University of Virginia Library

Bombs Away

Now that the elections are over President
Nixon must feel it is safe to step up the pace
of the war in Vietnam. Having had such great
success in Cambodia last spring, the temptation
to exercise a little more military power
must have been too great to resist.

American bombers attacked North
Vietnam from midnight Friday until dawn
Sunday. Just as in the Cambodian invasion,
this military excursion had a deadline. The
operation was called a series of retaliatory
strikes against missile and anti-aircraft gun
positions and depots by the Pentagon.
Undoubtedly the operation was another
success. Success after success and the war
goes on.

Last week in Paris David Bruce asked the
North Vietnamese to stop shooting down
American reconnaissance planes. He said it
violated the "understanding" reached
between the U.S. and North Vietnam when
President Johnson ordered a halt to the
bombing of the North in the spring of 1968.
Naturally the North Vietnamese laughed at
him — as if this country would not shoot
down reconnaissance planes flying over its
territory.

So Richard Nixon sent in the jet bombers
to wipe out the anti-aircraft guns so American
planes could fly reconnaissance missions
without getting shot down. And while they
were about it, his co-pilot Melvin Laird
figured they may as well bomb some supply
depots too.

Just what was bombed is not exactly
known because of a news blackout imposed
by the U.S. command on the operation.
Having learned his lesson last spring, Nixon
realized that an operation of this kind would
be very politically sensitive. Comment on the
claim by Hanoi that five bombers and a
helicopter were shot down, and 34 old
persons and children were killed in the raid,
was withheld by the U.S. command.

The news blackout was so complete that
the Pentagon and high military commanders
in Vietnam are withholding all information
about the raids even from subordinates who
are normally allowed to share such
information.

The Associated Press quoted highly placed
sources as saying that Nixon was willing to
gamble on the political consequences of
resuming heavy raids on North Vietnam
because some U.S. officials were unable to
resist going after what they considered to be
lucrative targets.

There are two major factors about the
operation that are unbelievable. One is that
President Nixon approved of the operation;
and the second is that he allowed, if not
insisted on, a news blackout. Perhaps if he
had gone on television and explained the
operation, like he did before the Cambodian
invasion the country would have erupted
again. It seems likely that he was aware of
such a possibility, so the operation was
carried out secretly.

Now that the mission is over, no doubt the
Pentagon will soon release pictures of
bombed-out anti-aircraft guns, and blasted
supplies, proving what a Great American
Victory it was. Naturally it will be said the
American lives lost in the operation were
worth the price. After all, they get a free
plane ride back, a new uniform, and a free
hold in the ground in Arlington National
Cemetery.

It seems never to have dawned on the
President that the people in this country
don't get excited nay more over pictures of
captured rice, bombed-out villages, dead
Vietnamese, and destroyed anti-aircraft guns.
But the President keeps trying. He must
believe that every dead "gook" is a step closer
to "just and honorable peace."

And meanwhile, on the home front, South
Vietnam's answer to Spiro Agnew tours the
country, no doubt trying to get enough
American support behind him that the CIA
will have to make sure he wins re-election. At
West Point, the Cadets even honored him with
their "Rocket Cheer." But at least Ky is being
kept quiet.

Until this latest stroke of genius things had
been pretty quiet in Indochina. The soldiers
had time to sit around and smoke grass and
not get shot at. The bombing was a retaliatory
operation. No doubt the North Vietnamese
will oblige with some retaliation of their own.
Then the war will escalate until a few months
before the 1972 elections when Nixon decides
he better quiet things down if he wants to get
re-elected.

Only a monster could waste the lives of
young men for personal political reasons. And
he wonders why people throw stones at him.