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cee ert ete ° ‘ : 7 te %, * © a . A bombing now equel in tonnege to that dropped in all of World War II? Vietnam will be crushed between communism and capitalism and we want neither! Vietnamese with no money or jobs are forced to work on your pzyroll and our society is becoming corrupt. Even if the war were to finish now it would take three genera tions to recover." This is typical of the opinions of the netionalists who feel that they cannot resolve their own Vietnamese differences because the Americans will not permit it. Among the nationalists holding this view are some who are currently in B Ang . “the Seigon government itself. They have become increasingly despairing of the ability to maintain programs based on real accomplishment and integrity in a tide wave of corruption surrounding the billions which the United States is pouring ir the Vietnam effort. Two government liaders actively working in national program: stated to me that the corruption involving USAID materials was "total". In one case one government worker insisted thet no USAID material enter the area in whic he was working as it made his job impossible and it would be better to have no aid than to be surrounded by the corruption which negated his every effort. One would like to quote these individuals by name and identify them but Americans must realize that the Vietnamese live in a tight and rigid police state in which police agents and counter-intelligence agents ere everywhere. As one student leader put it, "We do not have the money or resources to know the full sory of the penetration of the CIA but let me say we smell. them everywhere." Buddhist leaders are particularly wetched by the police and in many cas must report weekly to the police. Some are unable to return to their own village or cities, such as Hué, from which they came. Interviews with leaders of Buddhit educational institutions convince one that they are operating under enormous government pressure and surveillance. In fact, the recent mobilization order whi lowered the dreft ege from 21 to 1B provides for conscripts into the South Vietnamese army to serve 15 years. Recently ten Buddhist students were drefted out of their university into the army and subsequently staged a hunger strike in protest against the new hobilization order. This mobilization order, of course, came about because of the American pressure to force the Vietnamese to participa’ _ more actively in the war, a thing that they are obviously increasingly reluctant to do. In two interviews Thich Tri Quang, the most forceful and well-known * Buddhist leader in South Vietnam, stated that one cannot discuss a coalition government or reletions with the NLF or even the Americans without first stoppin, the war. Thich Tri Quang also stated that present American policy created communists. He said the policy wes 60 disastrous that every objective as stated about producing a Vietnam according to American objectives was unobtainable. He felt, therefore, that the present policy must be reversed before the other questions could be dealt with as the war made these questions impossible to resolve, There is no doubt that as the war proceeds even the nationalists may be reluctantly driven to closer collaboration with the NLF as moderate and middle ground.is eliminated by the Americans. The very Vietnamese group which could enter into negotiations with the NLF and who could moderate and have substantial effect on arly NLF program, the Buddhists, is being harshly dealt wit by the American establishment in conjunction with the Thieu-Ky government as we press on for elusive military victory. The inability to have free and open elections, the inability for a press to function within the Saigon-controlled areas, the inability of Vietnamese groups to meet and discuss their own future - makes it unlikely that the Americans can extricate themselves from Vietnam. we, -~ Oo — -28-