Speech #890097838

Rutherford M. Poats. Assistant Administrator of AID for the Far East. summed up for the subcommittee last week the cause of the increased refugee flow as a flight from danger. "the danger of war. the danger of Communist terrorism. the danger of our counteraction against this Communist terror." Whatever the cause of the flight. the effect of the refugee flow is the fostering of instability and confusion in the countryside. the overtaxing of relief facilities. and the clogging of roads which greatly hamper the movement of Government personnel and materials. As Ambassador Unger pointed out in his testimony. caring for the refugees. providing them with food and other necessities. and protecting the asylum areas from guerrilla attacks and infiltration. is difficult and expensiveparticularly in view of the increasingly successful interdiction of South Vietnams supply routes and relief convoys by Vietcong forces. Ambassador Unger was careful to emphasize that our economic aid programsincluding aid to refugeesare just as important as our military aid to Vietnam. Mr. President. added to the increasing military pressures. the political and economic strain of the refugee problem harbors seed of great crisis. which could substantially contribute to Vietcong efforts to undermine and destroy the morale and resistance of the Vietnamese people and the government in Saigon. In his Wall Street Journal report. Mr. Geyelin quotes Mr. Richard Evans of the U.S. aid mission as saying that if the present trend in South Vietnam continues "everybody becomes a refugee." Mr. Geyelin continues: And in that case. the real calamity to fearthe real payoff for the Vietcongs economic disruption campaignwould be a trek to the National Capital for help. "You could have 5 or 10 million marching to Saigon." Mr. Evans warns. A serious related problem to the flight of the refugees is the trojan horse strategy used by the Vietcong. There is ample evidence to indicate that the refugee flow is providing Communist forces with a convenient vehicle to infiltrate government controlled areas with Vietcong cadres. Richard Critchfleld. in the July 18. 1965. Washington Star. reported that Brig. Gen. Nguyen Chanh Thi. the military governor of central Vietnam. recently issued an order forbidding the influx of any more refugees into the coastal towns and cities. Critchfield explains thatThis fear was that the 300.000 refugees who had already fled to the coastal area. provided the Vietcong with a vehicle to Infiltrate Governmentcontrolled areas with Communist agents. This problem. however. Is not insurmountable and should not deter fullscale assistance to refugees. regardless of their number and attending problems. This must be an integral part of the U.S. commitment to South Vietnam. for humanitarian reasons in the first instance. but also to further this Nations twopronged effort to create conditions of security from direct and indirect aggression. and to improve conditions of stability among the Vietnamese people. We must consider every possible alternative in efforts to assist and protect the refugees. We must take into account the real possibility of a doubling. even tripling of the number of refugees. In this connection. testimony before the committee by both Government and private agency witnesses shows that the aid and assistance program to refugees in Vietnam until recent weeks was diffuse and operating on an ad hoc basis. We are encouraged by the recent formation of a formal coordinating council In Vietnam. composed of Vietnam and United States Government and private agency personnel. We hope some of the aid problems may be solved by this coordinating council. and that there can be greater central control over fiscal matters and increased planning of joint aid programs. so as to avoid duplication and lack of direction. and in some instances. diversion of needed food and supplies into unauthorized hands. I do not wish to detract from the efforts now being made by USOM. the private volunteer agencies. and the South Vietnamese Government. My purpose today is to direct the attention of this esteemed body to the mounting flood of refugees and the attendant increasing humanitarian needs and political ramifications. The subcommittee on refugees and escapees is continuing hearings on this problem. We hope within the next few weeks to be able to file a report embodying some of our findings and suggestions. May I conclude by saying that I cannot stress enough our need to be alert and attuned to the refugee problem in Vietnam. especially in light of an almost certain escalation of the numbers and the needs of these refugees in the near future. The course of events in Vietnam in part depend on our efforts to help these hapless and needy people.