New Vietnam Aid Programme

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29714, 6 January 1962, Page 11

New Vietnam Aid Programme

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, January 5.

Sweeping reforms designed to raise Vietnamese living standards and provide a barrier against Communist aggression were announced yesterday.

The reforms were announced by the United States and the South Vietnam Governments in a joint communique The programme, to be financed jointly by both countries. will cost the United States “considerably more” than the 136 million dollars given to South Vietnam in economic aid last fiscal year The communique said: “All of these steps economic social, military—demonstrate the desire of both the United States and the Vietnamese Governments to do their utmost to improve the protection and prosperity of the Vietnamese in the face of Communist guerrilla aggression and depredations directed and supported by the Communist regime in Hanoi." The communique said that the United States Government “is furnishing additional aid to assist the Government of Vietnam in maintaining a level of essential imports which the Government of Vietnam could not otherwise finance."

With this combination of dollars and piastres, the communique said the South Vietnamese Government with American material and advisory support—would carry out

the planned economic and social programme “at village and hamlet levels and in citiee.” U.S. officials said that one of the principal rims of the programme was to enable the South Vietnamese Govermment to hold out more to its people than merely their security against Communist aggression.