University of Virginia Library

Time For Debate

With the end of the
Vietnamese War, Congress has
more time now for debate and
"collective decision-making to
solve domestic problems, Mr.
Tower pointed out.

"The divisiveness of our
people has mitigated–we can
clearly see popular consensus
forming" with regard to
government programs and the
question of their existence, he
said.

He said he still hopes that
the United States will maintain
a certain level of defense
posture to "keep our guard up
to be in a favorable position to
negotiate with the Soviets."

Citing the volunteer service
that becomes effective in June
as another reason for
maintaining an adequate
defense budget, he said that
Congress "would have great
difficulty in making extensive
cuts" because a huge amount
of the budget is reserved for
personnel.