Friday, June 28, 1968
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
Friday, June 28, 1968 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three
'Battle hits near Khe Sanh
-Associated Press
ALTHOUGH U.S. TROOPS are abandoning Khe Sanh, allied
strength remains in force below the DMZ. Stars on the map indi-
cate main U.S. bases from where allied operations are launched.
Hanoi statement hints
SC 1
troops aetn-
HONG KONG (I)-In a broad-
cast which could have a direct
bearing on the deadlocked Paris
peace talks. North Vietnam ap-
peared yesterday to inch closer
to admitting it has regular troops
fighting in South Vietnam along-
side the Viet Cong's National
Liberation Front.
"For the common destiny of
our whole people, for the inde-
pendence and freedom of our
whole nation," the Hanoi broad-
cast said, "the peoples and armies
of our whole country will con-
tinue fighting shoulder to should-
er to firmly inflict ever heavier
blows and ultimate defeat upon
the U.S. aggressors.
The 1,600-word Vietnamese-
language broadcast monitored
here said the statement came
from staff headquarters of the
People's Army of North Vietnam.
Throughout 6 weeks and 10,
sessions o f t h e preliminary,
American-North Vietnamese talks
in Paris, the U.S. negotiating
team has been trying to get
Hanoi's representatives to admit
RECORDS
Proceeds to A.C.L.U.
1Oc - $1.00
Canterbury House
Sat., June 29
e in OutI
the presence of North Vietnam's
regulars in South Vietnam, in
the hope that such an acknow-
ledgement from Hanoi would lead
to more meaningful discussions.
The new statement, like oth-
ers before it, was ambigious,
sometimes referring to troops of
the Liberation Front and some-
times to the North Vietnamese
army. It did not specifically
say, in so many words, that
North Vietnamese regulars were
fighting in the South, but it re-
turned time and again to the
term of "our whole people and
army."a
U.S. sources said the statement
appeared deliberately worded so
that it could be interpreted in dif-
ferent ways.
The broadcast did, however,
seems to go a bit farther toward
acknowledgment of the North
Vietnamese presence in the South
than did a statement earlier this
monthtfrom Gen. Vo Nguyen
Giap, the architect of the 1954
victory over thedFrench and
North Vietnam's defense minis-
ter.
Bordering on North Vietnam
and Laos, where enemf supply
and infiltration routes are shor-
test, the 1st Corps has long been
considered the most critical sec-
tor of the Vitenam war. And en-
emy strategy now appears to be
aimed at keeping large numbers
of allied troops under steady
pressure along the northern
frontier while at the same time
menacing Saigon.
SAIGON (JP) - Fighting broke
out late yesterday near Quang Tri,
about 30 miles east of the Khe
Sanh combat base being aban-
doned by U.S. troops to provide
more mobile strike forces against
eight enemy divisions operating in
the critcal northern sector.
Field reports said elements of
the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division
engaged an enemy force of un-
known size. One officer said the
action was "pretty sizable," but
there were no details at U.S.
headquarters in Saigon.
The scene is 19 miles south of
the demilitarized zone. Some
Vietnamese troops eaalier in the
day reported killing 125 enemy in
a running gun battle in the same
general area. The South Vietna-
mese said their losses were 7 kill-
ed and 50 wounded.
It was believed the American
cavalrymen ran into heavy con-
tact after being deployed as a
blocking force.
The air cavalrymen, who often
ride helicopters into battle, ep-
tomize the concept of mobility
that caused the U.S. Command!
to order Khe Sanh abandoned.
In announcing that Khe Sanh
is being inactivated, the command
said,' "Mobile forces tied to no
specific terrain must be used to
the utmost to attack, intercept,
reinforce or take whatever action
is most appropriate to meet the
enemy threats."
It added that the decision "to
continue the mobile posture . .
makes the operation of the base
at Khe Sanh unnecessy."
The command cited the threat!
of an increased number of ene-
my troops in the northern sector,
the 1st Corps area. It said "at
least the equivalent" of eight ene-
my divisions are there and "this
gives him the capability of mount-
ing several sizable attacks con-
currently."
Because of the importance U.S.
officials put on Khe Sanh while
it was under siege earlier this
year, its abandonment was a prop-
aganda setback for the United'
States. It was the first major U.S.
base in Vietnam to be abandoned
because of enemy pressure.
But Vietnam observers of the
war did not think abandonment
of Khe Sanh would significantly
alter the American military po-
sition. The new western anchor
of the allied line below the DMZ
is at Landing Zone Stud, a sup-
ply base and airstrip 10 miles
east of the Sanh.
Withdrawal from Khe Sanh
has been going on for several
days, but announcement was de-
layed for seccrity reasons. Brig.
Gen. Winant Sidle, chief of in-
formation for the U.S. Command,
said, "Khe Sanh will be leveled,
bulldozed and the bunkers closed
up. It's already under way."
Sidle said Westmoreland had
approved the plan to abandon
Khe Sanh before he relinquished
command of U.S. forces in South
Vietnam to become Army chief
of staff.
Plan talks on
missile race
WASHINGTON (I-The United States declared itself
vastly encouraged yesterday by Moscow's endorsement of
talks on curbing the missile race and sought quick Soviet
agreement on a time and a place to begin meetings.
State Department press officer Robert J. McCloskey gave
the U.S. response within hours of Soviet Foreign Minister
Andrei A. Gromyko's Moscow speech which U.S. officials rated
as a notable advance toward accord on a mutual cutback on
missiles and antimissiles.
"The Soviet government is prepared to exchange opinions
-Associated Press
Humphrey greets his supporters
HHH won't rule out
MfcCarthy for V.P. slot
on this question" of restricting;
offensive and defensive nu-
clear systems, Gromyko was
quoted as telling the Supreme
Soviet, Russia's highest legis-
lative body.
President Johnson proposed mu-
tual missile reduction to the 17-
nation Geneva disarmament con-
ference as long ago as 1964. The
Soviet showed interest when
Washington began prodding again
1 years. ago but they have yet
to set a time and place for talks.
McCloskey recalled that John-
son disclosed on March 2, 1967,
a letter from Soviet Premier Al-
exei N. Kosygin in which the
Kremlin leader confirmed the will-
ingness of the Soviet government
to discuss means of limiting the
race in offensive and defensive
nuclear missiles."
Saying the United States is
vastly encouraged by Gromyko's
words, the spokesman added:
"The United States is ready to
move forward to examine and
solve this extremely important and
complex problem."
By way of jogging the Soviets
for a specific followup on the
Grorayko statement, State De-
partment officials said the Amer-
ican ambassador at Moscow, Lle-
wellyn Thompson, may take the
initiative with a call on the So-
viet Foreign Ministry.
WAVERLY, Minn. (A') - Vice
President Hubert H. Humphrey is
declining to rule out his presi-
dential rival and fellow Minne-
sotan, Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy,
as a possible running mate.
Humphrey's position is that it
would be presumptuous for him to
talk about the vice presidency
with anyone until the Democratic
presidential nomination is decided
The senator has said he does
not know if he will support Hum-
phrey as a presidential nominee if
the vice president maintains his
support of the Johnson Admin-
istration's Vietnam policy.
But the idea of a Humphrey-
McCarthy ticket is closely related
to the vice president's realization
that the party's presidential can-
didate must heal internal Demo-
president who are inhabitants of
their own state.
This means that none of the 10
Minnesota electors, if a Hum-
phrey-McCarthy ticket carried the
state, could vote for both, unless
one switched his legal residence
between election day and Dec. 15,
the day electors vote.
Politically, Humphrey and Mc-
Carthy complement each other
as their basic appeals are to the
two wings of the Democratic
party, divided over the war.
in Chicago in two months. cratic wounds to win next Novem-
The vice president was asked ber's election.
about the possibilickety ste r HAnother indication of this is his
morning just before he left Denver recruitment of former postmaster
for a day of meetings and re- general Lawrence F. O'Brien to his
laxation at his home here. campaign.
"He is a fine man," he said of O'Brien, who resigned from the
McCarthy, "but we haven't talked cabinet in April to work for the
about things like that." late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, met:
The vice president's aides make here last weekend with Humphrey.
it clear, however, that they do Aides said yesterday O'Brien is
not consider the fact that both undertaking several missions aim-
Humahty nsMeathrcamed at winning Kennedy supporters
from the same state as either a to the Humphrey fold. One of the
political or legal barrier. They ftsx eob oora
note that Humphrey has frequent-fst is expected to be to Colorado,
the aide said. Humphrey won
ly gone out of his way to praise over one key former Kennedy
McCarthy. backer there Wednesday when
And when Humphrey was asked Michael Pompinio, a veteran north
about the possibility Wednesday Denver political leader and dele-
night in a CBS-TV interview withgenveripoh e rtth-
Walter Cronkite, he said of Mc- gate, said he would support the
Carthy "I surely woudn't rule the vice president.
senator out under any circum- Although no successful presi-
stances." dential ticket has ever encom-
One unknown factor at this passed two candidates from the
stage is what McCarthy's terms, .
if any, would be for such an ac- same state, the Constitution says
commodation if he loses the nom- only that electors may not vote
ination to Humphrey. for both a president and a vice
Ray plea:'
not guilty
of murder
LONDON RI) -- James Earl
Ray denied yesterday that he
killed Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. Fighting extradition to the
United States to stand trial for
the murder of the Negro civil
rights leader, Ray professed in-
nocence in Bow Street Magis-
trates court.
The 40-year-old fugitive from
the Missouri Penitentiary took
the stand in his own defense aft-
er the U.S. government unveiled
a carefully detailed case against
him as "the single hand" in the ,
assassination.
George Jacob Bonebrake, of
the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion, testified .he found Ray's
prints on the rifle, telescopic
sight and binoculars ,that were
dropped at the doorway of a shop
near the motel shortly after King
was slain.
Under questioning by his court-
appointed British attorney, Roger
Frisby, Ray declared he had nev-'
er met King and that he bore him
no grudge.
"Did you kill Martin Luther
King?" Frisby asked.
"No, sir," the prisoner replied,'
Chief Magistrate Frank Miltonf
adjourned the hearing until next
Tuesday. It is expected to be com-
pleted then.
British lawyers retained by the
United States told Milton of wit-
nesses to the purchase of the rifle
and of a disabled war veteran,
Charles Stevens, 46, who said he
heard the fatal shot fired from
the common bathroom of a
rooming house on South Main
Street near the Lorraine Motel.
13ay resisted moves to extradite
him to stand trial for King's mur-
der with all the legal ammuni-
tion provided by Britain's cloud-
ed extradition laws.
If the court's decision goes
against him, Frisby is expected
to appeal to a higher court on
the ground that King's assassi-
nation was a political crime, for
which Britain does not permit
extradition.
Frisby electrified the court by
summoning Ray to the stand for
a six-minute unsworn appear-
ance.
"Call my client," he ordered.
Ray was formally addressed as
Ramon George Sneyd, the alias
under which he is held here on
charges of entering Britain on a
forged Canadian passport.
World news roundup
By The Associated Press
JERUSALEM Two of Israel's
top leaders declared yesterday that
the Arabs are determined to de-
stroy Israel and called on Israelis
to prepare for another war.
"We have to buy weapons, we
have to make our own weapons,.
we have to make our army stron-
ger, we have to prepare airfields,"
Defense Minister Moshe Dayan
told the Labor Party Central
Comittee.
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol con-
tended that the Arabs don't want
peace.
* *I *
WASHINGTON - The jailed
leader of the Poor People's Cam-
paign said yesterday he is fasting
to gain spiritual strength to carry
ii
on his work, and he pledged the
nation will see more Resurrection
Cities.
"Resurrection Cities will spring
up all over the country, including
Washington," the Rev. Ralph
David Abernathy told a news con-
ference in the century-old Dis-
trict of Columbia 'il.
WASHINGTON - The ad-
ministration's program to defend
the dollar abroad suffered another
blow yesterday when the Com-
merce Department reported the
second monthly trade deficit for
the year during May.
With heavy imports of steel,
automobiles and consumer goods,
the department said the United
States imported $32.2 million more
merchandise than it sent to other
countries last month.
WASHINGTON - The Federal
Communications Commission over-
turned yesterday a section of its
rules under which telephone com-
panies may prohibit their custom-
ers from using attachments not
furnished by the telephone com-
pany.
THIS WEEK....
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