CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- SENATE
October 23, 1969
Page 31267
IS VICE PRESIDENT AGNEW BECOMING A SECURITY RISK?
Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. Mr. President, it was with amazement that I read on the front page of the Washington Post of today that Vice President AGNEW yesterday charged our colleague Senator EDMUND S. MUSKIE of Maine, "with playing Russian roulette with U.S. security." This for the reason Senator MUSKIE had proposed a 6-month unilateral halt in multiple warhead-MIRV tests.
Well, now the senior Senator from Ohio is beginning to wonder if our Vice President is afflicted with some virulent form of foot-and-mouth disease. The Vice President's penchant for intemperate remarks, to use a charitable term, was at one time a source of amusement for Americans. His statements during the campaign and since caused him to be considered somewhat of a national jester. However, it is no laughing matter when a jester who happens to be Vice
President of the United States begins to take himself seriously and to impugn the patriotism of millions of Americans, including one of our most distinguished national leaders, the junior Senator from Maine, Senator ED MUSKIE, a former Governor of that great State and presently serving his second term as U.S. Senator.
It is true that our distinguished colleague, Senator ED MUSKIE, the Democratic nominee for Vice President in last year's election, recently suggested that it would be a wise action on our part to halt MIRV tests as this would be an encouraging step to stimulate Soviet-American efforts "to control the escalation of nuclear weapon systems before it is too late." Our Vice President denounced Senator MUSKIE'S proposal as "a classic example of confused thinking."
It is astounding that the Vice President, who evidently likes to see his name in print, denounces our distinguished colleague Senator MUSKIE in terms that imply that he is a security risk. I repudiate Vice President AGNEW's conclusion, that "no responsible person would propose that the President play Russian roulette with U.S. security, yet that is what Senator MUSKIE just did."
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair regretfully advises the Senator from Ohio that his time has expired.
Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. I ask unanimous consent that I may proceed for 5 additional minutes.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. MANSFIELD. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. I yield.
Mr. MANSFIELD. Before the Senator continues, may I call to his attention the fact that there is now in the Committee on Foreign Relations a resolution seeking to do what I understand the distinguished junior Senator from Maine advocated. If my memory serves me correctly, it was submitted by the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. BROOKE), and has 42 cosponsors.
It would be my suggestion that, perhaps, in order to get this matter out of the stage of semantics, it would be well for the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations and the ranking Republican member, the distinguished Senator from Vermont (Mr. AIKEN), to consider holding hearings on this matter as soon as it is appropriately possible.
Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. I express my thanks to the distinguished majority leader. I concur in his suggestion, and I am very glad that he has spoken on this subject.
Mr. CHURCH. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Does the Senator from Ohio yield to the Senator from Idaho?
Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. Mr. President, I yield to the Senator without losing my right to the floor.
Mr. CHURCH. Mr. President, I wish to commend the distinguished Senator for his typically forthright statement this morning.
It seems to me that anyone who is genuinely concerned, not only with the security of the country, but also the survival of the human race has reason to question the MIRV weapon. This weapon could easily be the doomsday weapon which takes us beyond the point where any effective control of the arms race is any longer possible. That is a grave matter indeed, when one considers the potential for destruction involved in these weapons and the importance of bringing them within control, if this is at all possible.
Mr. President, I commend the Senator from Maine for having come forth, as he did, with his proposals. As the distinguished majority leader has pointed out, many other Senators on both sides of the aisle feel the same way. For their concern to be characterized as playing Russian roulette seems to me to be beneath the dignity and responsibility of the office of the Vice President of the United States.
Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from Idaho and am in complete agreement with the views he expressed.
Last Sunday the Vice President apparently had another attack of foot-and-mouth disease. At that time he stated that the Vietnam moratorium demonstration was the work of "impudent snobs who characterized themselves as intellectuals."
The truth is that the Vietnam moratorium was the largest, most broadly based demonstration against our policies in intervening on a huge scale and involving more than 500,000 men of our Armed Forces in a civil war in South Vietnam and waging an immoral, undeclared war in a small distant country of no importance whatsoever to the defense of the United States. This was a peaceful demonstration in accord with American tradition and specifically sanctioned in our Constitution in the Bill of Rights which we Americans revere. On moratorium day, October 15, millions of Americans stayed away from work, school, and home to talk, listen, and above all to demonstrate to administration leaders a broad-based demand for immediate peace in Vietnam. Probably 30 million American men, women, and their daughters and sons of high school and college age participated in that peaceful demonstration.
The Vice President's vicious attack on those who participated in the moratorium deeply offended millions of Americans who did nothing more than exercise their constitutional right.
Furthermore, his remarks constituted a personal insult to those Members of the Congress, including the senior Senator from Ohio, and a number of other Senators, who encouraged and endorsed this peaceful demonstration of the overwhelming sentiment in the Nation for peace.
Over the years, by tradition the Vice Presidency of the United States is an office in which the incumbent has very little to do and, in fact, no constitutional duty at all other than to preside over the Senate and to cast his deciding vote in event of a tie. The Nation has been blessed with many outstanding Vice Presidents who through the force of their character and ability have expanded the scope and influence of that high office. It seems clear, however, that for the good of our Nation, the incumbent should limit himself to his constitutional obligations and duties.
Unfortunately, Americans in New Orleans listened to the Vice President say regarding the Vietnam moratorium:
If the Moratorium had any use whatever, it served as an emotional purgative for those who feel the need to cleanse themselves of their lack of ability to offer a constructive solution to the problem. A spirit of national masochism prevails, encouraged by an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals. It is in this setting of dangerous oversimplification that the war in Vietnam achieves its greatest distortion. Great patriots of past generations would find it difficult to believe that Americans would ever doubt the validity of America's resolve to protect free men from totalitarian attack. Yet today we see those among us who prefer to side with an enemy aggressor rather than stand by this free nation.
He assailed the patriotism and integrity of those participating in a peaceful march against the Vietnam war which has brought such terrible tragedy in the snuffing out of priceless lives of 50,000 Americans and the maiming and injury of 260,000 wounded in combat. This in addition to lives of our servicemen lost in what the Pentagon terms "accidents and incidents."
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The time of the Senator from Ohio has expired.
Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may proceed for 5 additional minutes.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
(At this point. Mr. MCINTYRE assumed the chair.)
Mr. YOUNG of Ohio. Mr. President, President Nixon, according to news reports, spent a routine day in the White House on October 15. However, it is safe to say that when he looked out of the White House windows and saw the thousands of men and women marching for peace and for immediate withdrawal of our Armed Forces from Vietnam, he must have been deeply impressed.
If the President is sincere in his desire to bring an end to our involvement in Vietnam -- and I believe he is -- then he should repudiate the virulent attack of his Vice President on those who participated in the moratorium.
In that connection, the President should also repudiate Gen. Earle Wheeler, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for speaking out in the same manner in support of the views of Vice President AGNEW. General Wheeler had the effrontery to denounce the moratorium day demonstrators as "people who need a bath." Is this the sort of "intelligence" the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of our Armed Forces receives? Is it any wonder that our involvement in Vietnam has been such a tragedy to Americans when over the years Gen. Earle Wheeler is one of those who bears the most responsibility for the debacle? His statement is not only untruthful, but it manifests the irresponsibility on the part of many generals and admirals of our Armed Forces that has contributed to the disaffection and disillusionment of so many millions of Americans. General Wheeler may in the past have fooled some generals. Also a President. I feel certain that his statement will not mislead President Nixon. I feel certain that our President must have looked out of the White House window and witnessed the long line of marchers peacefully participating in this demonstration, citizens from all walks of life desiring to express their feelings to their leaders, in the finest tradition of our Nation. It is high time that General Wheeler learned that it is the responsibility of generals to defend the Nation, not to make national policy, not to assail the patriotism of citizens.
Now, with Mr. AGNEW in effect denouncing Senator MUSKIE as a security risk and General Wheeler making this asinine statement, Americans should be justified in asking President Nixon, "Are men such as Mr. AGNEW and General Wheeler the real security risks?"
Mr. DOLE subsequently said: Mr. President, in view of the remarks of the Senator from Ohio (Mr. YOUNG), I wish to point out for the RECORD that Senate Resolution 211, introduced by Senator BROOKE and other Senators, concerning MIRV, does not call for unilateral cessation of testing. It talks of negotiated treaties with the Soviet Union with regard to MIRV's and other reentry vehicles.
There might have been an inference left that the Vice President unjustly criticized Senator MUSKIE because some reference was made to MIRV. Senate Resolution 211 refers to negotiated agreements with the Russians with respect to MIRV, and not a unilateral cessation of testing.