Speech #900128094

Seven of the top leaders of the International Voluntary Services including Don Luce.who has served in Vietnam 9 years. and Gene Stoltzfus. who has been there for 4 years. have resigned their posts in protest- over our continuing escalation of the civil war in Vietnam. The volunteers stated that they are finding it increasingly difficult to pursue "quietly their main objective of helping the- people of Vietnam in .face of the present realities in that wartorn country. They assert that the suffering of the Vietnamese people is "greatly intensified by todays American presence." The letter objects to forcible resettlement of refugees which has been "generated not by Vietcong terrorism. but by a policy of the war. an American policy." The letter also takes issue with the pacification program which. it says. "consists of young men and women often motivated by draft exemption and the security of a government job. with 3 months training in concepts that take several years to master." The volunteers term these socalled "Revolutionary Devel6pment Teams" as "imitation Vietcong." The result of the whole situation. the letter says. is thatprostitution increases. corruption increases. crime in the streets increases. and more and more capable people joining their compatriotseither Vietcong or those on the American payroll. The conclusions made by the authors of this statement are as clearly and convincingly stated:. The former have dedicated themnselvessto a difficult and.uncomfortable struggle. with no end in sight.