issues of the day. They were
outraged at the empty floor
where few Congressmen were
there to listen, learn or be
moved.
NONEXISTENCE?
Rep. Lester Wolff (N.Y.)
stated the theme of the afternoon:
Mr. Speaker, today we are engaged in
a long-overdue discussion of the single
most important issue facing our Nation—
the continuing war in Vietnam. This war
has dragged on for so long that it threatens to become a permanent part of our
existence, or nonexistence, as the case
may be.
U.S. ESCALATION
The fact of U.S. escalation
of the war during the Paris
negotiations was stressed by
many speakers. Rep. Jonathan
Bingham (N.Y.) said:
Mr. BINGHAM. It is my understanding that the North Vietnamese did withdraw a substantial number of troops last
fall, that there was a slowing down of
military activities on their part, and
that this was not met by a corresponding deescalation on our side. But, on the
■contrary, we stepped up our bombing operations. We intensified the level of our
activities, as is. shown by the casualty
figures.
I think it is
fair to characterize,"as I did, the recent
North Vietnamese offensive an counter-
offensive.
and Rep. Robert Kastenmeier
■ )
(Wise.) added
Mr. Speaker, we are once again on the
escalation merry-go-round. It is now
; common knowledge that the bombing
halt over North Vietnam has been offset
GnStt^mAb Pyàfl
by increased bombing'elsewliere, inferen-
tially in the south, and ominously in
Laos. The announced reductions in battalion-size U.S.-initiated actions in recent months has been more than offset
by increased small unit actions by our
forces. But these hard facts are too conveniently ignored by our own Government.
When will we admit
that our actions, since the bombing halt
began, have not been particularly reassuring to the North Vietnamese that we
desire peace? Have we been able to show
by our deeds that we indeed are seeking
a political settlement of the war, rather
than a military victory?
Rep. Ryan quoted Sec. of
Defense Melvin Laird as saying
that the blame for the renewed
intensification of the fighting
rests squarely with the "enemy."
Laird stated, March 11, "that
if these attacks continue unabated, an appropriate response
will be made." This was
repeated, March 14, by Pres.
Nixon. Congressman Ryan continued:
According to New York Post columnist
James Wechsler, however, Ambassador
Averell Harriman, the chief Paris negotiator for the Johnson administration,
has said that the "present North Vietnamese offensive is essentially a •
to i>
tot
ons
;iry
the occupa-
held by the Viet-
i lenient  more
>n regime, the U.S.
unucd to make extensive use e "search and destroy" missions.
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