TROUBLE FOR NIXON Growing reaction to war

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32540, 25 February 1971, Page 11

TROUBLE FOR NIXON Growing reaction to war

(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter—Copyright)

WASHINGTON, February 24.

President Nixon today faced signs of rising discontent at home with the Indo-China war, while the Laotian battlefield tested the combat resolve of his South Vietnamese allies.

The relatively quiet reaction to the United Statessupported thrust by South Vietnamese troops into southern Laos ended yesterday when Senate Democrats approved a resolution calling for the withdrawal of all American troops by the end of 1972. The vote was 31 to eight, with 16 absentees.

The unprecedented move by the majority party in Congress promised new trouble ahead for the President, who has consistently refused to tie himself to a rigid timetable for final disengagement from IndoChina. Anti-war groups are also stirring into new life. Senator Edmund Muskie, the Democrats’ main hope for wresting the White House from Mr Nixon in 1972, was the main speaker at an IndoChina teach-in at - the University of Pennsylvania last night and went even further than the party caucus by supporting a complete withdrawal by the end of this year.

The growing reaction against the war comes amid

reports 'from the field that are causing concern about the effectiveness bf the South Vietnamese forces in Laos. Some commentators are openly dubious over Administration claims that the Laotian operation is going well. But the White House adviser, Mr Henry Kissinger, told Republican Congressional leaders yesterday that the offensive, in spite of set-

: backs, had already cut three : of the four major North Vieti namese supply routes to the i south. The Defence Secretary (Mr . Melvin Laird) was also basic- . ally optimistic in remarks to . reporters yesterday, but he predicted heavy fighting in , Laos and Cambodia within the next 10 days. ’ President Nixon is expec- ' ted to give a detailed explan--1 ation of his Indo-China poli- ' cies in his annual State of the World message which he will send to Congress tomorrow.

He entirely ignored the war in his State of the Union message last month, but will handsomely redress the balance in the foreign policy report, a document of some 65,000 words. The President, for the first time, will report to the American people on the Laotian operation when he gives a live radio address on foreign policy on Thursday morning.