War^ - in Vietnam Is in Sight 14/Long Island City...war in South Wt nam now seems to ha rather...

« ' • ' • "-S- . w«ia>» I«I msa»m»« • • * ^ * • • • #*#••<y•»»"»<M>,4H*• # # • - ^ • • , » • *^•*» « • # - • ••-«•-• • #4M»H» • • • # <a*f-*- !>» #-«• a '• "w?m ** »'#"•» # U Mift«ftMMBB«awawaMaaanaBia«*^ ajaaajsjsjaapaja^^ - War in Vietnam Is in Sight By JOSEPH ALtOr tconright (Ot mi, Th0 Waghlngton Pott Co.) WAiMiwCrreW—One way another, the end of the war in South Wt nam now seems to ha rather clearly In light. As recently revealed In thta spaos, the Hanoi lead* era are uaing diplomatic in- tarmediarlea to feel out the President! willingness to "stop the bomttng to g»t talks." tf the President has not taken leave of Ms sen- ses, he will reply that he la perfectly ready to stop the bombing, but only tf the Hanoi leaders will stop send- ing troops «nd supplies Into South Vietnam, If Hanoi Is willing to of- fer this kind of ould pro quo, it will mean that Hanoi wants genuine negotiation! If Hanoi is not wilting, it will mean that Hanoi merely wants a respite to the war In order to reinforce Its badly battered southern units, and then to Start the war all over again. But unless the President has succumbed to « political death wish, this Is unlikely to he allowed to happen, iience events can take two alternative course*, as fol- lows. # tf * " Tiir fftlltt possibility is genuine negotiation on equal terms, which could perhaps bring the whole wtar to an end. This is imaginable, al- though It seems more likely that Hanoi it merely seek- . LBJ Cautions The Hopeful awaasiiii m n— m« a respite. The second possibility ,ts that Hanoi Wtt reject nego- t tat tons an equal terms; and our Northern bombing will therefore continue Assume that the second and mora likely possibility develops. In that event, on* can rather confidently fore- cast the fairly early end of the trig-unit war In South Vietnam The and may within a matter of months. And when the btg-unH war has been won, the worst of the war will be over. the his; unit war Is thf war we are now fighting. It la primarily aimed «M tha enemy's "main forces' — Ma near-regular battalions, reg* tments snd divisions, which are quite different from his guerrilla and local forces Ks- sentlally, It la a war of attrition The attrition's cru- elly severs} affects on tha enemy's big units had al- ready begun to be visible as long ago as last September. e, tf « TWO FACrOMt It heed hardly be said, mainly de- termine the success or fail- ure of a war of attrition. wmmmmmmmmmmtmm —r- RECENT STATEMENTS aacribed to «om« s definitely identified person* such aa Senator Rob- ert Kennedy, and to various unidentified officials of a variety of nations, have created the hope that a Vietnam peace conference may at last be near at hand. Even as late as 8 o'clock yesterday after- noon, when the President opened a nationally-tele- vised press conference, there were many Ameri- can! who nourished the expectation that Mr. John- ion would give them some official basis for optimism. The President, however, had no encouraging news. He said (and more than once repeated) that in spite of current rumors he was not awnre of any serious effort by the other side to end the war. Despite yesterday's reports that the North Viet- namese were ready to embark on peace talks if we stop bombing. Mr. Johnson made it clear that no such proposition had ever been officially commu- nicated to our government. We are in continuous contact with Hanoi, Mr. Johnson explained, so that North Vietnam can readily submit any proposal it cares to make. The United States, on its side, will be ready to accept almost any suggestion as a starting point. But Hanoi is officially silent. On the related question, whether internal troubles in Red China will shorten the war in Viet- nam, Mr. Johnson was equally matter-of-fact. Me said only that while Red China's troubles were eer- Wothfitflfon MTry-Qp-etoiin*i Senate May Put Hoover on Spot PEARSON not expect that "events in China will have any quick effect on events in'Vietnam." Nevertheless, at least to some observers, the President appeared to l>e carefully avoiding direct comment on any of the reports that new conversa- tions really have been launched. His cautionary words mainly emphasized his effort not to "stir up false hopes." Certainly if it be true that some hitherto un- tried approach is now being examined by either side, the uttnosti Presidential caution is required. Over-eagerness on our part could lead the enemy to the mistaken supposition that we are ready to settle at any price. On the other hand, if our diplomatic grapevine has brought the White House some attractive rumor of a change in the enemy's thinking, the President is merely exercising common sense in requiring that the new proposal be offered officially through regular channels. flPrcfvtfsWw^^Plaal 'Steps? What Steps? I Don't See Any* Inside Washington Ike Key in Consular Pact r A Good Man For the Job WHEN THOMAS P. F. HOVING announced he was resigning as New York City's parks com- missioner (now known as recreation and cultural affairs administrator) we said a "happening like a Hoving is a tough act to follow." But if anyone can do the job, it should be Mayor Lindsay's new appointee, August Heck- scher. Mr. Heckscher has the credentials and point of view that augur well for the future of recreation and cultural affairs in New York. He has been an educator, newspaper editor, director of the JJOth Century Fund, adviser to Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy and author on arts and culture, and a member of Governor Rockefeller's Council on the Arts. His api>ointment is particularly good news to Long Island where Mr. Heckscher's roots go deep. Born in Huntington, he is. the grandson of philan- thropist August Heckscher who founded the little gem of a fine arts museum there. We trust he will be sympathetic and helpful in the effort to estab- lish a Queens Art Museum at Flushing Meadows. Mr. Heckscher's philosophy is perhaps summed up in his recent book "The Public Happi- ness," in which he wrote: "The greatest public happiness should be par- ticipation in a common life which is recognized as being enriched, which is known to be illuminated and made coherent, by all forms of art." Like his immediate predecessors — Thomas Hoving, NeWbold Morris, Robert Moses — Mr. Heckscher brings originality, perception, creativity and enthusiasm to a position that can do so much to enrich our daily lives. By ROBERT S. AEI.EN And PAII. SCOTT WASHINGTON Former President Eisenhower is a. potentially pivotal figure in the intensitving Senate battle over ratification of the consular treaty with Russia. With hearings tcm|tonuily sidetracked while thr Senate foreign Rela- tions Com- mittee con- ducts a "re- 1 view" of foreign policy, Iroth «i<ies on the consular pact are using the interlude; to seek Eisen- hower's sup- port. They believe H statement by him would materially In tipping the favor. AEI.EN scales in their g mmmmmmmm LONG ISLAND STAR-JOURNAL a Ntwhoiiw Pr»MiUM aSSNS> PuMtaMa «v»rj w u u »» mtwtmmi anMrprtMt, me e*«i a. • rn«> 14'tor Don*Id S MM11N KwMSani. A I NtvhnuM Jr, erttart, Maars a. sweiaaa*a»r. r>aaaarar aaarta* «S-Sa lata at".t to*! tftaaa CH? n f litis MAIN omca u-at TMjratna itnay at aw. a*utn i*na Bteattra SI Tata- rtpti C i »*•• it aiait eaa rt»r m as. ea* •aasa. i l i a as m« tar m 9 ot allwat m aas »j «*rn». toy M MOM SS m> ttrat ateataa. tvto aattuaa sa aia 1 H ar nat eiawrvtaa r -<m miDAV. FtMrOARY S. 1 * b* TREATY supporters are privately saying that Eiscn- hoVver's endorsement coulrl influenre enough Republican senators to give the administration the two-thirds vote needed for ratification. At present, according to traatV hackers. 10 tlepuli. licans are definitely favor- ahle, and five others tentatively so depending on Kisen- hovvcr's approval of the pact. A total of ft? votes, two- thirds of the Senate's mem- bership, is needed for ratification. Working closely with the White House in the strenu- ous hai'l-.stage effort to \v sn I'residenl Kisenhower's endorsement is Senator Thurs- ton Morton. Kentucky. lir- rnur RepuhliCan National Chairman and assistant sec- retary of state in the Y.\ enhower administration, Mor- ton fe In the forefront in (he Senate, Maneuvering to line Up sufficient v-otcs to ratify the treaty. - » -a" a AT THB suggestion of Secreiary Rusk. Morton made a direct pemonHl ap- peal to Eisenhower to pub- licly declare for the agreement, Morton proposed this be dor** In an exchange of fetters with Prwddpnt John- son or td Republican senators favoring the pact. Morton also assured Kis- tnhower that a White Home briefing on the rontroverslal trMly would ht arrang«l for htm If he desired It It was Indicated that President Johnson would personally brief him. Alio stressed By Morton b» hts talk with Elsenhower waa that hla secratary H state, tha tote Christian Hertrr, bad endorsed the consular agreement. Senate Republican I-eadT F.veritt Pirksen. Illinois, and Senntois Rourke Jliek- roioi>j>er. Iowa, and Karl Munut. S. D. senior "GOP mcmljcrs on the Foreign Relations Committee, are S[>cnrheadirig a party move to persuade ,President' Eis- enhower either to take no stand on the issue or to side with them. * * . * '- IN Tllt'.IR appeals to Eisenhower, the three Re- publican .leaders are stress- ing the following arguments: 1 A majority of Republi- cans .both on the Eoreign Relations Committee and in thr> Senate as a whole are opposed to the pact. 2 The agreement in- creases the number of Rus- sians who will be given diplomatic Immunity In this country, and thereby en- tnt-frc the possfihlllty of espionage operations. 3 Russia is the principal wc;toons supplier of North Vietnam, and a derisive ma- joiit< of Republican senators for] It would he con- tradictory attd incongruous to further expand the Soviet dinlooint'v establishment In the V. S. 4_The OOP would be throwing awav a powerful h"ue in the 19fiS campaign i f the party does not opnos* tb" treat v. # • • PRESIDENT Eisenhower, a< '"iding to insiders on both sides, is k"ef»lne his own counsel. He has listened to all v iews and all he has posi- tively committed himself on so far is thnt, before making up his mind, he will discuss thf matter with close ad- visers whose Judgment he values on foreign affairs, cine of tHem is former Vice President Nixon, Also significantly, Elsen- *h* small society howcr has asked both aides" to provide him with infor- mation on the views of the late John Foster Dulles, Secret at y of State through- out m<M of Eisenhower's Administration, on the question of expanding relations with Russia. When the Foreign Rela- tions . Committee resumes hearings on the consular tieatv, it is understood they will be continued until Eis- enhower makes his position known. Tentatively, Senate -I >cmo- crstic leaders plan to bring the pact before the full chamber sometime in Match, provided they are sure they have the necessary two- thirds vote to ratify it. Otherwise, consideration will be delayed. Approval hy the Foreign Relations Commit tee Is deemed virtually certain. This ts expected by the end of this month. • * a HI'I'PI.IKR North Viet- nam's economy and war. ma- chine o|>erates almost en- tirely on Russian oil. A Navy survey, completed for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shows that the Soviet has shipped .100,000 metric tons of oil to North Vietnam In the past lfi months. This is 95 per rent of all o" im- ported by Hanoi during that period. Peak of the oil ship- ments was in Drccrflber 1966, when Russia shipi>ed nearly 25,000 metric tons of jet fuel and oil to Haiphong, North Vietnam's main *ea- |w>rt. Why Not Call If Shot-Cake LARGS.-Scotland (UPD — Scottish exporter J a m e a Wham thinks he's got a win- ner. He plans to export rakes made with whisky Instead of milk. By l»REW PRARHON AND IAVK ANlir.RHON WASHINGTON ~ There was an Important closed- door debate inside the Sen- ate Foreign Relations Com- mittee on whether to sum- mon J. Edgar Hoover to testify regard- ing his fears that the So- viet - Amerl- ran consular treaty would increase espionage In the United States. Hoover had written a letter to Secre- tary of State Rusk, which had the effect of withdrawing his objec- tions to the treaty. Rut almost simultaneously he wrote a letter to his close friend, Senstor Karl Munrit, R-S.D., listing many cases of Soviet espionage This letter had the effect of knock- ing the props out from under the first letter and from under the treaty. Senate members of the Foreign Relations C'nmmit- g—w.anl&d, Lu. aa.-. ^^eTTerrepre? sented Hoover's real view.. Some of them were also con- cerned about the fart that American foreign policy was Ix-ing net by the top police- man of the United States. Many senators have been critical of the fact that foreign dictatorship have had their policies set by the secret police, not only in Na/i Germany, but more recently in I.atin American gosern- ments. • • • • YET THE United States was permitting the bead of the FRI to knr»ck down one of the most important foundation stones of John- son's new policy of easing 1 ensions with European Communist n a t i o n s . The President has argued that if the world's two chief atomic powers the USA and USSR can get along together, tbeie will be 110 World War III, Yet the consular treaty, which the United States took the Initiative in negotiating with Russia, has been sty- mied for two years because of J. Edgar Hoover's objec- tion. When Chairman Fulbright, D-Ark, wrote Hoover recently asking him to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in order to thereby straighten out his views, the FRI chief wrote back that his appear- ance was up to Acting At- torney General Ramsey Clark. Fulbright tberctoie promised, in a closed-door M'ssinrj, thnt he be author- bed to write Clark and ask him to send Hoover before the Senate Committee to testify. One senator. Frank • Lsuscbe, D-Ohio. seemed re- luctant 1ft have Hoover put on the s|xit at all, but final- ly went along with the proposed letter. nthcr senators, remem- bering that Hoover had ducked out of two previous Invitations to testify, were eager to have the committee to go on record that Hoover must he called, whether he wanted to go or not. one sour episode in his career as an astronaut He wag ordered June 29, 1965, to attend a water- melon festival in Hampton, S,C, to honor Congressman L Mendel R+vers, D-S, C.^ the white-maned, whiskey- swilling House Armed Serv- ices chairman. , Reluctantly, G r I s s o m agreed to attend, along with Astronauts John Glenn and John Young. The crew-rut Grlssom was notified that he would be called upon to. say a few words as spokes- man for the trio and would be expected to praise Rivers. The astronaut, an Air Force officer, did as he was commanded, putting in a good word for Rivers, then going on to extol the moon program. Afterward, he complained to friends that he didn't enjoy doing a trained-seal act for a politi- cian, particularly one who didn't stay sober enough to appreciate the performance. Grissom fpiietly served no- tice on bis -superiors that he never again wanted to he Used for political purposes. One la tha enemy's rat* of loaa; snd tha other Is tha rile It which he rrst ra- plaae hla tessaa. Tha northern bombing la an important beeatiaa ft so greatly affoeta the enemy's replacement- rate Since 1964, local recruitment In South Vietnam b >s never come within miles of meeting the enemy's replacement needs In tha first Sig months of last year, by enor- mous and costly efforts, Hanoi managed to bring tha averaga rata of Infiltration to the rather high flgujft of 7,000 Northern regular soldiers a monlh. Even so. the loss-replacement haJanea was far from satlafsctory. In the last six months of 1<>66, tha cumulative effects of our Northern bombing then began to -chow In a dramatic manner. The tnfll-' (ration rate was In fact cut, according to the Pentagon's best estimates, by no less than 75 per cent. In other words, the monthly Inflow of Northern soldiers, tosarva grant's world CIKLING THE VATICAN as replacements In tha South, dropped to only about 1,799 men a month For the same period, tha enemy's heavy rate of loss remained approximately con' slant. And this happened al. Angler's 2nd Cast Saves Man By REV. iAMES KELLER A barber hookeo a drown- ing, man with a 50-foot cast and reeled him ft shore on Lake Erie last summer. .Seeing * man caught in an 'undertow, the barber called to a woman holding a fishing bol? 1 who was in -a nearby b o a t . She threw the pole to him. and the barber m a d e .1 cast toward the struggling swimmer. Tlie first cast missed. KE1XER Ruling in his line, the barber made a second. It connected "Two hooks 'caught tha, second time," the .barber related. "Ope caught on. a toe of his right foot artd the other caught on his trousers: "HE <;RABBE!» hold of the line and I started to pull him in. I hollered for- him to hang on and then t went out and brought him to shore. 1 ' Those who are habitually readv t<> go to the assistance of persons in dire need hav* the assurance that the I-ord can u^e their patiently de- veloped abilities for good; in ways they scarcely expect. • • * "W> a*note thnt in nrry- thtnij tiorf tiorks for tjood ii'ifa fftoae vhr> 1r»e Hon." Inspire me to Improve. 0 <oid, so that I may heeom* a belter Instrument of Your prov Idence. THE FAMILY CIRCUS ners' seemingly adopted a new policy of ordering their big units to elude combat if possible. IN THE period before combat began to be eluded, the grisly "body-counts" were riunning at a level a bit above 5,000 a month, on a three-month moving aver- age. Today, again ori a three-mortth moving aver-. age. they are running at aliout 4,900 a month. Thesa figures of course represent. the dead who are left'mi the field of battle in deflanca of VX\ discipline. A con- servative, estimate of the enemy's total current rata of loss from all causes, in- cluding disease, is 12.000 a month; and it may be' a good deal higher. With only 1,7(10 men 4 mopth coming in from the North, the most extreme" pre^s gang recruitment in the South can hardly bring the enemy's total qf* avails aide replacements above 3,000 men a month. If the loss rate continues at T2,(X")0 *• a month, and the replacement rate at only 4,000 a month, there can be no ques. tion about rhe final result. It will be the defeat of the enemy's big units. Yet that still leaves many unanswered questions. Can Hanoi find vvavs to bring up the infiltration rate agai,n? One must wait and (see the January,- February and' March Infiltration rate figures,- If-high Josses and low'replacements knock th* enemy's big units out of tha war, how will this hitter and demoralizing defeat affect the V.C.'s widespread guerrilla infrastructure? Again, one must wait and see. And may not the President start image-making once more, .viclding a unilateral bombing halt after all, and there. bv risking • every gain al- ready made? Yet again, one musl wait and see. NO TRAINED SEAL— Friends of the veteran space explorer. CUB Grissom, one of the three victim* of th» tragic flash fire aboard the Apollo spacecraft ha was supposed to command, recall ..lJiMt»aWUUKiaaWIIU^ bv Irickmort I t Thomas M. Tryniski 309 South 4th Street Fulton New York 13069 www.fultonhistory.com

War^ - in Vietnam Is in Sight 14/Long Island City...war in South Wt nam now seems to ha rather...

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