April 17, 1972
Page 12832
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 76 – SUBMISSION OF A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO STOP THE BOMBING OF NORTH VIETNAM
(Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.)
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I am introducing this resolution today because I believe the Congress must put itself on record immediately as opposing this latest escalation of the bombing of the North. A sense-of-the-Congress resolution is the most appropriate vehicle for reflecting the sharp disagreement of the majority of both Houses with the policy of escalation. It will also serve to build up the momentum for renewed efforts to set a statutory deadline for the complete termination of all U.S. military activities in Indochina conditional only upon an agreement for the safe return of our prisoners and an accounting of those missing in action. I strongly support legislation to set such a date certain of 30 days, including an immediate end of all bombing except that which may be absolutely necessary in South Vietnam to protect our withdrawing troops.
The resolution reads as follows:
S. CON. RES. 76
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That, it is the sense of Congress that:
(1) All American military activity, whether land, sea or air, against the territory of North Vietnam be terminated at once;
(2) The President now order our representatives at the Paris peace talks to resume negotiations, in order to achieve the return of our personnel held captive in Indochina and an accounting of all those missing there, in return for the total withdrawal of American military forces from Indochina and the cessation of all American military activity in that region; and
(3) Meanwhile there be no interruption in the withdrawal of American military forces from Indochina.