Mr. President. as chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Refugees and Escapees. the junior Senator from Massachusetts Is perhaps more qualified than many of us to suggest that we need to take a new look at Vietnam. Based on conclusions reached after several months of hearings and personal observations made during a recent trip to Vietnam. it has become increasingly clear to Senator KENNEDY that we need to devote as much attention to improving the welfare of the Vietnamese people as we have thus far devoted to preserving their freedom. And. as Senator KENNEDY points out in a February 8 Look magazine article. the Vietnamese citizen cannot appreciate freedom as long as he is without food. clothing. shelter. or means of livelihood. Unfortunately. our humanitarian efforts have not kept pace with our militaly efforts. Presently. our AID program in Vietnam has insufficient resources to cope with the more than 1 million refugees who have fled invading Vietcong forces and sought refuge in the already overcrowded cities to the south. And the efforts of the local government to meet this problem have been inadequate. We must always remember. as President Johnson pointed out in his speech last April. that we are waging a battle on two fronts in Vietnamagainst the invading forces from the north and against poverty and deprivation.
Keywords matched
Refugees refugees