Ford helpless

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33806, 1 April 1975, Page 15

Ford helpless

’ALM SPRINGS ( March 3 President lord, deeply concerned about the tall ol Da Nang to the Communists, today appears helpless in his desire to relieve the worsening military situation tor the South Vietnamese Government.

Four United States Naw transport vessels are still steaming towards the coast of South Vietnam, but their mission, originally to pick up refugees from Da Nang, is in doubt.

Mr l ord yesterday ordered the ships to keep out of combat zones and to withdraw without firing back if they were attacked by Communist forces near V ietnamese waters.

His instruction was apparently designed to avoid a repetition of the Tonkin Gulf incident in 1964. which alleged torpedo-boat attacks on American warships led to direct United States intervention in Vietnam.

Mr Ford, in Palm Springs for a working Easter holi-

day. conferred throughout yesterday with the Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger) and Washington officials. In a statement through his press secretary, Mr Ronald Nessen, the President limited his immediate reaction to the tall ot Da Nang to drawing ih< world's attention to the refugees trapped there, and describing it as “an im mense human tragedy that should be deeply disturbing to all civilised mankind." Beyond that, the White House said, its information was so sketchy that it did not know what could he done. Congress having shied away from the military aid request, and the American sealift of refugees now uncertain. Mr l ord seems to be powerless. North Vietnam and 'he \ iet Cong both condemned Mr Ford yesterday for ordering in the rescue ships, saying that the move was a grave breach of the 1973 Paris peace agreements, under which the war was supposed to stop.