Secret agreement alleged

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33814, 10 April 1975, Page 13

Secret agreement alleged

t By

THOMAS B. ROSS,

of the “Chicago Sun Times." through N.Z.P.A.)

WASHINGTON

April 9

Senator Henry Jack-

son has indicated that lhe Nixon Administration made secret agreements to re-enter the Vietnam war to save the Saigon Government from a major Communist offensive.

Senator Jackson, Democrat, Washington, said only that the agreements envisioned fateful American decisions — but sources close to him said that he had been told they involved troops and the use of force. Senator Jackson yesterday called on President Ford to make the agreements public, and threatened to crossexamine Administration officials under oath unless he did so.

The White House Press' Secretary (Mr Ron Nessen); had no immediate comment.! But other Administration officials insisted that there were! no agreements beyond those! made publicly by the former! President, Richard Nixon. The officials said that Mr Nixon] made it clear in his State of] the World message in 1973 i that he intended to continue ] economic and military aid to! South Vietnam and would not! tolerate violations of the! Paris peace accords. To underline his intention,! the officials said that Mr; Nixon left large numbers of; United States bombers in; Thailand. Senator Jackson indicated! in advance that he would not! be satisfied with such! explanations, and that he' !would demand all documents! ;embodying or reflecting these! secret agreements. "The fact is. that Congress lis being accused of violating icommitments and obligations!

it never heard of,” the senator declared.

He was referring to recent] press conferences in which! Ford and the Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger)! implied that Congress would; be to blame for the. fall of! South Vietnam — for failing to provide an additional! $3OO million in aid. Senator Jackson implied! that he would seek to shift the blame to the Administration, for secretly building up the expectations of President Nguyan Van Thieu, without clearing it with Congress. The senator also implied that he would place the major share of the blame on Dr Kissinger — who carried out the Vietnam negotiations on Mr Nixon’s behalf, and presumably would have known of any secret agreements. “In fairness to President Ford,” Senator Jackson declared in his Senate speech. “I think it is only i recently that he found out.” Mr Ford was reported to have told a group of White I House visitors last month that he did not know what 'promises, if any. had been I made at the Paris peace ! talks. But last week the President ■spoke of solemn commit-! ments. i Immediately after the accords we signed in January,! 1973, a spokesman for President Thieu declared that Mr Nixon had promised him that if the cease-fire was violated; in a blatant way, the United! States will intervene again! immediately. The Paris accords prohibi-j ted any large movement of North Vietnamese troops into South Vietnam, such as that which preceded the current Communist offensive. The Chicago Sun-Times re- ! ported last Sunday that President Thieu ordered his fateful withdrawal from the northern provinces after beicoming convinced that the

United States would not provide the bombing he expected. Senator Jackson’s charges, and the clear implication that he is being supplied confidential information, reflected the high-level split inside the Administration over how to handle the rapidly eroding situation in Vietnam.

Dr Kissinger is reportedly to be urging Mr Ford to take a hard line in defending the Administration, and attacking Congress for cutting aid and banning the reintroduction of United States forces —particularly air power. But a group of White House advisers close to Mr Ford is understood to be urging him to patch up things iwith Congress.

They are believed to want; the President to let the blame; shift to the Saigon Govern-! ment and to Mr Nixon — and; even to Dr Kissinger — for; the way in which the United States withdrawal was negotiated in 1973. Senator Jackson said that he was ready to co-operate with Mr Ford on foreign policy. But he added: “We in Congress cannot play our constitutional role in constructing a coherent foreign policy so long as information to which we are entitled is kept from us. “Nor will the American people have confidence in their Government so long as the commitments made in their name are not revealed to them.”