Ky Said To Be Against Vietnam Peace Talks

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30945, 29 December 1965, Page 11

Ky Said To Be Against Vietnam Peace Talks

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright)

GARDEN CITY (New York), December 28.

A former aide to Adlai Stevenson reported yesterday that South Vietnam’s Premier (General Ky) had privately, but officially, informed the United States that he would not agree to unconditional negotiations now to end the Vietnam war.

The report was contained in a copyright story from Washington published in “Newsday,” a Long Island afternoon papjr, by Clayton Fritchey.

Fritchey, who joined “Newsday” as a columnist three weeks ago, served as a special assistant to Mr Stevenson, the late United States delegate to the United Nations, and was director of the American United Nations Mission’s office of Public Affairs. He said the United States State Department “has chosen to suppress Premier Ky’s declaration.”

Fritchey wrote: “Moreover, President Johnson and Secre-

tary of State, Rusk have . . . continued to insist publicly that the only obstacle to peace

negotiations is the ‘instransigence’ of North Vietnam. The evidence, however, is that the South Vietnam Government is just as implacably against peace talks as Hanoi, if not more so.”

Fritchey said that General Ky gave among his reasons for

not wanting negotiations the belief that the move would be interpreted as appeasement on his part and lead to the overthrow of his Government. General Ky’s other reasons, according to the article, were: The staunchly anti-Communist elements among the South Vietnamese forces would seize power to foil any peace conference. A move towards a peaceful compromise would undermine morale and lead to

the collapse of the South Vietnamese war effort.

Fritchey said it was no secret in Saigon that General Ky and the South Vietnamese Chief of State (General Van Thieu) had privately been speaking out for months against any peace talks.

Fritchey said that although President Johnson had repeatedly said he would negotiate at any time and at any

place such negotiations would be meaningless without the South Vietnamese GovemIment’s co-operation.