Cost of Vietnam war worries U.S. leaders

If I were a businessman and looking at a potential market and found such a miscalculation, l would have to do something about it. I would not long survive. ..:

Commenting on the astronomical cost of the war, he continued:

I was startled (sic) to find in the budget request figures for fiscal year 1967 that we are going into 10.5 billion dollars. . . • Is Vietnam at this point worth this investment of our national resources...? Are we not becoming too mesmerized with this...?

Kennan went even further and advocated a phased withdrawal on the grounds of expediency: govertments ashould liquidate I think it this involvement just as soon as this can be done. ... And to attempt to crush North Vietnamese strength. would cerinvolving us in a he cary contici with Communist China in one of the most unfavourable theatres of hostility that we could possibly choose.

GNAWING FEAR

As Kennan indicates, what worries considerable sections of the American ruling class is not any humanitarian regard for the thousands of Vietnamese who are rendered homeless by US im- being maimed, burned, killed perialism.

On the contrary, what pushes 'them into conflict with their buddy Johnson is a gnawing fear that the economic burdens of the war will not bring victory but instead will radicalise millions of American voters into voting against both parties.

Kennan in a less guarded By MICHAEL BANDA!

moment, admitted as much when he said:

'If we had been able to do better in Vietnam, I would have been delighted. ... " (sic).

But Kennan and a host of others know that this is not so. Johnson in his State of the Union message made plain his determination to continue this genocidal war and make the American workers pay for it. He has allocated 5,800 million dollars this year and intends to ask for more appropriations as the war escalates.

DRAFT BOOSTED

He has boosted the monthly draft calls to 80,000—the highest since the Korean war. But even this is insufficient and so US garrisons in Europe are to be depleted and their troops assigned to Vietnam.

An unprecedented expansion of naval and air bases in South Vietnam and Thailand has been started. And more ominous still are the undisclosed plans for invading Laos.

All this, of course, must be paid for by the American workers whose tax burden is the highest even today: 32 per cent of the individual income. Great Society and his promise of a 1.8 million dollar deficit for 1966-1967 are about as real as a seven-dollar bill.

In fact purchasing power of the workers is falling in direct proportion to the escalation of the war, and the defcit is growing like a Texas pumpkın.

Says 'Newsweek' :

'The Vietnamese war is easily the most expensive "small" war that the US has ever fought.

'Even the Pentagon computers can't pinpoint a dollar figure, but financial experts estimate that the direct cost of the war will come to five billion dollars in fiscal 1966, and 10 billion dollars in fiscal 1967.

'If military pay and indirect costs are counted though, some figure the cost this year will approach 15 billion dollars.

'On that basis, the total cost of the US involvement in Vietnam has already surpassed the expense of the four-year Korean war, which the Pentagon officialiy estimates cost 18 billion dollars.

[World War Two cost 387 billion dollars.] $52,000 PER ENEMY •Moreover, the war in Vietnam is by far the costliesi in price per enemy soldier killed. That nigure, assuming the current rate ot 4,000 Vietcong fatalities a month, is 52,000 dollars.' What 'Newsweek' omitted to state is that it is not only the costliest, but the bloodiest and dirtiest war ever waged by an imperialist power against a colonial people.

Nevertheless millions of American workers and students are beginning to recognise the reactionary character of the war and millions more are beginning for the first time to see the connection between the crippling burdens of taxation and high prices and the spurious promises of Johnson.

As another president of the United States once remarked:

'You can't fool all the people all of the time.'