I ·' April9, 1976 DIE HARDING BISON, Searcy, Ark. . 3 U.:S. arms sales to Israel, Egypt to stabilize Mideast: Westmorelan Former general believes arms agreement awaits election By_Keith.~renton . "Isolationism must be ruled out He warned that the adThere Will be no progress m because of economic reality." ministration in Panama was the SAL~ II talks ~til .~fter the He em~hasized that in order untrustworthy, and that the canal next national election, General for Amenca to protect her in- should be modernized and left in William Westmoreland (retired) terests, her citizens must decide the protectorship of the U.S. told an audience of 800 Tuesday "where they are going" or Cuba's importation of guerrilla By KATHY SHORES In taking his 1,000-person Harding College audienc on a global tour of international hot spots, retired General WUliam . Westmoreland last nigh alled the Middle East the '"hottest"' theorizing, ··rt we can control the ·al of ann and spare parts to both l lsra I and Egyp ), w can be a ·tablili'lling force there." H continued, "lf we an keep the confidence of boQl , perhaps a t nuowopeace can pre a11. But if we pull the r ug out from under t S c.r et<Jry of tatel Henr KU;singer on lhls sale ol fighter plane to Egypt, Egyp~i'an President Anwar! adal will lose face and may have to crawl back to Moscow." Westmoreland called "patient diplomacy" the United States' forte in solving the Mideast situation noting that "this tur– moil suits Russia." The former Army Chief of Staff said Northeast Asia was the nat ion's second strategic priority. He noted that negotiation on the Korean situation was at a standstill because the North Koreans refuse to sit down with the South Koreans. Westmoreland opined that .Japan's dependency on the U.S. for a "nuclear umbrella'' is becoming difficult to sustain. The e.'I:·COmmander of U.. Military FQrces in Vietnam s.aid llanoi's win by America's default may have trea ted a " Franken~tein " which' by the ar 2.000 may mak the price of !he .s. pullout clear. The general pointed out that hi$ ror e WC'r e not defeated militarily inVietnam but lbat the · los t politica lly and JJ!\yohOiog ica ll• . Obv ious ly pcakin on his favorite suo .Jccl, General Westmoreland listed six mistakes which if rectified could have resulted in winning the Vietnam war: -- As a party to the overthrow of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh l)icm <pronounce( Zlem >, the U. became ·'obligated to ptek up the pieces. t locked us in morally. •· - The gradual rather than sudden escalation ot" bombing. - President Lyndon Johnson's "Guns and Buuer" policy which did not hike taxes to ~Y for the ' ar effortand plunged the nation farther into debt. ..The only sacrifice \\ BS made by those dying on the battlefield and their loved ones." --The low key approach of 196465 used to pacify the govern mcnt's ''hawks" who might have fought for confrontation with Red China. -·The "inequitable and unfair" college deferment policy. -The lack of statesmen who should have seen the growing breach between the executive and l~gislative branches which resulted in the Case - Church Amendment of 1971. He said the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave J~hnson permission to send troops to Vietnam, should have been reaffirmed each year by Congre; . Westmoreland, whq was here to promot his new book .. A Soldier Heports". said he felt c:ompelled to write his viewpoint of Vietnam for histor y because 'it's a l-ti.ory tha t had to be told ." The memoirs a lso include his uccounl of lWP olhl!r wa r ·. Ge neral Wes tmor e land 's a ddress concluded Ha rding 's l!t75-76 :er ies of Amerlea Studies !)l)e&k s. Searcy Daily Citizen Searcy, Arkansas night here. . whether they're. ' 1bein' took." warriors to warring nations Westmoreland, a form.er The general Cited the fact that merits a reply, be said, similar to Secretary of the Army a11:d Chief there are only 29 democratic Kennedy's blockade of nuclear of Sta~f, addressed an audience of governments represented in the weapons. Hardmg students a~d staff, United Nations, concluding that Searcy and surroundmg area free countries are in the citizens as part of the last minority. American Studies program for Westmoreland recently this school year. returned from a to~r of Europe, "Our planet has become so summarized the United States' interloc~ed that the interests of relations with several foreign all nations must become in- nations, beginning with Latin terrelated," Westmoreland said. America. Brazil is pressuring their free press, Westmoreland said; Venezuela has nationalized its oil industry; Argentina suffers from 400 per cent annual inflation. Of Europe, he noted the problems of Portugal's com– munist faction, France retiring from NATO, the 33 per cent communist vote in Italy's last major election, England's economic slump, religious warfare in Ireland, and pressure from domestic sources in the U.S. to disarm NATO. Westmoreland reported on several aspects of conflict in Mrica. He commended the co– dominium of Morrocco and Mauretania over territory for– merly called Spanish Sahara, an area rich in phosphates. The wealth of oil, diamonds in coffee in Angola made it a tragedy that the free world lost its influence there, he said. A faction called the MLA, supplied with Russian weapons, took control there several months ago. Gen. William Westmoreland, seated, talks with Harding's professor of Christian Doctrine, J. D. Bales about some of the books each has written. General William C. Westmoreland, .flanked by American Studies Program Director Billy Ray Cox. autographs one of his books for an admirer, following his recent speech at the college. (Photo by David Hogan) Mozambique's blockadge of Rhodesia and the problem of government in Rhodesia were also mentioned. The general also discussed territorial disputes in the Middle East between-Israel and the Arab states and civil war in Lebanon, saying that the most dangerous possibility that American diplomats face is the outbread of Syrian-Israeli war in Lebanon. Southeast Asia's problems also concern us, he maintained. India, no longer democratic, is forming close ties with Russia, he said. North Korea will not negotiate if South Korean representatives are present. Japan successfully rebuffed the U.S.S.R. for ownership of three islands north of Japan, but Westmoreland recommended a larger native defense force than the present police-army there now. Westmoreland stated that many things were learned when Vietnam was lost to com– munism: the no-worth of a no-win AUTOGI-(APH PARTY - General William West– moreland signs his name to the.frontpiece of his new book "A Soldier Reports" durtng last night's autograph party that followed his American Studies presentation. (Photo by Oave Hogan) ·. . ,. policy, influence of news media, and the problem of a two-party administration. He concluded that Americans must decide where to go, instead of ·"bein' took." A color guard from the Little Rock Air Force Base at Jacksonville presented historical flags of the U.S. in a brief ceremony before the general's speech. The master sergeant of the guard told the audience that · they were the first to sing the "Star-Spangled Banner" along with the taped music when the guard presented the flag. , .
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