Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1971. július-december (25. évfolyam, 26-50. szám)

1971-12-02 / 46. szám

Thursday, Dec. 2 1971 AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ — HUNGARIAN WORD 11 Four days ago, President Nixon signed the $21.4 billion military aid bill containing the Mansfield Amendment. The Mansfield Amendment declares it to be the "policy of the United States to termi­nate at the earliest practicable date all military operations of the Uni ted States in Indochina and 'vide for the prompt and orderly with­drawal li United States military forces at a date certain, subject to the release of all Amer­ican prisoners of war." The Mansfield Amendment calls on the President to implement this policy by establish­ing a final date for withdrawal of all American forces contingent only upon the release of American prisoners. On July 1 in Paris, the N.L.F. made that precise offer. All that is required is for the President to pick up the phone, call Paris or Hanoi, and set the date. Nixon is flouting the law, and we are suing him. In,his announcement of November 12, President Nixon failed to set a terminal date for complete withdrawal of American troops írom Vietnam He merely announced an interim with­drawal which would still leave 139,000 Amer­icans in Vietnam in February of 1972. He said he would continue, and perhaps "step up" the air war. How abqnf our prisoners of war? He announced "no progress." Commenting on theannouncement, Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper of Kentucky warned that, "The maintenance of a residual force will preclude the poßsilrility - • of a negotiated settlement, and Will flat secure the release of prisoners of war"• Nixon says hewill continue our military presence in Indochina to give South Vietnam a chance to achieve "self-determination." The recent one-man election charade makes S'fthj^of that proposition, and "self­determination" is not a condition for estab­lishing a final date of withdrawal. Mr. Nixon introduced an impermissible condition. Then on November 17, Nixon announced that he will disregard the Mansfield Amendment, ' which he has signed, and which is now law. In response, Congressman Edward P. Boland (Mass.) said it was "incomprehensible and indefensible" for the President to say he would "ignore a taw passed by Congress." Senator Frank Church,"Democrat of Idaho who will lead the move in the Senate to irrt pose a fund cutoff, protested that "the Mansfield Amendment is now part of the law and, as such, is not subject to dismissal by the President." Noting that Mr. Nixon had asserted that the amendment was not binding, Mr. Church asked: "What is he going to do next? Dispatch Henry Kissinger, his foreign policy advisor, to Capitol Hill to disband Congress?" "It is the height of fashion these days in Southeast Asia to establish one-man rule, one-man elections, and disband people's assem­blies. It has happened in South Vietnam, in Cambodia, and in Thailand today. But ours is a government of law." / In his recent announcement of his Supreme Court appointments, Nixon said,"it is our obliga­tion to obey the law whether we like it or not." We agree. So, consistent with the doctrine laid down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Youngstown Case, which "...circumscribed .."thepowers of the President as Commander-in-Chief, we are moving in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York for an injunction directi% Mr. Nixon to set a final date for withdrawal, contingent upon release of Amer­ican prisoners in accordance with the Mans­field Amendment, and reminding him that, under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, it is his duty to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." "Winding down the war" is a fraud. Since he became President, Mr. Nixon has been saying that he is winding down the war. Yet, according to a study sponsored by Cornell University's Center for International Studies we have poured over 3,000, OpO tons of bombs on tiny Indochina since Mr. Nixon became President. More than were dropped on three con­tinents during all of World War 11 and the Korean War combined. Between 1964 and 1968, during the John­son Administration, the number of civilians killed, wounded, and left homeless in Indo­china ran at an average of 95,000 per month. Since Nikon took office, that average 1 figure has gone up to 138,000 per month. Several generations more of war? How long will this carnage go on? Let's ask our President. In his September 16th press conference, Nixon proclaimed that our objective of achieving a democratic process in Vietnam "will not be met for perhaps several genera­tions. But at least we will be on the road." How long will we wait for oui prisoners of war to come home? We could be out by Christmas. The irony is, we could be out by Christmas. In hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Marine Corps General Shoup testified"we could take every American body out of there (Vietnam) in 15 days." "I think we all remember that in Korea we took 105,000 troops out in 10 days with equipment." Mr. Nixon, on the other hand, is talking in terms of generations. That's why we're suing for an end to the killing. What you can do. The cost of this campaign will come high. But it is insignificant beside the $200 billion already spent on this war, the 45,000 American dead, and the almost 300,000 Amer­ican maimed and wounded. And it is insignificant beside the damage the war is doing tö America's prestige, and the valui of America's dollar. If Nixon really wants to declare war on inflation, let him stop the war in tndochina. He can do that by saying the word. And we-intend to get him to do so, with your help. We are asking you to write your Senator and Congrbssman, asking them to join the lawsuit as plaintiffs. We are asking you to let people know that Congress has already undeclared the war. Run this ad in your local newspaper. And we are asking you to make a con­tribution to finance tf^e costs of this lawsuit, this advertisement, and a national campaign to prevent the President from acting in open defiance of the will of Congress. Nixon is fond of talking about law and order. Well, the law exists. Now we need a court order to get him to obey it. • SPONSORS; LAWYERS’ COMMUTE: ON ■ ■ AMERICAN POLICY TOWARDS VIETNAM. ■ ■COMMITTEE FOR PEACE AND NEW PRIORITIES. ■ ! CLERGY AND LAYMEN CONCERNED ABOUT J VIETNAM ■ VIETNAM VETERANS AGAINST THE WAT. ■ ■ COORDINATORS: WILUAM MEYERS, , JOSEPH H. CROWN, PETER WEISS_________a J Gentlemen: Here is my contribution in the amount J B of $-------------------Please make checks B ■ payable to the COMMITTEE FOR ■ ■ PEACE AND NEW PRIORITIES ■ ■ 415 LEXINGTON AVE.,NEWYORK,N.Y. 10017 ■ ■ ■ ■ NAjME_________________1___________________________________________■ ■ ADDRESS___j)______,---------------------------------------------J jsm----------------------------------—: • ■ ■ STATT________________________ZIP__________■ WEHE SUING NIXON

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