World: A Look at the Woodwork

Washington remained divided and confused by the situation in Saigon. In the face of conflicting reports from war-torn South Viet Nam—and for lack of any alternative—the Administration was inclined last week toward continued cooperation with the regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem. “I am confident the answers will be found by the Vietnamese government and our aid will continue to be effective,” said Secretary of State Dean Rusk, adding that he saw “no evil people in the woodwork.”

In the U.S. Senate, Democratic Leader Mike Mansfield declared bluntly that Washington should quit trying to direct the Diem regime and concentrate on the “ugly inadequacy” of U.S. agencies in South Viet Nam. Unless U.S. officials on the spot cooperate fully with Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, declared Mansfield, “we are face to face with a disaster in Viet Nam.”

The one sure thing about the war in Viet Nam is that it is getting hotter. The Communist Viet Cong last week initiated 518 “incidents,” up from 351 the previous week.

As to whether the Diem regime can command the popular support it needs to beat the Communists, the U.S. could only wait and see. At week’s end President Kennedy ordered an urgent, on-the-spot review of the war in Viet Nam. It will be conducted by his two top military advisers, Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara and General Maxwell D. Taylor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both of whom visited Viet Nam only last year. Though officially they are only to report on “the military situation,” McNamara and Taylor will be sure to take a look at the woodwork.