Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1969)
udent Gen- scted. 'wship will room 3-D L Freudian Christian- H. ■2-JM72 srx. ;r e Chili : Salad, Sauce, a Chips. t line ficient ce. Its jerfect ’ll like many ic tape tomat- 14 can rnoRizEO 5EALEB chul z IHE BATTALION Thursday, May 15, 1969 College Station, Texas Page 3 ‘Hold Me Accountable 9 Nixon Proposes Withdrawal Of Troops From S. Vietnam By FRANK CORMIER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON <A>) — Presi dent Nixon proposed Wednesday night a 12-month gradual with drawal from South Vietnam of major portions of all outside troops — American, U.S.-allied and North Vietnamese. He said if his peace quest fails, he will “expect the American people to hold me accountable.” Nixon called for mutual with drawal of all outside troops under international supervision and sug gested that step be followed by internationally guaranteed free elections in the South. THE CHIEF executive outlined what he termed new initiatives in a major policy address for live broadcast to the nation by televi sion and radio networks. Administration sources billed Nixon's peace proposals as the most comprehensive, flexible and conciliatory ever advanced by the U.S. government. “I would stress,” the President said, “that these proposals are not offered on a take-it-or-leave- it basis. We are quite willing to consider other approaches con sistent with our principles.” UNDERLYING his peace plan, however, was a statement of de termination to avoid unilateral withdrawal from South Vietnam or “a disguised defeat.” He said: “Let me be quite blunt. Our fighting men are not going to be worn down; our negotiators are not going to be talked down; our allies are not going to be let down.” The Nixon package will be pre sented to Communist negotiators in Paris Friday by Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, White House sources said. WHILE concentrating on ideas for presentation in Paris, Nixon also said, “The time is approach ing when South Vietnamese forces will be able to take over some of the fighting fronts now being manned by Americans.” Sources said some U. S. troops would be withdrawn from South Vietnam — regardless of what happens in Paris — as soon as such a move is deemed a respon sible one by the administration, and one that officials felt would be regarded as a sign of confi dence in the allied military posi tion. WHILE DECLARING there will be no easy or quick solution to the war, Nixon said in an appeal aimed directly at his bomefront audience: “Nothing could have a greater effect in convincing the enemy that he should negotiate in good faith than to see the American people united behind a generous and reasonable peace offer.” Recalling a campaign pledge to end the war in a way that would promote lasting peace, Nixon said: “I am determined to keep that pledge. If I fail to do so, I ex pect the American people to hold me accountable for that failure.” BESIDES proposing a phased and supervised mutual withdraw al of troops and guaranteed elec tions in the South, Nixon said also the United States is pre pared — if Saigon and the Com munist negotiators are willing — to participate in a political as well as military settlement in the South. Here were the major points in the Nixon package: • As soon as a formal agree ment or informal but credible understanding could be reached, all forces other than those of the South Vietnamese govern and na tive units of the Viet Cong would begin withdrawals to be substan tially completed over a 21-month period by agreed-upon stages. • After the 12 months, all out side forces “w o u 1 d move into designated base areas and would not engage in combat operations.” • Remaining American and al lied troops would complete their withdrawal “as the remaining North Vietnamese forces were withdrawn and returned to North Vietnam. • “An international supervis ory body, acceptable to both sides, would be created for the purpose of verifying withdrawals” and would help arrange supervised cease-fires. • As soon as possible after the international body was function ing, elections would be held — open to all South Vietnamese who would forswear “the use of force or intimidation.” The elec tions would be “under agreed pro cedures and under the supervision of the international body.” • Arrangements would be made for “the earliest possible release of prisoners of war on both sides.” • All parties would agree to observe the 1954 Geneva accords on Vietnam and Cambodia and the Laos accords of 1962. NIXON said the United States also would ask that North Viet nam withdraw its forces from Cambodia and Laos in accord with a prescribed timetable. Stating that his plan has the approval of President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam, Nixon said, “I believe this pro posal for peace is realistic, and takes account of the legitimate interests of all concerned.” At the outset, the chief execu tive said it might be easy and popular for him simply to with draw American forces from the war. However, he argued that whatever the reasons for initial American involvement, “If we simply abandoned our effort in Vietnam, the cause of peace might not survive the damage that would be done to other na tions’ confidence in our reliabili ty.” WHILE THE White House pic tured the chief executive as pre senting a virtually all-new pack age, many of the elements he advanced have been broached at one time or another. One element, for a 12-month withdrawal, differed from an agreement reached by U.S. allies in the Vietnam war at the 1966 Manila conference. Those con ferees pledged withdrawal within six months after a pullout of North Vietnamese troops and a lowering of the level of violence. WHITE HOUSE sources pic tured Nixon’s suggestion as more flexible in that the North Viet namese would not be required to act first and the President said nothing about a lower level of violence as a precondition to American withdrawal. In his summation, Nixon said, “I do not ask unlimited patience from a people whose hopes for peace have too often been raised and cruelly dashed over the past four years.” But he said he had tried to present the facts “with complete honesty.” He asked his listeners to con sider the facts and, whatever their differences with the ad ministration, that they “support a program which can lead to a peace we can live with and a peace we can be proud of.” AT ANOTHER point, he said: “The fact that there is no easy way to end the war does not mean that we have no choice but to let the war drag on with no end in sight . . . “The time has come for some new initiatives.” Several hours before his speech, Nixon summoned con gressional leaders and Ambassa dor Lodge to the White House for an advance briefing. One of the participants said the President read portions of his text to them. Called to the White House were Lodge, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, House Speaker John W. ,McCormack, House Democratic Leader Carl Albert, House Re publican Leader Gerald R. Ford, Senate Democratic Leader Mike Mansfield and the Senate’s GOP Leader, Everett M. Dirksen. OTHER participants in the ses sion, held in the Treaty Room of the White House living quarters, were Secretary Defense Melvin R. Laird, Undersecretary of State Elliot L. Richardson, and Dr. Henry A. Kissinerr, the Presi dent’s special assistant for na tional security affairs. Lodge had arrived in Washing ton from the Paris talks less than three hours earlier. The White House said he would be receiving new instructions for the conduct of negotiations following the presidential address. YR’s Criticize Disposition Of April Elections The Texas A&M Young Re publican Club unanimously pass ed a resolution against the ac tions of the administration in the April Student Senate elections at a recent meeting, The Battal ion learned this week. The resolution quoted President Earl Rudder from the Foreword of University Regulations in one of its proposals: “That the ad ministration of Texas A&M Uni versity be respectfully petitioned to promulgate clear rules and regulations enforce them fairly, and ABIDE BY THEM so that ‘the students, the faculty, and the community operate in an or derly manner.’ ” The group accused the admin istration Board of Appeals and the Executive Committee of act ing outside the election code in volving the case of A1 Reinert. (Reinert is not a member of the club and is affiliated with the Democratic Party, according to the club.) The resolution reprimanded the Board of Appeals because of what it tei-med “its officious in terference with the rights of Texas A&M students to conduct the 1969 student body elections.” At first, Reinert was qualified as a candidate on the basis of grades transferred from West Point. After winning the elec tion he was disqualified on ac count of grades by the Board of Appeals. FISH’ (Continued From Page 1) but isn’t loaded with a lot of responsibility.” Next comes the veteran who can be compared to an Aggie senior. He is the one that knows all the loopholes and flaws about the bills that come before him. “Like an Aggie senior, he knows when to pull rank to keep the other members informed on the fine print of bills, and pre serve order in the House.” Tonight On KBTX 6:30 Lennon Sisters 7:30 Bewitched 8:00 Thursday Night Movie — “A Distant Trumpet” 10:00 News, Weather & Sports 10:30 The Avengers 11:30 Alfred Hitchcock WEATHER Friday — Cloudy. Intermittent thundershowers. Wind South erly 15 to 25 mph. High 84, low 68. Saturday — Partly cloudy to cloudy. Wind Southerly 10 to 15 mph. High 84, low 71. WALK SHORTS $3.75 to $7.95 BAN-LON SHIRTS $4.95 to $10.95 Large New Shipment, Just Arrived Loupot's North Gate Would You Believe? Fresh From The Gulf OYSTERS on the half-shell or fried to order Served Right Here on the Campus 5 to 7 each evening at the famous Oyster Room MSC Cafeteria NEED CASH Money Gone After 9 Months of School? Then see us for a personal loan. Take advantage of our prompt, confidential loan service now. UNIVERSITY LOAN COMPANY 317 Patricia (North Gate) College Station, Texas Telephone: 846-8319 mmm EVERS AT THE POLLS Negro leader Charles Evers leaves his car to vote Tuesday in Fayette’s municipal elections. Evers is a candidate for mayor of the predominately Negro southwest Mississippi city. Evers refused to speculate on the election’s outcome, although black voters outnumber white voters by a near 2-1 margin. (AP Wirephoto) Read " Classifieds COLLEGE STUDENT'S SUMMER WORK Must be free to work all summer. Car necessary. Earn $125 per week. Jobs available in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi. for Appointment Call I. H. Webb — 845-1611 9 - 1 or 4 - 6 p. m. You buy food by the cartful — not by the handful — so why not SAVE the same way? Do ALL your mar keting where EVERYTHING’S LOW PRICED — from soup to dessert! TRY YOUR NAME’S TODAY and you, too, can start to serve a deli cious ECONO-MEAL every time. SPeCJALS FotZ'. THUHS-FRt -SAT- my ts-'/c, -n, /9i~c <5?U/\ N77 TV ZIGHT5 RESERVED US&A Cf+0/C£ Ct4UC.K SW69 REDEEM AT BROOKSHIRE BROS. 25 FREE TOP VALUE STAMPS With Purchase of 1 Ctn. Carlton’s Dip — 59^ Coupon Expires May 17, 1969. DRESSING™ BA/V) A S/HCOTW OA. C* UHCH Y PEANUT BUHEI? AX/KOCO Pt N 7~p BEANS - Ptt-t-sBUAv s SATTS/Z. CUKE MJX FLOUR REDEEM AT BROOKSHIRE BROS. 50 FREE TOP VALUE STAMPS With Purchase of 15-Oz. Spray Can Ajax Window Cleaner [ Coupon Expires May 17, 1969. SUSS V$DA CHOICE. ZVEflS TUeSDAV GET DOUBLE TCP VALUE UJtTH &J2.SD O*- rAO&tE CHUCK ROAST cave so* WITH THIS COUPON WHEN YOU BUY A_J_ LB. CAN OF Maxwell house* orELECTMPERI “COFFEE AT TSflOOKZHiRE 'BROS- LB. CAN ONLY | 39 c Without Coupon ONE COUPON PER FAMILY - OFFER EXPIRES MAY n.l9M SUGAR SWEET REDEEM AT BROOKSHIRE BROS. 100 EXTRA TOP VALUE STAMPS With Purchase of $10.00 or More (Excluding Cigarettes) • One Per Family * Coupon Expires May 17, 1969. * REDEEM AT BROOKSHIRE BROS. 50 FREE TOP VALUE STAMPS With Purchase of 6-Oz. Bottle Liquid Sweet—10 Coupon Expires May 17, 1969. 5 hbC>#JT&NIV <3 Limit 0ne With $ 5 - 00 Purchase Excludin|^^grett<y^|^^^£ BJMPITE39 &&IVE59 tflicofisfiitc Ihcs: