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Senator McGee on Viet Nam-'We're Coming Close“No longer is there anywhere to hide; no longer can one ignore key developments in the Eastern part of the world.”Thus, Sen. Gale McGee, Democrat of Wyoming, defended the policy of containment that the United . States is pursuing in Southeast Asia. His appearance here was his 191st, mostly to discuss U. S. foreign policy, in the last four years on college campuses.Senator McGee, who holds a PhD. in history, gave the following reasons for- expounding on his private views of U. S. policy in Viet Nam to the large MSC audience: it is the “paramount question” of our time, be is one of the “academics who believe that we’re coming close to the mark,” and he is a “die-hard liberal,”One of two PhD’s in the senate, Senator McGee stated that there was somuch conflict on the Viet Nam question because “there is no simple right or wrong — true or false. Every one of the policy situations in Viet Nam is made up of good and bad.”The next generation will be the ones to determine the validity of today’s U. S. commitment, according to McGee. Since history is a “usable past because it is a changeable reservoir for facts,” each generation must rewrite history in light of new research, exploration, and emphases.America’s goal is to seek a • “new world under law,” affirmed the Wyoming senator, “To achieve this goal, we must consider not where we should be, not where we might have been, and not where we may be; but where we are now.”After World War II, there was a “restructuring of power to determine longevity or shape and form of the new post-war world.” Asia was a passive factor in the restructmg; “now it has become a militant, vibrant, explosive, changing force to be figured into the factors of world peace,” he pointed out.“The United States has a moral responsibility for what is going on in the world,” the proponent of U. S. policy further declared. “Even remote acts of aggression are decisive factors, and there is something to be said for moving early to arrive at a reasonable balance.”“The United States is the only counterfcrce available to existing governments. If we recede, I think it is only a matter of time until the9e surrounding countries fall under,” warned Mr. McGee, who is preparing for his fifth trip to South Viet Nam.“We do not like divided world — two Berlins, two Koreas, two Chinas, two Viet Nams* They must be kept separate to provide time for economic change and social development.” For instance, the senator explained that American ships in theto Mark'Formosa Straits keep Chiang Kai Chek from rashly invad-ing the mainland as well as protect the “senior citizens” of Formosa.The senator declared that he is for U. S. recognition of Bed China and for its membershipin the United Nations. “The sooner China has nuclear capability; the closer the world will come to stability.”In answer to a political question, the Wyoming solon responded that he is pro-Humphrey, and that the vice president’s chances for election to the presidency depend upon “what happens this summer in the cities and in Viet Naim” He further stated that Kobert Kennedy’s death could have set back the cause of Humph- ^ rey and advanced Nixon’s chances.In reply to a question about what is going to happen to the Pueblo, Senator McGee emphasized that the U. S. must have patience to allow for time to work through diplomatic channels. “One life makes a difference to us, and this appears to be the best way to insure their safe return.”McGee concluded his presentation by relating what India’s late prime minister Nehru warned him in a private conversation: “Like Atlas, withthe world on your shoulders, if you stumble and fall, the whoJe world will go down with you.”
Newspaper Details
Maryville Northwest Missourian
Maryville, Missouri, US
Fri, Jun 28, 1968
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Nick N.
NA, 31 Dec 2024
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