The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 55, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 9, 1967 Page: 3 of 12
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threshing-it-out
Williams holds U.S. Vietnam involvement necessary
To the Editor
The Thresher's stand against
the war in Vietnam indicates an
idealism and goodness of heart
that does credit to its editors.
Nevertheless, loaded words
(as in your editorial of Octo-
ber 26) like "senseless, immoral
war," "aimless" war, "rotten"
and "ineffectual" government in
Washington, and so on, show
little regard for historical fact.
In the October 28 issue of the
"Saturday Review" (a magazine
often bitterly critical of the war
in Vietnam) Mr. Harold C.
Brackman points out that when,
early in 1965, the United States
commenced its deep involvement
in Vietnam, "the United States
had no other option."
At that time the outstanding
political facts of the Southwest
Pacific area were these:
1. The South Vietnamese gov-
ernment had suffered a series
of military coups, and was on
the verge of another. The na-
tion was split into a dozen war-
ring factions, and was about to
collapse.
2. The South Vietnamese
army was on a steep and disas-
trous downslope of defeat and
defection; and the terror tactics
of the National Liberation Front
controlled most of the popula-
tion.
3. In neighboring Laos the
communist Pathet Lao forces
were on a rampage that was in-
creasingly successful because of,
the aid poured into their army
by North Vietnam and commu-
nist China.
4. The foreign minister of
communist China had publicly
announced that Thailand was
the next target for a communist
takeover, and promised military
action against Thailand "within
the year."
5. In vast and populous Indo-
nesia, President Sukarno was
converting his nation to a com-
munist state, proclaiming- an
Indonesia-China "axis" against
"the common enemy" (the
United States), and. launching
military operations against the
democratic states of Malaya,
Singapore, and North Borneo.
6. Australia was so alarmed
that it commenced army mobili-
zation, and instituted its first
peace-time draft; and both Aus-
tralia and New Zealand were
pressing the United States to
honor its commitments under
the SEATO treaty.
7. The Chinese communist
armies had just been making
determined thrusts against In-
dia's borders.
8. The Chinese communists
were busy trying to gain a foot-
hold among the emergent na-
tions of Africa.
9. Chairman Mao, relentless
advocate of an expanionist com-
munism and of destruction of
America, seemed to be at the
height of his power and influ-
ence in Asia.
10. The entire communist bloc
in Asia were plainly driving
toward the Indian Ocean in or-
der to gain on its shores a stra-
tegic base from which moves
toward Africa and India would
have been immeasurably facili-
tated.
America's move into this sit-
uation was hardly "aimless,"
"senseless," "purposeless," as
your editorial suggests. Per-
haps, as most of my idealistic
friends will say (and most of
my friends are idealists), this
"Asian mess" was no concern of
ours. It was happening half a
world away, and was a matter
for Asiatics to settle among
themselves.
But 1 well remember that, in
the late 1930's, I had the same
kind of idealistic friends who
said the same things when Hit-
ler sent his troops into the
Rhineland—when he took over
independent Austria — when he
took over the Sudetenland —
when he took over Czechoslo-
vakia. It was no concern of ours;
it was happening half a world
away; and it was a matter for
Europeans to settle among
themselves.
I did not trust the judgment
of my idealist friends then, and
I do not trust their judgment
now.
As for the war being "inef-
fectual," the facts are that,
since the Americans began mak-
ing their presence felt in South
Vietnam in February, 1965, the
following things have come
about:
1. The South Vietnamese gov-
ernment has been stabilized;
and though it is not perfect, it
is better than any that pre-
ceded it.
2. The South Vietnamese
army has become a functioning
(even if not totally efficient)
unit; and the National Libera-
tion Front no longer controls
most of the South Vietnamese
population.
3. The Pathet Lao, deprived
of support from hard-pressed
North Vietnam, is no longer on
a rampage.
4. The projected communiza-
tion of Thailand has not mate-
rialized.
5. Sukarno is gone, the com-
munists in Indonesia have been
thrown out of power, the Indo-
nesia-China Axis has been bro-
ken, and the Indonesian govern-
ment is now courting the friend-
ship of the United States.
6. Australia and New Zealand
no longer feel menaced.
7. China is no longer seriously
assaulting India's borders.
8. Except in one small coun-
try, Chinese communist activity
in Africa has almost fadet
away.
9. Chairman Mao (his effort
to expand Chinese influence in
Southeast Asia having been ef-
fectually blocked), has lost face,
and is in trouble.
10. The communists have not
yet got a foothold on the In-
dian Ocean.
My idealistic friends will say
that the presence of America in
South Vietnam did not bring
about all these results. On the
other hand, would any one of
these results have come about
if the Americans had NOT been
present in force in South Viet-
nam—or if we had NOT shown
by our actions that we are still
a strong and determined nation ?
The plain fact is that the war
has NOT been ineffectual or
purposeless. President Johnson
was right about it from the
first, and he is right today. The
facts are all on his side.
Is the war "immoral"? Yes,
all wars are immoral. But some
things are more immoral —
among them, disregarding one's
written word, deserting one's
friends when they are in dan-
ger, failure to oppose tyranny
wherever it can possibly be op-
posed (whether in Hitler's Eu-
rope or Mao's Asia), the kind
of inaction in the face of a na-
tional challenge which (in Ar-
nold Toynbee's view) leads to
national death.
DR. GEORGE WILLIAMS
English Department
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Letters policy
The Thresher, believing that a responsive letters column
is a sign of strength both for the paper and the community
it serves, attempts to print all serious letters received, iiut.
because of space limitations and the technical problems of
printing letters we must request that in the future they not
exceed 600 words and that, if possible, they be typed in a
standard 60 character, double-spaced line. The "threshing-it-
out" deadline continues to be Tuesday afternoon.
Newman calls hazing charge false
To the Editor:
I was hoping we could let Mr.
Fox' detrimental comments of
two weeks ago pass away and
be forgotten, but it seems that
this lone crusader intends to
press his point.
His charges of hazing are to-
tally ridiculous. First he listed
several activities of which he
has found some to be acceptable
and some not by his own arbi-
trary standards. How he can
claim that pitting the brawn of
one college against that of an-
other is any more civilized than
running harmlessly around in
circles is more than I can under-
stand.
Furthermore, there has been
no such thing as compulsory at-
tendance enforced by upper-
classmen. Encouragement to-
wards participation in these ac-
tivities comes more from within
the freshman class itself than
from anywhere else. In addition
his charges of intimidation are
beyond explanation. Baker
freshmen willingly participate,
and actively lead these stunts.
As a matter of fact some sec-
tion leaders have trouble keep-
ing up with their own freshmen.
Since Mr. Fox has enough
spirit to attend pep rallies of
his own volition, it is hard to
understand how he can not see
that these activities are a result
of a spirited freshman class.
Also, Mr. Fox has some facts
to back his first article that
are completely untrue, and he
should check his source of in-
formation.
Therefore, it seems clear that
Mr. Fox is completely out of
contact with life in Baker Col-
lege, and should adapt himself
to a human existence before
he makes another derogatory
comment.
SH ELDON NEWMAN
Baker 71
Christmas
november ?
Woul4 yonW^ R,G6
Christmas cards ?
Remember yor frieze with 3 touda of to,
beautiful with Hail
2tfc cwty $*>.doIIO. Come bee (Ho Ho Ho)
RISE CAMPUS STORE
G
&
the rice thresher, november 9,1967—page 3
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Hancock, Darrell. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 55, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 9, 1967, newspaper, November 9, 1967; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245013/m1/3/: accessed July 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.