◆ SpookStack

t It would be expected that this courageous cratic of the military government would — hold such opinions, but they were confirmed by numerous interviews with newsmen, diplomats, government workers, volunteers and Vietnamese from various walks: of -- iife. ™ Sey PCr a er ee ed ee . I revisited a Chieu Hoi center for VC defectors in I Corps and found that the populetion of the camp in.one yeer had dropped from 300-to B9. A tour = - of the camp revealed little, if any, meaningful activity politically end the program t© provide productive skills consisted of nine sewing machines and two barber chairs -Visits to the refugee camps confirmed the reports appearing in the American press as to the lack of sanitetion, water facilities or cultivable land and attests to | their overcrowded conditions with demorslization of the young and old alike. The American government has made several statements respecting increased aid to- i refugees and more attention to treating the thousands of civilian casualties but to date these have lergely been promises for the future. Given the increased -.- pattern of intensified war, one can only conclude that we are deluding ourselves if we think our present methods in Vietnam are “winning hearts and minds". lh. The Nationelists One is struck on a visit to Vietnam with the number of moderate nation- alists who, inspite of a rather harsh police state, continue to make known to any - observer their belief that a solution to the war must involve the creation of a government in the Sscigon-controlled areas which is not dominated by a military junta and which will be willing to enter negotiations with the National Liberation Front leading to some form of coalition government which is based on the power realities with which South Vietnam is confronted today. When the term nationalist : is used we are speaking of various political leaders, intellectuals, professors, : student leaders and Buddhists who are basicelly anti-¥C but who feel that it is better to attempt to create a govern nent based upon negotiations among the . Vietnamese rather than to continue with the destruction of their country, the enormous casualties, the growing corruption and degeneration of their culture } plus the possibilities of a totally expanded war throughout the whole Southeast — Asian area. As one youthful Buddhist leader stated, "It is time for the Buddhists t to negotiate with the National Liberation Front. At least they are Vietnamese : whereas there is no hope with the Americans who are destroying our country". All of South Vietnam's Catholic bishops recently joined in a statement calling for an end of the war and negotiations with the NLF and Hanoi. _caeeemtteerle niente WE a Teh 7 Dr. Ton That Thien whe is currently a professor at Yan and who was the editor ef the Vietnam Guardian, a newspaper which has been closed by the Saigon government for over. twelve months, said, “Why, if the United States wants to punish or contain China, bamb Vietnam? Why pick on us? Why do you send people who kmow absolutely nothing about Vietnam to devise programs for Vietnam? Why do you support a corrupt military government? ; Cannot we have a true nationalist government which will negotiate with the i communists? Diem wanted -that, so he was killed. He was really a nationalist, : so I supported him, but he was killed. How can you fight communism with this military government? The people have no respect for this eovernmment. The other aes PV Pet 4b 6h Re a we we eee wee ad 3 e BS & 5 of S 4 eee Sere ae ee side is unreasonable, Ho Chi Minh blindly resists. Do they want Vietnam destroy- ed, the genocide of a people? That is what is happening. The Americans are making millions of refugees and killing masses of others.- Are you trying to win us with this bombing? The bombing of a tiny and poor country? —27-