00:00:07.640 - 00:00:48.230

Mine's got to be warmed up. Scene one, take 1. 23 57. Senator Smiler! I wish we had a rib. We present at this time an informal discussion with Senator George Smathers from the nation's capital. Now here is the first question Well, Senator Smathers, the State Department is cut off aid to Dominican Republic.

00:00:48.240 - 00:01:05.650

That is, until they accept a provisional government headed by I believe it's Hector Garcia Godoy. Now, do you support that action? Yes, I think we have to do something in the Dominican Republic to bring about a resolution to this problem. And as we all know, the United States has been picking up the tab for both sides.

00:01:06.440 - 00:01:28.860

And apparently the leaders of both sides like the situation. So if we have a resolution, the problem one of them has to leave. Now the only way we can get them to get together and have something done is to withdraw the money and support Mr Godoy as provisional president with arrangements for an election within nine months thereafter.

00:01:29.450 - 00:01:44.890

I think this problem should be solved. It can be solved and will be solved within a year in the Dominican Republic in a recent address you gave at the American Bar Association meeting in Miami. I believe it was you mentioned the increasing cost of the Vietnamese situation.

00:01:45.440 - 00:02:18.880

Well, I stated that we could no longer expect any tax cuts. We've already had some $18 billion worth of tax cuts in the past three years, and we could not expect any more in the light of our increasing a cost and commitments in South Vietnam and with the president has already asked this year for an additional billion $700 million to meet our growing obligation in Vietnam and knowledgeable people who follow this kind of operation, particularly Dick Russell of Georgia and others.

00:02:18.880 - 00:02:38.360

They're of the opinion that's going to take an additional five billions of dollars very shortly. So it's clear that we cannot have a tax cut while we have to meet this continuing and growing obligation in Southeast Asia. Now, are we meeting another threat with Singapore seceding from the Malaysian group?

00:02:39.040 - 00:02:57.660

Yeah, there's no question, but this is once again a very unfortunate development in so far as we are concerned, as a lot of us have not realized, the British have been down there trying to keep Malaysia together. As a matter of fact, they have had more English soldiers in Malaysia than we've had in South Vietnam.

00:02:58.240 - 00:03:17.270

Now, if Singapore in that area of the Malaysian group or withdraws and begins to make common cause with Indonesia, which is what's indicated recently, then of course that's a setback, and it increases the English people's commitment in that area where they no longer can help us.

00:03:17.280 - 00:03:37.040

They're not helping very much as it is, but there, at least helping indirectly by being in Malaysia. Uh, now with this growing problem in Malaysia, of course, it complicates the whole problem in Southeast Asia. It's unfortunate circumstance which has developed. And of course, it means bigger problems for us.

00:03:37.190 - 00:04:16.970

Senator. This past week we saw some so called peace demonstrators picketing the White House and trying to invade the Congress. What's your feeling about that sort of an operation? Well, I think these people are sort of ridiculous. Frankly, I would like to see these people have enough genuine concern about the welfare of their country and enough respect for the leaders of their government and the leaders of their country to be willing to go along with the decisions which have been made by the president and others as to what commitments we have to live up to.

00:04:17.310 - 00:04:31.760

I think when they demonstrate as they have done in the courses, they have a right to do. What they do is encourage the Communist everywhere to believe that the country is greatly divided. And the truth the matter is that these people represent hardly any more than themselves.

00:04:32.240 - 00:04:52.560

They're not particularly patriotic people, as some of them aren't because we know of their past record. It's unfortunate, but of course they do get into the press. The word does go out around the world that there is a certain group within the United States that's not totally supporting the president and the efforts that we're making in Vietnam.

00:04:52.940 - 00:05:09.680

And of course, none of us like the situation that exists in Vietnam. And but that's not the question. The question is, were there? Do we pick up and run home under great pressure, or do we meet our commitments and try to hope that we can get this matter negotiated and brought to an end peacefully?

00:05:10.240 - 00:05:38.760

Thank you very much, Senator George Smathers, some of this matter some of the national polls are showing that the country, by an amount of I think it's 75% is supporting our stand on Vietnam. Do you have any polls that show Florida feeling the first research corporation in Miami, which which run actually very sound polls?

00:05:39.250 - 00:06:16.650

They recently took one with respect to the sentiment of the people of Florida, and it showed just about the national level. I don't think it was quite as high. Some 68 5% of the people of Florida supported the president in the Vietnam situation. It's strangely enough, however, in the Dominican Republic his position there he had something like 89 to 90% support, once again indicating that the people of Florida, like I can see where we have much more interest in our own area in Cuba and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and we have in Vietnam.

00:06:17.340 - 00:06:41.170

Senator, some of our correspondents and writers have criticized Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge. How do you feel about how he's handling that job? Well, I would say this. It's a it's a difficult job to handle. It's sort of like being the representative to the United Nations. You've got all kinds of complex problems and complex personalities to deal with.

00:06:41.180 - 00:07:02.670

Cabot Lodge speaks French. Uhh! Just he's bilingual in French, and the official language in that area is French. And, of course, Maxwell Taylor spoke French. The first thing that has to happen is our man has to be able to to be able to speak French as fluently as he does English in order to communicate further than that.

00:07:02.670 - 00:07:23.260

Lodge has had considerable experience. He was the first person that we sent out there when the conditions began to get another critical Senate President Kennedy sent Lodge out there. What does anyway, about three or four years ago? I think large is most dedicated public servant. I was privileged to serve with him.

00:07:23.260 - 00:07:46.150

Here in the Senate. He has respect from all over the world because of as our representative at the United Nations during the Eisenhower administration, he did a magnificent job. I think he's an ideal man for the job, but he's not going to be able to accomplish any miracles, as is no one else, because we're just not going to have a miracle out there.

00:07:46.150 - 00:08:02.960

This is a long, difficult, arduous trying time that we're going to have in Vietnam and we just must recognize that fact and stay with it and not give up and not waver and just continue to punish them where we can until finally we can get them to negotiate with us.

00:08:03.540 - 00:08:22.250

Senator, this comment that I have does not come from the so called peace demonstrators are pacifists. Some of our writers are making the statement that it's not true that the loss of Vietnam would mean anything strategically, but that the real purpose for being there is really to keep our word.

00:08:22.250 - 00:08:38.400

Is there any truth to that? Well, I think that actually it's two things that were there for first. We've got to keep the word if we if we haven't made a commitment, if we get pushed out under great pressure, then what are the people in the West Berlin think?

00:08:38.400 - 00:09:00.990

What are the people in West Germany thing? They think Well, if there's enough pressure on the people of the United States are against the West Germans where we would withdraw our support so right away, they say, Well, look, we better make common cause with the Communist because Americans aren't going to support us and the Americans, the only one who are sufficiently strong to stand up to the communist power.

00:09:01.240 - 00:09:25.260

So we have to keep our commitment in that area now when they say there's no strategic value in the land in so far as we're concerned, that is technically correct. It doesn't. We don't We're not looking for land, but what we do loses. We do lose 600 million people and all the resources that area, which will immediately fall into the communist camp and make the communist camp stronger even than it is now.

00:09:25.540 - 00:09:41.350

And of course, the Communists are still going to be a great threat to us. So instead of being faced with a communist group, which is not quite as strong as it could be, our position is we'd better keep them from getting this additional strength. That's why we're there.

00:09:41.530 - 00:09:54.850

Senator, A lot of the senators that I've talked to are getting letters from people whose husbands and sons are in Vietnam. They feel they ought to be given a free combat life insurance. Are you getting any letters like that? And how do you feel about it?

00:09:54.850 - 00:10:11.990

Well, I am. I think there ought to be some type and character of insurance. And as a matter of fact, before our Finance Committee this past week, we discussed this matter. And I'm hopeful that we're going to have an amendment in the bill very shortly with which will provide a life insurance to those people to combat areas.

00:10:12.000 - 00:10:15.850

Thank you very much. Senator George Smathers. I return you now to your station announcer.