SENATOR CONDEMNS U.S. POLICY

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30736, 28 April 1965, Page 17

SENATOR CONDEMNS U.S. POLICY

(N Z P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, April 27.

A leading United States Senator yesterday denounced American policy in Vietnam as “immoral and godless” and said the Secretary of State, Mr Dean Rusk, and the Secretary of Defence, Mr Robert McNamara, should have been removed from office months ago.

Senator Wayne Morse, a Democrat (President Johnson’s Party), expressed fear of

a general war in South-east He told the Senate that if President Johnson “continues to follow the ill-advice of McNamara and Rusk, he is going out of office as the most discredited President in American history.” Senator Morse spoke after Senate Republican leader, Senator Everett Dirksen, threw cold water on suggestions that an international conference on Cambodia might provide an opening for informal discussions of the Vietnamese war. Mr Rusk announced last night that the United States has notified Britain and several other countries it would be glad to participate in a Canmbodian conference if one were arranged.

Senator Dirksen told reporters it is his “documented opinion” that any such conference would be limited to talks on Cambodian independence and neutrality. He declined to give the source of his information. Senator Morse said Mr McNamara told a Pentagon news conference yesterday that he did not believe Russia or China would enter the war.

He said: “My answer, Mr Secretary, is, suppose they do?

“1 happen to think our plans to escalate the war leaves them no course but to come into this war.” Senator Morse saiii Mr McNamara “has been so irre-

sponsibly wrong for so long that any prediction that McNamara makes about the future course of this war in Asia, in my judgment, should be discounted and completely discredited.” Senator Morse said Mr Rusk made a “shocking” speech on Friday night criticising the academic world.

He said 80 per cent of the academic community opposes

the “Johnson-Rusk-McNamara war.” Senator Morse also told the Senate that reporters in South Vietnam were “muzzled” and said United States Government spokesmen “are not telling the people the facts.” He said some reporters had been arrested by the American military to prevent them from gaining access to some areas.