European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Fag the stars and stripes returning editor sums up War weary vietnamese resent yanks a of stripes to columns editor s note the writer of the following has just returned for assign ment in Washington after a tour in Vic Mam As unite press International Saigon Bureau manager directing War coverage. Here he sums up his own opinion of the War. Up by Eugene v. R1sherwashington up despite optimism about the course of the War in Vietnam Progress has been exceedingly slow. American troops now num Ber 530,000. One in every nine men in South Vietnam is a american engaged in the War Effort. But despite this Mas Sive buildup the Viet Cong Are As Strong As they Ever have been. Despite the undoubted hero ism of thousands of american and vietnamese men there i Little to indicate that Ameri Ca is farther along now than when 1 arrived in Vietnam in december 1966. My overwhelming impression of Vietnam after 18 months is one of terrible tragedy. There is growing War weariness among its peo ple and rising resentment against the americans. The Viet Cong have begun using indiscriminate terror ism lobbing rockets aimlessly into the heart of Saigon. Charts show increasingly heavy casualties inflicted on the Viet Cong and North Viet namese forces but these facts stand out the enemy troops control More territory in South Vietnam now than they did18 months ago. They Are fighting with bet Ter weapons massing troops in greater concentrations an killing americans at double the rate of 1967. These facts would not have such significance if Progress had been made on the political front for Here is where the War will be won or lost. But this is the area of greatest disappointment. The regime of president Nguyen Van Thieu with a for tune in american Money Back ing it has not been Able so far to create any political Force to rival the Viet Cong. More than 20 years of War in South Vietnam have failed to produce any political figure or political Force that can Weld the nation s people into an effective unified non communist Effort the tragedy of Vietnam i that the allies face the possibility that what they Are trying Towin will be destroyed in the process. Casualties among the civilian population have been greater so far this year than military losses on either Side. About one fourth of the nation s people Are War refugees. They Are a vast Reservoir of dangerous discontent that has american officials in Vietnam concerned. The stepped up attacks by Cheviet Cong Are seen by some Al lied strategists As a sign of desperation a last gasp Effort to win significant military victories before getting Down to hard negotiations at Paris. They Point to the fact that the Viet Cong now Are recruit ing 13 and 14-year-Olds into their ranks and Are taking chances they would not have taken while conserving their forces. There is no doubt that Hanoi has increased the Tempo of the War. It has abandoned at Leas for the present its strategy of a Long protracted fight which would eat away at Allied strength and gradually weaken the will of the allies. But this appears to be More calculated change based on the belief that prospects of Success Are better than they have been or will be. The factors that went into the decision arc numerous and both i comment favourable and unfavourable to in communist cause. U the most important u  american Public of Ion against the War irs United states is i Fung to Kei half a million soldiers in 87 Nara indefinitely the conme nests have Little Chance of 2 Ning. Another is the Lack of Prograis far by the Thieu governs and perhaps the fear thai i would make significant Progress in the future. A third is the military Situ Uon. While the Viet Cong have gained in strength the Allie have proportionately become stronger. . Troop strength a increased by about 150,000 since the beginning of 1967 and the South vietnamese armed forces Are improving. Moratorium on Aid could undermine he s 6oins Gro problem child peace talks Clifford says Washington up de sense Secretary Clark Clifford warned in a letter released Here that a proposed one year moratorium in the . Foreign Aid program could undermine the Vietnam talks now under Way in  expressed his concern in a letter to chairman Thomas in House testimony hash deflates homito9 idea Washington a . Secretary of state Dean Rusk says militant communism poses a threat to Southeast Asia but that it need not be viewed As a game of dominoes. Testifying before Ahouse appropriations sub committee last May 22 on the 1369 foreign Aid pro Gram Rusk was asked by representative Donald Riegler Michigan Fortis current views on the so called Domino the Ory that holds that if South Vietnam Falls to communism other coun tries of the Region will Fol Low. In the testimony mad Public recently Rusk is quoted As saying he never bad discussed the South East Asia problem interns of the Domino the Ory because it seems More serious and obvious than  Secretary continued at the present time the North vietnamese have 30,000 or 40,000 trained troops in Laos. At the present time North Viet namese trained guerrillas Are operating in the North Eastern part of Thailand. At the present time Prince Sihanouk is complaining about what thei teds Are doing in his own country both in the West and in the Northeast an has made Public state ments. Blaming this on Hanoi and peking. We have reports of agents and arms coming in across the North East Ern Frontier of Burma. It seems to me that if one wants to think of Dom inoes the dominoes Are there and there is activity but i do not think one needs to think of an esoteric  theory is the the Ory of militant  Dean Rusk Morgan d-pa., of the House foreign affairs committee. Morgan in an Effort to save the$2.3 billion foreign Aid authorization when it comes to a vote thursday sent a copy of Clifford s letter to each of his433 colleagues. Rep. Paul Rogers d-fla., an opponents of the foreign Aid program have suggested with holding any new foreign Aid funds Tor a year while Congre stakes a hard look at the program. But Morgan said cuts deeper than the $600 million his committee slashed from the administration request would fail to consider the programs vital bearing on the present and the future of the  Clifford backed up Morgan View on the seriousness of any severe cuts both in the $390million earmarked by the committee for military Aid an the $1.9 billion marked for economic assistance. Significant cuts in military Aid said Clifford would substantially eliminate . Ability to help Friendly nations defend themselves. The Impact of a drastic curtailment or a Complete moratorium in economic Aid on countries such As Korea and Thailand would be immediate and calamitous Clifford add ed.,"discontinuation of Aid to South Vietnam and Laos could create internal situations which would prejudice the Paris peace negotiations and the accomplishment of our objectives i Southeast Asia. Our ability to retain key bases and facilities in a number of developing countries would inevitably be threatened Clif Ford  House was scheduled to Start debate on the measure tuesday. It put aside the Bill wednesday so that Mem Bers could attend the funeral of the late Hep. Joe Pool dtex.,who died sunday. Votes on amendments and on final passage Are slated for thurs Day. Drop Kan edition com my a Campbell Usa it. Cou v. I Michael jr., a of v Gnu to Mert Proctor blk sri. Frank is Hin Rybut bin circuit thl newspaper an utfeorii4 publication of the. Depar7, Zayd the Cal . Armed Force , the Iura and of tripe. 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