Yohnson’s peace offensive was an exercise in public relations’

Tesorting to a type of hit-and-run raid. They
high inland beyond their targets and then
@ back and bomb it on the way back to their
altiers. The jet bombers travel so fast that
arently very difficult to hit the target, at
tall target.

he Americans using terror bombing?

Well, you take the bombing of the hospitals.
to figure out why they would bomb them,
iebrosy Institute. I think they bombed it
imes,

Was another hospital they bombed; it was
larked. They destroyed it. One of the Viet-
told us it was done to undermine morale.
ticans bombed the city the day before and
the injured had been taken there. But the
Was evaucated before it was bombed. The
th a kindergarten they bombed in Nam Binh.

ley bombed one school: and they caught the

and the teachers in the school, and they
Indreds: of them. The next day the Americans
rand dropped toys.

@ you were there did anyone comment on
lting of the American bombing?

e left two days before the bombing stopped.
@ was a temporary halt in the bombing for
$ once before. And we did raise this question.
Ho Chi Minh why they hadn't entered nego-

WUite false to suggest that we have been of- .

B0tiations and have turned them down,” Ho
told me. “First of all, when the first pro-
Vere put forward, it’ was President Johnson
d ‘wait until after the election,’ and then later
Secondly, the halting of the bombing didn't
any basis for negotiation other than the con-
aid down by President Johnson in what he
is ‘offer for unconditional negotiations.
t were 2 One: he would not accept the
ee ne He would not deal with
inal Liberation Front in South Vietnam.

hi Minh said that as far as they were con

they were not prepared to negotiate any -

in the status of Vietnam. And President John-
titude Ae te will not deal with the Libera-
°nt in the South blocks any idea of negotia-
‘May be quite easy, for Johnson to tell ane
{0 people that the NLF does not represent t ¢
°f South Vietnam; but the people of - Sout
N know different. It is the NLF against wach
Nt Johnson has been pouring in hundreds 0)
S of well-armed and equipped soldiers for
‘Several years.
NLF has not only defeated his attempt, but
Ntinued to make gains, even in this period.
it controls 80 percent of all the territory ©
ietmam and 90 percent of the people sive it
learted support.
Tesident Johnson to say he won't deal with
tional Liberation Front because it doesn t re-
‘the people of South Vietnam is ridiculous. In
it were not so tragic it would be laughable.
Sno other authority in South Vietnam which
Plement an agreement if it were negotiated.

€d Ho Chi Minh—but what about you? He re-
‘but mon ner ne Vietnam. The Ameri-
ave taken care of that. The Americans have
"med what. was a temporary demarcation line
rontier.”»
Were amazed that the Americans, who are
ftent in the Southern United States to what
in the North, and whose history has best
i different, should have the gall to sugges
fte is some sort of difference between the
e the South Vietnamese.
4d plenty of opportunity to é
® difference between Nowth and South Viet-
Several of the members of the North Viet
i cr™Ament were born in the south. Prenat
Minh was born within a few miles of the
pe cereation line. ae:
oa i i or
People we met in the villages were
heruth a came to the north only to comply
© conditions of the Geneva Treaty, which pro-
athe all armed forces should be withdrawn from

4 does American military technology affect

hting? ee

Well using non-sophisticated weapons they
’ -sophistica ee

Thed to fight a sophisticated war in the con-

x

gee that there -

ditions of their country. For example, the way they’re ~

shooting down American planes with rifles. It’s hard
to believe. To avoid radar the planes come in very’
low. Jet planes apparently have very thin armor—
we saw a few that had been shot down, they obvious-
ly had bullet holes in them.

The planes come over at a relatively high speed.
A rifle bullet wouldn’t bring it down under snormal
conditions. But with the plane coming in low the bul-
lets upset the pilot, or knock something out, and at
that speed and distance from the ground they come
down.

They say it is very effective. They have people
with guns and they are told to sit wherever they are,
no matter where they are, and as soon as the plane
comes in range, just shoot away. When you get a

whole number of- people, some with rifles, some with

machine guns, plugging away at an aeroplane you
can hope one or two will hit.

When you were in Vietnam did you see any
Americans?
Buck: No. We didn’t see any American prisoners. We
heard about them. We were told of one American
pilot who commented on the anti-aircraft defense of
the North. He said: “Flack is bad enough and I sup-
pose the missiles are worse if you meet one; but Yl
take flack and missiles rather than those rifle bullets
when I’m diving to bomb.”

What about aid from the North to South
Vietnam? ;
Murphy: Well, in the North they are surprised that
the Liberation Front can battle the Americans the
way they are. They had anticipated that once a large
grouping of American troops was there the war
would change. For a time the National Liberation
Front hesitated to engage the Americans in combat.
But they found from experience that the Americans
can be defeated. They’re scared of the jungle and
they’re scared of the nights, and they’ve got good
reason to be. They say the morale of the Americans

is low.

If the National Liberation Front says it wants the
North to enter the war, all the North will go.

To what point do you think the war could es-
calate before China or the Soviet Union sends
troops to South Vietnam?

Buck: I think it could very easily escalate into Cam-
bodia and Laos. And the bombing is now so close to
the Chinese frontier that it could easily escalate to
the point where there is bombing of Chinese positions.

It should be borne in mind that China and the
Soviet Union are committed to the assistance of the
Vietnamese people. China has repeatedly offered to
send volunteers and has claimed that many young
Chinese have volunteered to go. Quite a lot of young
men and women in the Soviet Union have also volun-

teered to zo.

“Tim Buck helds up. a silk American “surrender
flag.” It is carried by American airmen and reads, in
14 languages: “I am a citizen of the United States of
America. | do not speak your language. Misfortune

forces me to seek your assistance in obtaining food, |

shelter and protection. Please take me to someone who
will provide for my safety and see that | am returned
-to my people. My government will reward you.” Buck
called it a flag carried by brigands.

I saw massive evidence of Soviet assistance to
Vietnam, not only anti-aircraft guns and missile sites,
but transport, tanks, planes. I would assume the Chi-

‘nese are doing pretty much the same sort of thing.

In every sense excepting the sense of sending soldiers
there the Soviet Uhion and China are involved.

I think that if the U.S. government continues to
escalate the war then the involvement of China, and
perhaps the Soviet Union, will be made unavoidable
in the circumstances existing today.

This whole question of escalation has got to be
seen as part of the brinkmanship which is bringing
the world one step closer to nuclear war.

Do you think the American New Year over-
tures for peace, were sincere?

Buck: No. I think they are an exercise in public rela-

tions. They are aimed at hoodwinking the American

people and at providing excuses for some U.S. allies
who have assured Johnson they agree with him but
that their people won’t tolerate active military sup-
port.

The peace offensive is also designed to provide an

excuse, if necessary, for further escalation of the
war, on the grounds that President Johnson did every-
thing in his power to bring: about negotiations.
_ If he were sincere then. President Johnson would,
through diplomatic channels, invite the North Viet-
namese government and the National Liberation
Front of South Vietnam to exchange notes on the
conditions on which ‘meetings could take place and
on which negotiations could begin.

What do you think should be done to restore
peace in Vietnam?

Buck: I think the one sure way to restore peace is
for the American people to compel President Johnson

- to join the other 14 governments and accept the

Geneva Agreements and comply. with them. Then ‘it
will be quite easy to negotiate the form and manner
in which the treaty can be implemented.

Do you think Hanoi would negotiate on the
terms of the Geneva Treaty? .

Buck: Well, if Johnson’ accepted the Geneva Treaty
they would negotiate immediately. The Geneva Treaty
‘is the bedrock of their position. They accepted it be-
cause they were confident of the American World-
War-Two promise that they could have their inde-
pendence.

_ They don’t want to register that anyone is victor
or vanquished. They don’t want the American forces
in Vietnam, or any. of the forces fighting them, to do
what the French army did, to surrender. They are
quite prepared to have the Americans leave Vietnam
in an orderly sequence over a period of time and to
march out with their bands playing and flags flying.

What role do you think the Canadian govern-
ment should play in this? oe

Buck: I think the Canadian government should urge
President Johnson to accept the Geneva Agreements
and comply with their provisions. The Canadian Gov-.
ernment should point out to. Johnson that he cannot
win a land war in South East Asia, that he cannot de-
stroy the independence of Vietnam except by literally
destroying Vietnam. If he should succeed in doing
that it will make the name of America stink in the
nostrils of the people of the world.

The sensible thing to do is to recognize that the
44 nations which made the Geneva Agreements did
the best that could be done to arrive at a conclusion
by which further changes ‘in Vietnam could take place
in-an orderly way and by methods acceptable to all
the people in the world, that is to say by a plebiscite
of the people.

What can Canadians do to help put an end
‘to the war?

Buck: Canadians who feel strongly the need. to ‘end
this war could continue to press President Johnson,
in all the ways they have used until now. They can
urge the Canadian government to dissociate itself
from American policy in Vietnam.

But also,-they can give material assistance to the
people of Vietnam—medical aid. Thousands of inno-
cent civilians are being killed or injured by American
bombing. They need canned milk or powdered milk
for babjes. Perhaps people could collect money to buy
things such as emergency medical equipment, mater-
ials for emergency hospitals.

- The best way to end the war is to demonstrate to:
President Johnson that the democratic, peace-loving
people of the world are going to help the Vietnamese
until the war is ended.

January 21, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7