May 9, 19 72
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PRESIDENT NIXON'S DANGEROUS STEP
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, President Nixon told us last night that his policy in Indochina has failed, and that in order to redeem it he is escalating American military involvement.
The mining of North Vietnamese harbors and the bombing of railroads into China are hostile acts clearly directed against the Soviet Union and China. By taking these actions, the President is jeopardizing the major security interests of the United States. The planned Moscow visit and the SALT talks now have an uncertain future. Efforts to move toward detente with the Soviet Union and China have been put in jeopardy. We now risk losing more in 1 day because of this act than could ever have been gained if the President's policies in Vietnam were a complete success.
This dangerous step is not the way to end the war, protect our troops, or gain the return of our prisoners. It is not the road to peace.
By relying on the purely military policy of Vietnamization – intended to equip the South. Vietnamese to continue the war – the President not only has failed to end American involvement in the war, but has also reduced chances for a negotiated settlement. By withdrawing troops before coming to a settlement, we have lost bargaining leverage to obtain the release of our prisoners or the protection of our withdrawing troops. The President is now trapped by his own failures, and faced with a series of unpleasant options. He chose the worst option of all – escalation which is both dangerous and desperate.
I have urged for some time that the President offer to withdraw all American forces from Indochina in exchange for an agreement to return our prisoners and the guaranteed safety of our withdrawing troops. The President has yet to make this simple, straightforward offer. I urge him to do so in order to end the American involvement in this senseless war and move us away from the brink of international disaster.