N.Z. opposed bombing

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32634, 16 June 1971, Page 2

N.Z. opposed bombing

(By

BRUCE KOHN.

N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent)

WASHINGTON, June 14. The New Zealand Government expressed grave doubts to Washington about the American decision to begin the bombing of North Vietnam in 1964.

This was revealed by the “New York Times” today in a continuation of its multi-page revelations of the Johnson Administration’s decisions to increase United States involvement in the Indo-China conflict.

The newspaper said the Holyoake Government expressed grave doubts that the bombing would break Hanoi’s will, and predicted that it might increase infiltration to South Vietnam.

The publication by the “New York Times” of what

purports to be official documents of the Johnson Admin-

istration during the months leading up to the decision to mount bombing raids on North Vietnam has led to a furore here.

The Pentagon today contended that a violation of national security had been involved. The Defence Secretary (Mr Melvin Laird) announced that he had referred to the Justice Department the alleged violation arising from the publication of the documents.

A Pentagon spokesman said an investigation was going on to determine who gave the documents to the newspaper, and whether the newspaper was liable for publishing them.

But, significantly, in terms of both the American and allied debate in relation to the involvement in Vietnam, Mr Laird did not challenge the authenticity of the material published by the “New York Times.”

The documents reveal that when making the decision to bomb North Vietnam the President said he wanted new, dramatic, and effective forms of assistance from several allies, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines. President Johnson made this comment during discussion of what countries were to be briefed on the White House decision to begin the bombing.

Mr William Bundy was despatched on December 4 to brief both the New Zealand

and Australian Governments on both phases of the bombing plan.

Phase one involved the bombing of North Vietnamese supply routes in the Laotian panhandle, and the second phase was a sustained air war against the north.

The writer of the Administration’s documents quoted by the “New York Times” says that while Britain, New Zealand, and Australia were given a full picture of what was intended, the Canadians were told slightly less and the Philippines. South Korea and , the Chinese Nationalist Government on Taiwan were briefed on phase one only.