University of Virginia Library

McGovern's Seven-Point Plan
Reveals Means For War's End

By ELIZABETH JOHNSON

Sen. George McGovern
presented a seven point plan
for ending all U.S. involvement
in Vietnam in a nationally
televised address last
night.

Stating that the Vietnam
war was the "sharpest and
most important difference"
between Mr. Nixon and him,
Mr. McGovern said, "The problem
is that we have asked our
armed forces to do the
impossible, to save a political
regime that doesn't even have
the respect of it's own people."

'Under the present
administration 40 percent of
all fighting men have died and
550 prisoners of war have been
captured,' he continued, 'We
must end the bombing and
fighting if we ever expect to
see our prisoners again. The
prisoners will come home when
the war ends and not while it's
still going on.'

In what was billed as his
most important campaign
speech so far, Mr. McGovern
asserted that the reality of the
war could only be seen in the
news photo of a naked
Vietnamese girl running from
her burning home.

Calling Thieu "a
corrupt dictator," he said that
the American support for his
regime denies the Vietnamese
people the right to choose their
own government. "I say
General Thieu is not worth one
more American dollar, one
more drop of American blood,
or one more American
prisoner."

Mr. McGovern said that
immediately after taking the
oath of office as President he
would take several steps.

He would first issue a
security directive to the
Attorney General with orders
to stop all bombing in
Indochina, terminate all
shipment of supplies, and
withdraw all forces within 90
days.

Next he would instruct his
negotiators in Paris to
notify the North Vietnamese
representatives that the U.S.
has taken these steps and now
expects them to "accept their
obligation" by returning all
prisoners of war and
accounting for all those missing
in action within 90 days.

Once all prisoners were
accounted for or returned, Mr.
McGovern said he would order
all bases closed in Thailand and
have American ships and
equipment brought home and
reassigned elsewhere.

The United States would
join with other nations in
repairing the wreckage left by
the war.

Mr. McGovern also said he
planned to implement an
immediate action program for
Vietnam veterans. "Returning
veterans largely believe this war
was a mistake so we ought to
literally wrap the arms of the
nation around these young
men," he stated.

Last, Mr. McGovern said he
hoped to give those who chose
jail or exile an opportunity to
come home. "Personally if I
were in their position I would
volunteer for two years of
public service on subsistence
pay simply to demonstrate that
my objection was not to
serving the nation but to
participation in a war I thought
was morally wrong. We are not
a vindictive or mean nation,"
he continued. "Let us act as
Lincoln told us, 'with malice
toward none and charity for
all.'"