HAWKS IN WASHINGTON EYE CONFLICT IN CHINA
The internal strife in China is being watched by the State Department and Pentagon with close attention. While the. official attitude is to say as little as possible and, when pressed, to stick close to.the facts so as to give the impression of lack of interest and "objectivity," the real attitude of the war hawks is quite different. :
This was intimated by C.L.Sulzberger in his February 3 column in The New York Times. "China's potential role as a superpower may be postponed if not eliminated," he declares. Evidently the buzzards in the imperialist centers are calculating on the possible disintegration of the People's Republic | of China and the chance . that. they may be able to move in for an easy kill.
"Certainly it is evident that the world is now on the threshold of vitally impor-— tant developments," he continues. "Such a storm has been let loose in. China that, if it cannot be settled soon, the entire country may dissolve into anarchy with various warlords running different areas. :
"Therefore, as China totters at the edge of its own pit, other nations, and above all the United States, must contemplate the strategy of history. Possibly now is the time for major new policy decisions, because the moment of opportunity may pass. For example, should the forces of Tiu and the party hierarchs achieve a decisive victory one of their steps might be to reaffirm the shattered Sino-Soviet - alliance. "
Clearly, Sulzberger, and those whose thinking he is voicing, are considering } how to drive still deeper the wedge between China and the Soviet Union which has proved so advantageous to imperialism. In addition they are considering whether the moment is 3 not propitious to strike militarily at China.
In face of this” danger it becomes all the more imperative for all those who oppose the war in Vietnam, who understand that further escalation of the war can touch | off: a nuclear holocaust, to redouble their efforts.
Above all, pressure should be mounted on the Soviet government to come out with an unequivocal declaration that no matter what its differences with Peking it will consider an attack on China ‘the equivalént of an attack! on the Soviet Union. ;
This would be a propitious opening for renewing the offers of a united front between Moscow and Peking in aiding the Vietnamese revolution and clearly showing to the Washington war hawks what’ risks they run by continuing on their course of escalating © American involvement on the mainland of Asia.
CLERGYMEN