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Wo produce horoawith an articlo from the Sunday Citizon of November 4th bscause of the importance of tho facts that its brings outs
"Admiral 3ir David Luse, who boconos "“upromo" of British forcos through= out the Far sast this month, may nocd socond thoughts about the imminsnt planned withdrawal of the RAF. fightors in Siam, stationed there sinco ths Laos omergency five months ago. For Amorican nilitary chiofs, onsouraged by the ooult of thoir "gst tough” strategy over Cuba, are now trying a similar policy against Communist Gucrilias in South Vict-nam, adjoining Siam and Laose ;
"Thoy have issuod sccret ordors which give a more actively belligcrent rolo to U.S. forcos in the country — still nominally, "technicians" and "military advisors." Instcad of opening fire only in self-defence, as hitherto, thoy have now beon told to shoot first when thoy think fit. Fast. rocket-armed helicoptors have also boon sent in to strengthon thom,
"The Danger is that, this timo, the "cnomy" is backed not by Russia but by Commnist China. And in two wecks or so, when tho onset of wintor "ireezos™ tho Indo-Tibotan front, tho Chinese will be frec to give fuller attention to this othcr war. First hint of the changed Amorican policy was given when the U.S. Def ones Dopartmont said that its helicoptors in South Vict-Nam were boing armed because of tho increased gucrilla attacks on thom.
"But it is now known that the machines which havo gone into action in the Vekong delta wore not, as impliocd, morely helicopters which had froshly boon equipped with guns, They woro now Boll helicoptors « the HU lA — armed with heavy machino-guns as well as 16 rockots.
"Since thoss machines are boing ucsod mainly to escort Viet=-Nam troop carrying planes, thsre can no longer be any disguising of the American's active combat role. «another secret which the Defonce Department has tried to keep is the cxtont of U.S. casualtics in ‘outh Viet-Nam. In tho past ton months alone, these amount to at loast 49 killed and 58 injured." COMUNT: This romarkably frank roport coming from a source which is by no means pro Chinese shows ths extent of U.S. aggressiveness in the post-Cuba crisis era, ‘fo have hore another potential crisis arca which could flare up at any time. in thet event the press would no doubt make a big hus and ery about Chinese aggression and completoly obscure the fact that U.5. is actively intervening in bolstering up a complotoly rotten and unvopular rogzime. The facts about U.S. intervention hore mist be mado as widely known as possible, for instance, if a soriss of letters woro sont to Tribune porhaps ths editors could be persuaded to pay attention to somsthing othor than attacking the Chinese.
The Thailand Defonce liinister, Genoral]. Thanon Kittikachorn, announced in Banvirok on November 9th, that the United States would give his country the Videwinder guided missiles under special military aid as promissd in October, The Sidowindors can carry a nuclear warheal, ilso being sent are 1-41,tanks, T-28 planes and transport aircraft, amphibious landing ship and minsswoepor ss
SoLL 3S
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Thailand 2. sops:- .a from both China and tho North Viet-Nam by only a narrow strip of Laos torritery, If the so-called ageressive Chinese chowe to apply the 'Kernedy doctrine! of what constitutes offensive weapons they could say they were justified in blockading Thailand. What «. howl would go up from tho capitalist press if they were to even threaten cuch action.