These are very earnest man, who are both republicans and democrats, moderates and liberals. People who have come to the conclusion that the United States should not be fighting in this war, the tragedy has mounted so much over the years that they have to try to stop. Theyre trying to use the legislative branch to bring the war to an end, in a sense creating a constitutional clash with the president of the United States. Its a very moving piece. I worked with many of, them they look much younger in these pictures, but they are very earnest about what they are saying. They are very convincing to the Television Audience that watch them. They made the most of it. Article, one section eight of the constitution reads as follows, the congress should have the power to no appreciation of for a longer term than two years. Our amendment, the mcgovern amendment is sometimes what its referred to. Who are they in what would this have done if it had passed . To back up a little bit, the president of the United States, Richard Nixon had announced november of 1969 to move u. S. Troops from vietnam. The thought at this time was maybe this is the end of the, war maybe it had cooldown. I was a supply clerk, and because of the aminas asian they were not sending supplies, i was sent to pearl harbor, instead. Many of us side relief. It seemed to escalate. The war seem to be getting more violent. It seemed to be spreading into china, laos, and cambodia. Thats why first senator cooper and frank church introduced the Cooper Church amendment to stop andy american activity in kampala. Then mcgovern was told, they got together to create the mcgovern amendment that would have stopped all military actions that here, and the next year it would have withdrawn all troops. It was a sweeping amendment. They knew they couldnt they thought they had a chance that way. They had to develop american support. The day they introduced the amendment, that night nixon went on television and announced he was authorizing american troops in cambodia for enclaves of vietnamese. Enclaves, attacks are being launched to clean it major sanctuaries on the vietnam cambodia border. This was a huge escalation of the war. All hell broke out on american campuses. Even the most conservative campuses had demonstrations. But the most dramatic and tragic took place in penn state, just a few days after nixons announcement. Students were killed on campus. A week later there was a civil shooting in jackson state, mississippi. This is a tragic situation. Hundreds of people marched in washington to protest this thing. The senators felt the president could get air time whatever he wants it. He could make these announcements public but he couldnt respond. There was no cspan in the chamber at that stage, just for a minute or two at the, night or maybe you would get on the sunday morning youth programs. Essentially they wanted a chance to respond. They want to the federal Communications Commission and said they wanted a free time on National Television to respond to the president. So they basically took at a 60,000 dollar loan and the purchased a half hour time on nbc, they broadcast 1970, right after the news, it was up against another news program on cbs. Several other stations felt of the program was so important that they ran it leader, cbs for instance ran a little later. Other local stations followed. The appealed for money and petitions. It was so successful it raised half 1 Million Dollar at the time which would be a little over 3 Million Dollars today. Huge bags of mail were delivered to the senators office, many were in support of it. The public support wasnt enough because when the senate eventually got to voting, it was defeated i think by 55 to 39. It was essential. There were several anti war senators that voted against it because of the principle of telling a president in the middle of a war to stop. It gave the president a little bit more time to withdraw. It was showing that there was significant cause for ending the war. It was important that they pass the church amendment. This way they could withdraw troops from cambodia. It was making the first steps towards 1973, an act was passed over nixons rain. It also introduced some of the government to a lot of the public, and just two years later he would be the democratic nominee for president. He would lose very badly in the election, but still its an indication of the growing strength of the Anti War Movement in those states. I think that the principal stumbling right now, if it was somehow buried by losing face, worried about embarrassing the policy makers, and worried that perhaps we made a mistake. Actually i think it would contribute to the greatness of the United States if there is a free people, we could just admit we are capable of making a mistake and do the best we can to put an early end to it. It is not a change in policy at all. It is a continuation of the old old policy. What can we learn today as we are about to watch this program from listening to how the senators framed the debate and the argument of what is happening in the world . Why is it important to study this . When you consider how polarized politics had become, it is quite fascinating to see this is a bipartisan group. Two republicans and three democrats. When you consider how flamboyant politics have gotten in the recent years, these are sober remarks. They are not making outrageous statements. Theyre making serious statements and having a good dialog between themselves about what needed to be done. They are also pointing out the tragic nature of the war. At that point about 40,000 americans that died in the war. Countless vietnamese had died in the war. One of the senators says, if we do not pass this now, we could have another 20,000 casualties. In fact, the vietnam war and washington has 58,000. Almost 20,000 were added after the broadcast was made. They were quite right about the seriousness. The conclusion of the war was no different in 1973 or 1975. It wouldve been 1970 or for that matter 1965. Looking back at this point, they were right. President johnson and nixon were absolutely wrong about what they did in vietnam. The United States have suffered from that ever since. Donald richie, thank you very much for joining us via zoom. Thank you. Now from may 12th 1970, heres the broadcast. Today, in the bright springtime of 1970, the United States of america has been ripped apart. Citizens bludgeon each other in the streets of new york. Students diane a campus eruption. Buildings explode. Banks burn. The nations colleges are shut down. The population is polarized, and there are parades of protest everywhere. Not since the days of the civil war have americans treated each other like this. At the heart of the trouble lies the war in vietnam. It is a strange war, a war that we have to keep explaining to ourselves year after year. And it is a difficult or to explain, particularly to the people who have to go and fight on its inconclusive battlefields. But while all the talk goes on, the war goes on to. It continues tonight, as it has continued for a decade. Tonight, americans will die in vietnam. Tonight, americans will die in cambodia. What can we do . On the day before we went into cambodia, amendment number 609 was introduced on the floor of the United States senate. It was cosponsored by a Party Bipartisan coalition of 20 senators. These republicans and democrats call it, the amendment to end the war. And they regarded as a realistic new thrust for peace. The Senate Debate on it will begin in just a few days. In the next half hour, five of the senators will make a case for this amendment. If the American People can effectively urge its passage upon members of the house and senate, if the amendment to end the war is passed, then the traditional right of declaring whether or not we shall commit americans to battle will be returned to the congress, where it belongs. Through protest, position petition, and an act of law, we shall have at least at last ended the vietnam war. There is no way under the constitution by which the congress of the United States can act either to continue this war, or to end it, except by a decision on whether we will appropriate funds to finance the war. Article one, section eight of the constitution reads as follows. The Congress Shall have power to raise and support our, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term and two years. Our amendment to end the war fulfills the obligations that we have under the constitution. The amendment clearly states that unless the Congress Shall have declared war, that no monies appropriated on the active which we have test the amendment or any other law, shall be used in vietnam after december the 30th 1970, except for the withdrawal of american troops and other provisions. It provides that no monies shall be used for military operations in the country of laos. After december of 1970. It provides that no monies shall be authorized for the use of any military operations in cambodia. 30 days following the adoption of the amendment. And that all troops shall be withdrawn from vietnam. All american troops, by june 1971. Unless the president of the United States shall deem it it is important enough to extend that time, by requesting the congress to pass a joint resolution authorizing such extension time. The amendment to end the war provides continuing funding for full protection of american troops. During the total of our withdrawal. It also provides Adequate Funding to provide political asylum for all those South Vietnamese another civilians, for which there may be great concern about a bloodbath. There are adequate provisions that these civilians may be placed in other places for their own protection. It also provides for a continuing negotiation of exchange of prisoners. Very soon, the senate will be acting on another amendment offered by senator cooper and myself. It will address the cambodian situation and sets the limits on that adventure to those declared by the president. This and the war amendment takes the full steps and provides an orderly method for the extra caution of the United States from the war and vietnam itself. So what we are looking for is a reasonable way to accomplish that withdrawal. I think is the principal stumbling block now as we are somehow worried about losing face. We are worried about embarrassing the policy makers that sent us in their. We are worried about admitting that perhaps we have made a mistake. Actually, i think it would contribute to the greatness of the United States, if there is a free people, we can just admit that we are capable of making a mistake and then do the best we can to put an early end to it. And then the mess they shun is not a change in policy at all. It is a continuation of the old old policy. It is dedicated to war, not peace. It means that the war will go on and continue to go on for four years to come. It means that there is been no one speaking in the sun ministration or the last as an end to our support commitment in vietnam. It means that we can look into the future for at least a decade and all probability to a quarter of 1 million men involved in vietnam. I think every mother and father in america who has a son right now that is five or six or seven years old, or anywhere up to 15 or 16, should well realize that that boy is going to be involved in our future commitment in vietnam under existing policy. We have come to the point where we realize, and i think the president realized when he went to cambodia, the vietnam as they shun will not work and it was an admission of the failure of yet emendation. I think its time the American People recognize that the president does not have power to declare war or make war alone. He can ask congress to declare that. I think that is why what we are discussing here and urging support of the American People that is so important, congress can do this and it is not any responsible action with the walls all falling down around american prestige and power in the world. If we decide we are going to get out, congress would simply be saying okay, we fought for seven years, weve bled and died and we spend our resources on this. Now the time has come to say to the South Vietnamese, take it over. We will give you time, over a period of time we will be withdrawing and you can go on getting eight if you fight for yourself in your own civil war. We are not going to stay there and fight and bleed and dive for you any longer. The point is simply this. It is no longer the opinion of president s or opinion of senators. It is the evidence of history of over 40,000 deaths and this amount of resource expended that has proven each one of those escalations to be wrong. I say, how many more american men have to be heaped upon that funeral pyre to disprove a theory or a doctrine of military action that has been proven wrong each time it has been acted upon . After all, the United States is not going to impose any prominent search lucia and in asia to settle asian problems among asian people on the asian mainland. The idea that we are going to do that is runs against the whole current of history. What is happening in asia is that the western powers are moving out and that the agents are thinking for themselves. Vietnam is a shun at his has been pointed out here, its not the method for extricateing us from this it will merely perpetuate our involvement in this war. Half of the troops may come home, and the other half will stay inevitably. And it does not serve the interest of the United States to maintain a Permanent Military base in Southeast Asia. The president reiterated the other night that he was going to continue to bring back his 150,000 men and the next 12 months. Many americans may feel that means they are all going to be coming back and nobody is going to be going. Under a policy of bringing back 150,000 men in the next 12 months, we will send 2000, 276,000 men. We are not there now. We are now in the military are about to go into the military. Well bring back more, 150,000 more than we send, but the location process will be 276,000 men going over there to fight and perhaps die. What will we have accomplished . What evidence is there based on past history to lead us to believe that we would be in any better position or that South Vietnam would be in a better position one year or five years or ten years hence after tens of thousands of additional americans have been killed, and we are now. What will we have gained . We have created a crisis of confidence and a deep disillusionment and alienation that does not just affect the narrow fringe of radicals on campuses. Anyone who goes to the campuses knows that this feeling extends to millions of young americans. Now if they grow up without a boost in the system that it seems to me, has far greater bearing upon the future of the United States than anything we have now or have ever had into china. One of the great tragic byproducts of all of this is the spiritual scarring of our own people. The questioning of our own minds who are involved in a body count war with total military supremacy with indiscriminate bombing and farreaching effects on the ecology of those nations by spreading chemicals and driving the people off of the land into the cities. Completely changing the complex of that Little Nation involving 16 to 18 Million People. We ask ourselves, can we be happy about the fact that we have killed 10,000 vietnamese and suffered 300 deaths ourselves in the process . This complete psychology that we have of destroying life, at any expense, and what the results are in our own society. It is brutalizing internally. We find our young people turning away from. It fleeing to canada to avoid a war they consider immoral and attitudes they consider unrealistic in a time and in an age of where we really are questioning ourselves to find National Purpose again. What we need to understand is that there is no way to separate the cost of this war in asia from the cost to our own society. There were stories and the press recently that some of our poor people, some of the black citizens and other minority groups have shied away from participating and protest against the war on the grounds that their concerns are with hunger and with racism and with poverty. What i think all of our fellow americans need to understand is that the answer to these other problems will not come until we put this war behind us and the enormous strain that it is taking here in our society. The person who is worried about inflation ought to realize that war is a principal cause of that. The man who is worried about the stock market skidding, ought to realize that the stock market jitters are associated to a great extent, with the war and youve said so many times, the governors and the city councilman and others who are worried about where the money is going to come from for those new schools are sewage projects or other things, they have to understand that the war is robbing them of those possibilities. We are talking about a 16 to 18 Million People in South Vietnam. 23 million blacks in america who have not been able to find justice in this great country. Untold thousands of American Indians have never been brought to their fulfillment, you will work so long and energetic in the field in poverty. Some 35 Million People living in poverty with the very foundation shaking a very major city in the nation. With the greek basic undergirding of this nation that has always kept it stable. Its a dream thats being siphoned off in the name of somehow saving Southeast Asia. I think you would agree that there seems to be a great paradox. The cost of the war last year was 30 billion dollars, so you can say in an specific terms that a year of a war in this country would be very costly. To reduce that or translate that in terms of the cost of the war, the federal government will be spending a lot in this half hour period. Just a vietnam . You know the argument is being made, of all the arguments being made, that is the least impressive. The world knows that we have the power to terminate every living inhabitant in vietnam. If we unleash that power we could solve the target. Its not our power thats an a question, its the wisdom of our policy. The world sees the biggest, richest, strongest nation, dropping more bombs on North Vietnam then were dropped in the second world war. Theres a tremendous of strength and wealth. That puts us in a very late, negative light in the world. This war has done more to undermine the leadership in the United States than anything else. The quicker that we end this war, the sooner we will be able to win back the respect the country ought to have throughout the war. What do you say to people who are really concerned, and i know that theyre concerned that we will lose face in the world . That we wont be a first rate power as implied by keith executives. The concern of americans that want to get out of the, were they want to stop the killing it dying, they say this is americans place in the world. Unless we accept this child were somehow filling in world leadership. This is a question in the mind of millions of americans. Not just power, power of ideals. I say that we are losing in the world today by continuing to be in vietnam. Its not a matter of National Pride its a matter of practicing what we preach. Its a matter of our deals in the constitution and the hearts of the American People are really here or in the peripheral. I would say that its to admit that were wrong and save lives. The sooner we do this the better it would be for our nation. I dont considerate failure, its powerful because only the powerful can take the chance of admitting error. The people that died died from within. That is happening now in the United States of america if we dont get out of this war. In the sacred words of justice in peace, but justice and freedom and peace are not out there. The government is not a democratic government, its a corrupt and, its involved with another dictatorship, this is a war between two dictatorships. In terms of the ideals for which this country should stand. Freedom is not at issue for the people of vietnam. One way or another, the kind of freedom that we know is not going to be a gift of this war. Frank, in particular george, when were talking about this amendment to end the war, for most americans its how can i support this amendment and also support the country in a war that weve been involved in for the last few years. If people could solve this issue in their mind we could bring this were to an end. The president said if we relieve vietnam no were going to be finished as a peacemaker in asia. I think we have to ott trying to be the policeman for asia. Lets quit trying to be a solo policeman, and banker, and pacifier in asia alone. How ironic it would be if we succeeded in pacifying Southeast Asia and couldnt protect our own society. The invasion of indonesia was the camel that broke the, the straw that broke the camels back. And in the belief and the hope that the scent of the United States will offer the leadership to alter this question. Everything we have said here tonight is completely and partisan. I think we have all been as critical of the democratic president as we have the republican president. We should not be considering this in terms of political or partisan advantage one way or another. This war transcends partisanship and i know a great many republicans as well as democrats who think war is wrong and we have to get out. I think the overwhelming number of all americans, whatever the Political Parties believe. This i think what we are trying to do with our amendment to end the war is to say that it is too important a decision to place on the soldiers of one man. It is too big a risk to ask one man alone. The president ought not to make that judgment along. Under the constitution he is not supposed to make that decision alone. We are proposing to share that responsibility and whatever political risk, whatever opportunity, whatever hazard is involved in making the decision to end this war, we are prepared as elective officials to stand up on that question and answer yes or no and then take whatever blame or whatever credit is involved. We are providing a situation where president can withdraw faster, where he can make a determination, the wars going to end by a fix state, and he will not bear the whole onus himself. We recognize that when you make such a tragic mistake, there is no painless way to get out of that mistake. You are saying we will share that pain, that responsibility. But let us recognize the mistake and get out of it. What do we say to the American Parents who have sons fighting in vietnam . Is this a patriotic move that we are taking in this amendment and the war . Is this support of their sons and of our fighting men in vietnam . There is no better way than to protect the young men who are fighting over their than to bring them home. I do not know of any military person, any responsible position who doubts that if we made our declaration for coming out, that they would be brought home safely. As long as we stay there, the casualties are going to go up, and if president nixon over the next three years, we are talking about a minimum of 5000 more americans dead and probably closer to 20,000. Four or five times that many casualties, four or five times many vietnamese deaths in the process. Not to mention the billions of dollars involved. Now, what we are proposing is not a disorganized and uncoordinated outcry. We are proposing a specific legislative act that will have the full force of law and it will say in effect, no more money. Southeast asia for any purpose then other than arranging for the systematic and safe withdrawal of our forces for the exchange of pratt citizens, for asylum for those people that might be threatened by our withdrawal. It is an orderly, constitutional procedure for bringing about an end to this war. This brings the congress back to the role that it should have been playing all along. It asks the congress to assume its responsibility to the American People. It brings our democratic system back to life again in a balanced, constitutional manner. That in itself is as important to this republic as ending the war American People who have been watching would say we agree with you, but our voices not very loud. I am only one person. Im just a little person. You hear that many times. Does that voice have a place in this whole issue of war and peace . We are tired of speeches. We want action. A lot of the young people say it as well. A lot of the older people say it. Turn it off. We agree with you, but what have you done about it . What can you do about it . What can we do . We are asking people to make their views known responsibly to their congressmen and we are asking the congress and the senate of the United States to begin to assume its responsibility and the constitution. For years and years, we have advocated, given all the power to the president when it came to war. We sat on our hands and then nothing. We hope that the people will look the other way. Well, the time has come to reassert our responsibility and stand up and vote on the question of war and peace. We have sort of enshrined silence as the virtue of patriotism in the last year or so. Actually, i think the highest patriotic duty that any citizen has to speak up, to speak his convictions and his mind. That is the hope that we have got to give to all American People. There is this method, this channel open to them, and if we and others like us on this end of the power structure, so to speak, are receptive, we are not only receptive but inviting them to participate in this amendment in the war. This is what we must do. We need their help. Even if we had 40 senators presently on this amendment, we need the help of the people of the United States. There is no other way that we cant succeed. And the voice of the people counts in the final analysis. If i am to exercise my judgment and to follow my conscience in a position of responsibility, i must tell the people what i think we are wrong and when we are right. Expect them to support those positions or to oppose them. But for the lords sake, do not be quiet. Right, support or oppose, but do something in this criticals time. If you want to cast your vote to end the war in indochina, there is something you must do in the next few days. Right to your congressman or your center. Just a simple word, i vote for the amendment in the war in Southeast Asia. Theres Something Else you can do. Take a sheet of paper and right at the top, we the undersigned favored the amendment to end the war. Leave room for names and addresses. Go out to work, the church, the supermarket, wherever you can collect solutions and get people to sign or agree with you. Send those positions to your congressmen and to your senators, the president of the United States rightfully can command all media to bring a message to the people of the United States. Anytime he deems he has a message of importance. For those of us who have differing viewpoints and wish to express those to you the American People, it requires that we see cure systems. Remember that 66 cents out of every tax dollar now goes for war. A dollar can go a long way. Send your contribution, whatever it may be in order that we can continue to speak out. Make your checks out to amendment to end the War Post Office box won a ben franklin station, washington, d. C. Let me close the broadcast on a very concrete and specific point. What we are proposing here is that for the first time in the long history of this war, the senate of the United States stand up and be counted yes or no on the question of whether we wish the war to continue or to be ended. We proposed to do that in a vote that will come in a very short time. We pledge you that that vote will be held. It is not a sense of to congress resolution, it is not a debaters point, it is an act of law which if carried, will put an end to this war in a systematic way. We ask earnestly tonight for your support in that effort. Every area of the world, in 1968 in new era has started. This strategy is producing results. The chips are down, the worlds most powerful nation acts like a pitiful, hopeless child. In just a few days amendment to end the world war will on september 26th of 1918, the American Army and france launched the largest
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