HOW RELIABLE IS CABOT LODGE?

The reported resignation of General Maxwell Taylor and his replacement by Henry Cabot Lodge as American Ambassador to South Vietnam must perturb those who are aware of the past history of Cabot Lodge in the fight against Communism, and more especially the role he played during his former term as American Ambassador to South Vietnam.
From way back Cabot Lodge, the ostensible Republican, identified himself with the Liberal left in America. He was one of those who fought strenuously against the nomination of the conservative senator Robert Taft for the Presidential nomination in 1952. His subsequent activity as campaign manager for the democrat suddenly turned Republican; Dwight Eisenhower preluded the worst period of the American sellout to International Communism.

With his appointment as American Ambassador to South Vietnam at the most crucial period of President Ngo Dinh Diem's struggle Cabot Lodge ran true to previous form.
President Diem, endeavouring to rally the South Vietnamese against the terrorism and unbelievable brutality of the Viet Cong on the one hand, and harassed by the Communist infiltrated Buddhists on the other, found Lodge an implacable antagonist.

Marguerite Higgins of the New York Herald Tribune asserted Lodge led the pro-coup faction that deposed Diem and led to his assassination. Miss Higgins points to the Voice of America broadcast which signalled the revolution.
Lodge had already asked for a poll of South Vietnamese generals to see when they would translate revolt into action.

Lodge who had previously granted asylum in the American Embassy to the leading Buddhist priest Thich Tri Quang when President Diem sought to arrest him for his pro-Communist activities - refused Diem the same sanctuary during the revolt. The murder of Diem and his brother resulted shortly afterwards.

Cabot Lodge as ever has made many public statements assuring support for the defeat of the Viet Cong, but the question that continually recurs to our mind is; has Cabot Lodge returned to finish the job he started? "By their fruits...

MR. AVERILL HARRIMAN ALSO

PLEASE DON'T BE NASTY TO THE SOVIETS

The U.S. State Dept. revealed on 7th July that two firing sites for Soviet built anti-aircraft missiles in North Vietnam are virtually complete, and work on others is in an advanced state. This figure has since been advanced to five. Despite reports of the arrival of Surface to Air Russian missiles, Mr. Robert McCluskey, State Dept. press officer, said that there was no evidence of their installation in the two completed sites. Both sites are in the Hanoi Haiphong area and American air raids have carefully avoided hitting them.
Defence secretary Robert McNamara, when their presence was confirmed on April 21st said, "We have ways and means of taking care of them". A mother could not have taken greater care of her young!

A Washington news report of July 7th refers to the consistent and increasing urging by U.S. military advisers to attack and destroy the sites before they could be used. It contains the incredible excuse for Government inaction as being the fear of antagonising the Soviet Union in either of two ways.
(1) Installation of Soviet Built weapons would mean that Soviet technicians might be present and injured if the U.S. attacked.
(2) Mr. Kosygin personally promised aid to North Vietnam and might regard their destruction of the sites as a direct slap at Russia.
Russian face must be saved even if it causes the death of American, Australian and South Vietnamese pilots from the completed weapons.

The State Dept. also confirmed on June 3rd that North Vietnam had received six to eight Soviet IL-28 medium jet bombers, but insisted that there was still no evidence as to who supplied them.

These are not extracts from Alice in Wonderland or Edward Luar's Nonsense Rhymes, they are fraudulently posing as examples of intelligent reasoning. Walter Lippman and his fellow socialists have been using this same specious reasoning for some time. They are part of the "don't win whatever the cost" policies, which lost North Korea, China and Cuba to the Communists.

THE LIPPMAN BRAND OF POLITICAL TREASON

As he is more affectionately known amongst American patriots who regard his political treason as a type of gangsterism, Wally the Lip, has a most nauseating example of his work in his syndicated column in the Melbourne Age of July 10th where he expounds his latest solution for the South Vietnam Affair. We reproduce the quote in full.

"The new policy would have to be, it seems to me, a pullback of our forces from the defence of villages and small towns to one or more highly fortified strong points with certain access to the sea and then to advise Saigon that it should seek to make peace with the Viet Cong and with North Vietnam."
And then the revolting moral rationalising.
"There would not be much glory in such a strategic retreat. But it would not be a surrender; it would be honest and honourable: since it would be feasible it would be credible."

One ponders the above in trepidation for our troops in South Vietnam when it is realised that Lippman, Cabot Lodge and Averill Harriman have always been one of a kind.

SHARPEVILLE? NO. ONLY SOME WHITE MISSIONARIES

A very small item from Leopoldville reported in the Melbourne Herald on July 7th states that a total of 167 Roman Catholic missionaries, both nuns and priests, has been killed in the Congo since "independence" five years ago, and a further number of Europeans making 350 in all have been killed during the rebellion. These totals are civilians of course. The thousands of natives who have been murdered, tortured etc. by their black brothers is an unknown quantity. All those who could read or write or speak English or were educated in missions being the main target for the Communist revolutionaries.

When one recalls the furor that ensued following the most regrettable Sharpeville incident (quite coincidently covered by the worlds press including Communist!) one is forced to wonder at the reasons for the silence under these latest terrible disclosures of the same clergy and "liberal laymen", who led such enthusiastic protest meetings over Sharpeville.
Does such beastly savagery as has been used against the missionaries and others become excusable because the victims were white people? If so, we must conclude that our 'liberal' thinkers have become the victims of "racism in reverse." It is little wonder that the native chiefs of Rhodesia who so strongly side with Mr. Ian Smith and his government do not want that sort of "Liberation" or "Independence" for their people.

MR. GOUGH WHITLAM AND SOUTH VIETNAM

If as reported, Mr. Whitlam is sincere in his expressed hope that by next year the U.S. and the Communist Government of China will "Let the Viets decide" their own future, and "clear out", he is revealing incredible naiveté. Or are we being too charitable in view of his reported statement earlier this year that he was moving further to the left and increasingly found himself in the company of Dr. Jim Cairns.

However, firstly until the Viet Cong can be persuaded to cease their campaigns of naked terrorism and intimidation which they have pursued constantly for many years as their major means of cowering their own people, how can there be, as Mr. Whitlam desires, any "real decision" in expressing the type of government the people desire in South Vietnam. We know that in North Vietnam they have the sort of Government they are given; with no decision. The bomb outrages against innocent civilians of their own people are a recent illustration of the type of methods they use to persuade their own people.

Secondly, the Chinese Communists have so often openly declared their intention as avowed Marxist-Leninists, to subdue the whole of Asia to Communism, that the question of 'deciding' is quite ridiculous while the Chinese are left, as Mr. Whitlam in effect advocates, to advance at will.

Is it too much to ask for a little realism amongst the leadership of the Labour Party?