - concerning their long-range . plans, -whether it was decision+making leaders; civilian.administrators. or.sdldiers of all ranks. One of them reminded me of the declaration: made by Mr. Goldberg, ambassador to the United Nations: ‘The United States remains ready to withdraw its. forces as: soon as:South Vietnam is capable’of determining its own future without foreign intervention. ' But this official added his own personal commentary:
mit will obviously be--a:good ten years before South Vietnam éan do that.' Another official, talking about.. the bay of Cam-Ranh, said: ‘There's a naval base big enough for our. Pacific fleet. We will still be there twenty years from now, believe me'; A third one, commenting on President: Johnson's: "peace offensive, ' declared: ‘Leave? That's unthinkable now.:We will leave only when we. have cleaned up, protected and reconstructed this country enough SO" it: will be safe from: danger. '"’. a
Guillain quotes an American as summing up the situation in the following words: : .
"The United States can't sign a promise: to. leave unless it makes it years from now. The North Vietnamese can tell their people, “Wait another ten years and the United States will leave. Conclu- ‘sion: negotiations were. doomed to fail from the beginning. - In reality, there is nothing to negotiate."
|