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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-04885A.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-04885A
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Title
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China War Peril Inpels Inquiry Now - Fullbright
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Description
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Article published in the New York Herald Tribune about the risk of war with China, page unknown
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AI Usage Disclosure
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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.
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Transcript
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- Page 1
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ining.
China War Peril Impels
Inquiry Now-Fulbright
VIET ELECTION SPED
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
SAIGON.
A secret decision was made at last month's Honolulu con-
ference to try to speed up South Viet Nam's elections for a
national legislative body-previously announced for late 1967-
to "early 1967 or as soon as possible," reliable sources indicate.
The sources attributed the decision to substantial Amer-
ican pressure-including the
desire of President Johnson
himself-to speed up the
vote.
Vietnamese observers view
the action as an index of
the desire of the Johnson
administration to attempt to
negotiate a peace settlement
here by offering substantial
concessions to the Hanoi
regime through rearranging
the Saigon political and
governmental structure.
Premier Nguyen Cao Ky,
before the conference, had
announced the late 1967 time-
table, which would give the
government almost two years
to pacify large blocs of the
rural population now under
some Communist control.
Observers here doubt the
anti-Communist South Viet-
namese government will se-
cure and control a safe pro-
portion of the population by
the earlier dates.
The anti-Communist gen-
erals, who actually hold the
reins of power in South Viet
Nam, are considered to be re-
luctant to support the speed-
up, but have little alternative
except to do so.
METHODS
Observers believe there are
two distinct approaches to ne-
gotiation The first is a formal,
"around the table," type of in-
ternational nference
as the 14-nation Geneva
ference which ended the
French Indochina war in 1954,
The second is an "under-the-
table" agreement made by re-
arranging the power structure
within the Saigon political
arena.
Both approaches can be
made simultaneously, but the
second is likely to be more
productive than the first.
This second approach is be-
ing set in motion as the Viet-
namese government begins
its first of an "evolution-
ary" three-stage process for
"democracy-building."
These three stages are:
The formation of
"democracy-building" council.
slated to be named Thursday.
This council of 80 to 100
civilians will include one
representative from the 43
provinces plus representatives
of four religious groupings
and two political parties. This
More on ELECTIONS-P.4
(Continued from page one)
council is to draft a national
constitution and draw up
regulations for future elec-
tions.
The draft constitution
would then be submitted to a
national referendum, cur-
rently scheduled to be held in
November of this year.
Then a national legis-
lative assembly would be
elected.
ernment based on civilian au-
thority, which takes a softer
line
on dealing with the
Communists, would be more
amenable for possible internal
arrangements leading
to a
peace settlement within the
next several years.
As long as Vietnamese poli-
ticians, intellectuals and civic
leaders had to choose between
supporting
the
The civilian politicians have
served notice on the military
junta that either, they
will
get substantial powers-more
than advisory powers--or else
they will resign en masse.
Some reliable sources believe
the military junta may be
creating a political Franken-
stein monster that it will not
be able to control in the
the American- future.
backed, anti-Communist re- The questions raised by
gime or
the Communists, the controversy between Sen.
If the draft constitution most would select-reluctantly Robert Kennedy and
calls for a prime ministerial and with grumbling the Johnson Administration over
system of government-as dis- anti-Communists. Now, how- the possible inclusion of the
tinct from a residential sys- ever, a third choice is being Viet Cong into the Saigon
tem-the national legislative made available-a pro- government will be
answered
body would be responsible for French, pro-neutralist solu-
by the members of the dem-
naming a new government.
ocracy-building council.
The true worry of the anti-
Communists here is not that
the Viet Cong as a political
organization will be included
in the government-they
don't believe the Viet Cong
will now accept it. The worry
is that covert Viet Cong
agents posing as nationalists
will be included, the power
and the opportunity to legally
subvert the future govern-
ment's institutions.
tion.
Catholic leaders, for ex-
The civilian legislative coun-
cil and the constitution ample, have consistently
drafting council are important chosen the Americans over
in that the military junta will the Communists. But many
be phased out of existence and Catholics are French-trained
the legal basis of government and their sympathies will
will be in the hands of elected swing toward the third alter
representatives--probably ci- native.
vilians.
At the sub-surface political
level, the change-over is al-
most certain to shift the gov-
ernment from a hard anti-
Communist line to a softer,
potentially pro-neutralist po-
sition.
Almost all of the members
said to be slated for the demo-
eracy-building council are of
older generations, more in-
fluenced by the French than
by the Americans. Almost all
speak better French than
English, some speak better
French than Vietnamese..
Reliable observers believe
the Hanol regime now finds
unacceptable any negotiations
with a hardline military junta,
which would be a sizeable ob-
stacle to Communist political
maneuvers. However, a gov- is clear:
There has been consider-
able in-fighting and intrigue
in connection with the mem-
bership of the democracy-
building council. But one fact
Almost all the government
agencies-police, army, polit-
ical parties and religious
groupings-are considered to
have been infiltrated long
ago by Communist agents.
One of the most significant
power blocs within the coun
try, which will probably be
represented in the democ
racy-building council, is the
tion. In central Viet Nam-
militant Buddhist organiza-
operating behind American
tactical units the Buddhist
organization is considered-
by other Buddhist leaders-
to be from 50 to 70 per cent
infiltrated by Communist
agents.
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Date
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1966, Jan. 31
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Subject
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Honolulu Conference (1966 : Honolulu, Hawaii); Vietnam War, 1961-1975--China; Peace treaties; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Peace
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Container
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B186
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Format
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newspaper clippings
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
