The Third World War

Time For Some Answers

General Earle G. Wheeler, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew to South Vietnam at the end of February for a three-day survey. It is reported that he brought back with him General Westmoreland’s request for 206,000 troops in addition to the 525,000 level presently authorized. This request is said to have triggered a fierce debate inside the Pentagon, State Dept, and White House, as it surely ought to have done. An increase of that order would mean a qualitative as well as quantitative change in the war effort. It would no longer be possible to continue the business-as-usual framework. A substantial portion of the reserves would have to be called up, and at least some measures of fiscal and economic mobilization would become inevitable. The Administration has no right to ask the citizens to accept this new requisition, and they quite possibly will not accept it, unless they get more convincing answers than have so far been given to a number of questions.

JB

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James Burnham

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Time For Some Answers

General Earle G. Wheeler, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew to South Vietnam at the end of February for a three-day survey. It is reported that he brought back with him General Westmoreland’s request for 206,000 troops in addition to the 525,000 level presently authorized. This request is said to have triggered a fierce debate inside the Pentagon, State Dept, and White House, as it surely ought to have done. An increase of that order would mean a qualitative as well as quantitative change in the war effort. It would no longer be possible to continue the business-as-usual framework. A substantial portion of the reserves would have to be called up, and at least some measures of fiscal and economic mobilization would become inevitable. The Administration has no right to ask the citizens to accept this new requisition, and they quite possibly will not accept it, unless they get more convincing answers than have so far been given to a number of questions.