Pentagon’s secrecy criticised

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33141, 3 February 1973, Page 18

Pentagon’s secrecy criticised

WASHINGTON. A Congressional subcommittee has suggested that the Pentagon imposed incredible secrecy on unauthorised air .strikes against North [Vietnam a year ago to protect senior officials, including General John Lavelle, who was dismissed. It raised the possibility of tacit approval of the bombings by the general’s military

superiors and : perhaps, by civilian authorities. The House of Representatives Armed Services Investigating Sub-committee raised the issue in releasing a report and transcript on its probe of the raids made in late 1971, and early 1972, by General Lavelle, then United States Air Force Commander in Vietnam. The general was relieved of command in March, demoted from a four-star to two-star rank and retired from the Air Force. But the incidents started investigations by the House sub-committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee. These led to delays in confirming General Creighton Abrams, former American commander in Vietnam as Army Chief of Staff. As Vietnam commander, General Abrams was General Lavelle’s superior. The House Armed Services Sub-committee is controlled

by members who normally support the Administration’s military policies, but it sharply criticised the Defence Department for imposing secrecy on the case. But the sub-committee, headed by a Congressman, Mr Edward Hebert (Democrat, Louisiana), praised General Lavelle for recognising the need to take action against the improved North Vietnamese aircraft defences. The report declared that the later modifications of the protective reaction rules governing United States attack in the North "clearly demonstrated that General Lavelle’s efforts to give his pilots a fighting chance against the imposed enemy system were not only proper, but essential.” The report by the House panel said that it was unlikely that General Lavelle, who “lived by the book” during his 32 years as an Air

Force officer, would have jeopardised a brilliant career bv engaging in actions which if discovered could almost

bring him dishonour and disgrace. The panel said that therefore questions were raised which could not be ignored. “It is not necessary to catalogue all of the probabilities which might oe examined, but they extended some possible tacit approval of General Lavelle’s actions by his superiors, to possible civilian direction of the bombings,” the House panel said. It added: "Vigorous denials ny those who possibly were involved could neither be collaborated nor refuted without a review of all relevant documentary evidence. Such a review, however, was impossible to the subcommittee,” the report said. “How much of that evidence might still be available is questionable, from the incredible secrecy with which some Department of Defence representatives have surrounded this case suggests that the files may have been thorough!'/ san.tised by this time.” The House Sub-committee! report, written before the break-down of Vietnam, peace talks, and the latest' resumption of bombing, said: “The enlarged bombing offen- [ ~ive, beginning in April this! year, which subjects all military targets and all military I lines of communications ' within North Vietnam to attack, appears to have resulted in a significant increase in the earnestness of the North Vietnamese peace' negotiators.” !