STYLE
An October 11 report by the U.S. General Accounting Office graphically revealed what the American way of life can do for the Vietnamese people. The agency gave an accounting of the provisions made by the United States for the more than two million refugees whose homes have been destroyed by U.S. bombing.
The October 12 New York Times summarized the GAO report:
",., nearly half the 573,546 socalled- temporary refugees carried on the rolls as of last August were not receiving their daily subsistence allowances of 400 grams of rice and three Vietnamese piastres [about US$#.025]..."
The rest of the two million refugees are supposedly permanently "resettiled" and given an allowance of 500 piastres [about US$42] and a six-month supply of rice. The Times reported:
"In the country's five northernmost provinces, where the refugee problem has been greatest this year...only 25 per cent of the eligible refugees have received this larger resettlement allowance, the G.A.O. said....
“American officials estimate that civilian casualties are occurring at the rate of about 100,000 a year....The report said $17-million in Defense Department funds had still not been committed to build three new hospitals with a capac-— ity of 1,100 beds for civilian casualties."