VIETNAM ‘DEAL’ PREDICTED

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30529, 26 August 1964, Page 4

VIETNAM ‘DEAL’ PREDICTED

(N.g. Press AssoctaHon—GepgripM) WASHINGTON, Aujuat 25. A United States Central Intelligence Agency document saying that victory over the Communists in South Vietnam was doubtful end that eventually it could be necessary to make a neutralisation deal, did not represent United States policy, senior Government officials said mi Washington.

The 45-page paper, pre* pared by Mr Willard Matthias, of the C.I.A. board of national estimates, attempts to assess developments in various parts of the world within the framework of the Soviet-American ’ power relationship. Written early, this year, It has been circulated among Government agencies with a note that it had the general approval of the C.I.A. board which, however, had made no attempt to reach complete agreement on every point of it.

Government officials are obviously disturbed by the possible political implications of the document at the present time, inasmuch as Senator Goldwater, the Republican presidential candidate, is accusing the Democrats of a “no win’’ foreign policy. The officials said they wanted to emphasise that the paper had never been presented to or considered by President Johnson’s National Security Council or the toplevel United States Intelligence Estimate Board. Officials disclosed the existence of the document when they learned it had been offered for publication as a major outline of United State* policy. They said that this was not true. The ideas were only one man’s opinion. The part of the document on South Vietnam said:

"The counter-guerrilla effort continues to flounder, partly because of the inherent difficulty of the problem and partly because the late President Ngo Dinh Diem’s successors have not yet demonstrated the leadership and the inspiration necessary. “There remains serious doubt that victory can be won, and the situation remains very fragile. If large-scale United

State* support continues tad if further political dutsrioratitm within South Vietnam I* prevented, at lout a prolonged stalemate can be attained. “There is also a chance that political evolution within the country and developments upon the world scene could lead to some kind of negotiated settlement based upon neutralisation."