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Show 11 Mlfjpy DESE2ET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 5 A TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1974 the United States with its three departments J each full field. We stand for the Constitution government, of independent in its own Why U.S. must get more from its defense spending Detente is a wonderful game provided it's played on both sides of the street. Theres a growing uneasiness in Congress and the nation that Russia may be using the current detente for its own purposes, to gain a diplomatic and mibtary edge over the U.S. That uneasiness should be reflected in the new $85.8 billion defense budget now before Congress. Congress hasnt forgotten the stream of Sonet arms that went to the Arabs during last year's Yom Kippur War with Israel. And it certainly should remember the world-wid- e alert of U.S. military forces when it looked like the Kremlin would rush in airborne troops to police the in the Sinai. shaky cease-fir- e There are other uncomfortable indices of Soviet intentions: A growing navy, for instance, becoming fully capable of confronting the U.S. Navy; a superiority n numbers of missiles granted through SALT I talks that has since become more The Soviets have develmenacing. multiple-targetabl- e warhead simia oped lar to the U.S. MIRV which greatly increases the destructive capability of the Russian missile system. . improvements. Certainly were not suggesting at this point that the U.S. resume the draft But it is a companscn that must be made in assessing relative strength and effectiveness of the defense dollar. In fact, the proposed $6 billion increase in this j ears military oudget will do little else than pay for inflationary trends in military spendmg, with little or nothing left over for catch-up- . Both Congress and the public should insist however, that every cent of the huge defense appropriation be stretched to the limit. But there is no acceptable alternative to preparedness. As British Air Chief SEIl John Connally: Man without a political party -- Marshal Slessor noted not too long ago: The most important social service that a government can do for its people is to keep them alive and free. By Meddling in Social Security Over the years. Congress has kept the Proposals to finance Social Security at Social Security system on a least partially through general revenues basis. That has, however, led to an ever-heavi- are not new. The 1938 and 1948 Advisory burden upon small wage famers Councils on Social Security recommended who have had to pay the same percentage contributions from the general treasury. of payroll tax as large earners. There are obviously inequities in the In fact, as Social Security benefits program. Not every one who pays into Sohave increased, so have workers contribu- cial Security will recieve a full benefit tax is tions, until today more than half the wage because of early death. The payroll will workers earners in the country pay more in Social regressive. High income relative benefits generally receive higher Security taxes than in income taxes. To relieve this burden on small in- to taxes paid than persons in low income comes, Congress has before it a proposal classes because they start work at a later to reduce the Social Security bite on in- date, pay taxes for a shorter penod, and comes of less than $29,000 and make up because they tend to live longer, therefore the difference needed by Social Security will receive benefits for a longer penod. Before major changes are made in Sofrom the genera! treasury of the nation. That, in the words of the Social Secur- cial Securitys administration and financity administrator, would be an open invi- ing, they should be considered woth great caution and thorough study. tation to play games with the system. rrr &W& f country peril. will ignore 75, amountmg to billion, represents the largest dollar amount ever proposed. The sum already has attracted criticism for its extravagance, but Buckley argues convincingly that the request is not extravagant at all. Compared to what the So, let Union is spending, the $85 8 billion is dangerously low. $85.8 at itr Defense spendmg often is analyzed in terms of strategic forces and conventional weapons. Americans can find no comfort m either sector. There was a time when the the March 15 Writing issue of National Review, the senator has pulled together data from a dozen intelligence sources. He lets the figures speak for themselves, and the figures speak eloquently: In in every significant area of defense, the United States now lags behind the Soviet Union The requested defense budg United States dominated the world m terms of nuclear weapons This was the period of the 1950s and 1960s when our deterrent strategy was based upon the nuclear umbrella." The winds of blown that have change The inside out concept American nuclear umbrella," savs Bucklev, is no longer entjp either to us or to credible our allies; or, more importantly, to our potential adversaries." Over the past five years, for strategic expenditures forces have declined from of the defense budget to less than If the Soviet Union also were one-thir- d Rowland Evans and Robert Novak capability, our changing no emphasis might cause a,arm Buckley observes that the Russians have relaxed nothing. The Soviet Imon has developed five new strategic ballistic missiles and two new missile-launchin- g submarines wi,hin one year. The picture is as bleak in terms of conventional weapons. On paper, the United States retains an advantage in heavy bombers and major naval vessels, but the advantage is only on paper Both the bombers and the snips are aging By contrast, half the BUCHUJflLD WASHINGTON President Nixons main defense against tuining over documents and tapes to the House Ju- - . dieiary Committee is that he is not trying to protect ' himself but the office of the Presidency He has said he has to think of future Presidents when he makes these unpopu-la- r decisions to withhold evidence that under any other con- r ditions he would be happy to turn ov er to Congress I think the President is right ; - Im glad you told me about is going on around here? pay them hush money "How much would it cost, John?" Three trillion dollars The only presidential prospects discussed in high party circles here are Vice President Gerald Ford, far in front, and Gov. Ronald Reagan of California In fact, apart from his presidential ambitions, Connallys services as a campaigner for Republican candidates this year are considered only marginally useful in North Carolina. Connally would help me with money, said one suih but Republican candidate, hed lose as many votes for me as hed make. The reason: Connally is a Republican to the Democrats but he is still a Democrat to Republicans in short, a man without a party. his politically Moreover, inept defense of President Nixon may not hurt him m the South, but it is not helping either In private, he tells intimates the President was incredibly naive to give his controversial Soviet fleet has been launched Its air force has since 1964 been modernized and exparl-ed- . The introduction of two highly advanced MIG fighters proves they are still willing to spend large sums for high quality general-purpos- e forces our disinvestment While has accelerated since 1968, the Soviet Buckley writes, Union has increased its armed forces from 3.3 million in 1964 to 3 42 million in 1973 While our ground forces have declined, the Soviets have 75 divisions at full strength throughout the penod Moreover, they have increased the total number of organized divisions that could be mobilized with reserves from 140 to 162 (105 motorized nfle divisions, 50 tank, and 7 airborne). These troops are mam-tame- being modern tanks, artillery, antitank weapons d with and i 7 John Connally: great fund - raiser, but dead politically. tax e returns to the Internal Revenue Committee and incredibly stupid to have secretly taped all those Oval Office conversations. But in public he fully defends the President whenever asked, contending Mr Nixon may be turning the tide with his new defense strategy and excoriating House Judiciary Committee demands for more White House documents. House-Senat- A longtime political ally protests- "Connally thinks about Nixon and national politics like they think m Dallas, and Dallas just amt the USA Ironically, these Republican criticisms of the ruggedly Connalhandsome, his ly despite persist phenomenally successful tour startas a party last to due and September ing end this spring Connally has now sweetened party and candidate coffers by nearly $3 million when Watergate and rancid hostility toward President Nixon have locked many Republican purses Indeed, aside from Ford, Connally is the only national fund-raise- These disturbing figures, again, m.ght not cause great concern if the United States were engaged m bold programs of research and development Here, too, the comSince parison is dismaying 1969 our own RAD has been cut by 21 percent while Soviet RAD has been sustained at a level 50 percent higher than Most of our research ours to has be necessarJy concentrated on safe bets The Soviets, with twice as many projects in motion, are much more likely to come up t with weapons that could make the imbalance of power drastically worse far-ou- Buckley is not a pessimist, a defeatist, or a prophet of doom It is not too late for the United States to regam a qualitative panty in this vital competit.on But he asks the country to understand what is happening as the Soviets build and we let down up 10 in kicking his gross fundpercent for take (except raising money raised m Texas) to the Republican National Committee Nor do local party organizations have to finance his expenses, as they do me Vice and his vast Presidents travelling entourage Although some state and chairmen local Republican Republican of have complained about Connallys 10 per cent rule, it certainly has not cut the high demand for his services When his current tour ends, he will have appeared in 38 states and Washington, D C. Pis drawing power is all the more remarkable considering that he holds no office When he arrived in Raleigh, for example, Republiran Gov. James Holshnuser gave a reception for which 206 con and tributors. Republicans Democrats, paid $100 a head to shake hands and hear a talk. At a stnctly nonpolitical annual dinner that evening given by the prestigious Citizens Assn , Connallys appearance drew 1,250 guests 300 more than the dinner had ever drawn before. five-minu- Connally, in short, is star quality But the political dividends of his stardom appear to be going to the Republican party and individual candidates he has agreed to help, not to John Bowden Connally To intimates, i f Theyre threatening to talk about their connection Committee unless the Radical Energy with presidential -- - think I saw something about it on television." I Coming almost one year after Connally switched to the Republican party as the fust step toward a probable run for President in 1976, that remark underlines his continuing problems. He is simply not taken all that senously, even here in a state ideal for Republican timber. -- Well, do you remember last June when seven men . broke into the offices of the United Constitutional Patty qVI 7 the Vesco Trade Center?" - as ' that, John. What exactly long.- conservatism, ! ' to mortally wound you " Hes a pro all nght, but he hasn t been in the stable Connally-styl- e 7 His most trusted legal adviser, John Dean IV, the son of John Dean 111, cames in "Mr President, I must report to you that there is a cancer in your Administration. Then-arpeople in your own White House family who are trying MoRALEIGH, N.C. ments after former Democrat John B. Connally delivered a bnef, inspirational talk to Republicans packed into the governors mansion here last week, a Republican candidate fer office said: one-tent- reducing its strategic own ART The year is 2001, and President Harley Fmcklcy, who was overwhelmingly elected by the Radical F.nergv Party (both the Republican and Democratic parties had gone bankrupt during the Great Depression of 1983), is sitting in the Oval Office at the White House Buckleys bleak perspective on defense Sen James L. Buckley of New York leaped onto the national stage last week with his plea for the Presidents resignation, but the senator had earned attention earlier this month on a different matter: national defense Buckley has sounded alarm bells that our 'sr: U S. forcexpensive than the es. Thus a larger proportion of the U.S. defense budget must go for manpower costs rather than weapons production and long-lastin- Kilpatrick - v- military. The Russians still depend largely on corscnpt troops, which is vastly less d James J. & n No less than five Geneva Conventions tropical forests upon which South Vietnam the depends for timber. have been convened over the years to consider first in 1864, the last in 1949 In addition, 36 percent of the mangrove of of war. some the were destroyed, forests outlawing barbarity erasing the of for a habitat fish, plants, huge variety Most of these conventions have treated notes the report, It and wildlife. And, problems of prisoners of war, protection take well over a hundred years for of civilians, identification of dead and may area to be reforested. the mangrove wounded and marking of hospitals and Worse, spraying of highly toxic Agent medical transport, among other matters. Orange on croplands is suspected of causBut a new convention needs to be ing the deaths of large numbers of chilcalled to ponder some of the tragic dren the noamong the Montagnards offshoots of modem warfare. That much madic hill tribesmen of South Vietnam. A study on is clear from a Congress-ordereprevious study raised suspicions over the of extensive the effects of nine years herbicide when it noted an increase in defoliation efforts by the U.S. in South stillbirths and birth deformities where Vietnam. The study, done by the National sections of the country had been sprayed Academy of Sciences, was only recently heavily. released. g with such Such devastation, einot The study appears to confirm at least be must results, permitted, some of the fears which have been voiced ther by our own government or any other. all along by critics of the defoliation pro- It is, in fact, one more admission of the gram. NAS found, for instance, that futility of war and an area that deserves chemical spraying had caused serious careful study by a new Geneva and extensive damage to the hardwood By 1 advanThere also are some built-ihas over the U.S. tages the Soviet syf-'- Aftermath of herbicide war et for fiscai 1&.J1 - Itilr v f 'vj7 that, John But it would be wrong., Yes sir, Mr. President But if we dont hush them they may talk about the $10 trillion contribution the nuclear energy producers gave to you to raise the price of uranium i in the United States." We could raise ' forgot about that , Theres also the $4 trillion contribution from ITP--2 which was made the day before we agreed to let them buyC. General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. , 7 "Thats not my problem - I "But, sir, we have the meeting on television tape of the-7 chairman of ITT handing you the money. "Whats it doing on television tape7 "Dont you recall, sir, you ordered all the meetings tiiE . the White House to be televised for hisioncal reasons? I forgot about that But the real thing we have to worry about is tlroX break-iof the Washington Redskins psychiatrist's office: Remember, sir, you wanted to take a look at the psychial- -I ' 1 nc profiles of the team before you bet on them" . I it do remember that, and our people botched "Yes, up completely. They stole the records of the Washington Senators, and we haven't had a baseball team here for 3(t 1 2- n years 7 also have to warn you that theyre looking into how you got the money to buy the island of Hawaii. 1 borrowed it like everybody else. I 7 I ! And then there are your taxes. A lot of people cannot-- i understand how on an annual income of $20 trillion you 7 paid only $2.50 in income taxes for 1999. 7 I donated all my piano music books to the National I Archives. Yessir, Mr. President. But what should we do about I of the Vesco Trade Center7 hush money for the break-i7 "Do anything you have to do to save me n 7 But suppose someone finds out? "Whats the difference? They can't touch me. - They cant7" Nope. Thanks to the foresight of the greatest constitu- tional President m American history. Richard M Nixon Heaven only knows what would have happened to this office if no had taken 'he easy way out." - 7 7 7 7 ! 7 7 7 7 Connally now seems less enthusiastic about the presidency than before, not because he doesnt want it but because the only way to get it is full commitment to the primaries, a treacherous path for one so briefly in the Republican party DOUG SflGYD is philosophical changed circumstance Frequently reminding intimates how much he values his pnvacy, he knows a decision to run in the Connally about his e climate would destroy that pnvacy, including the pnvacy of farflung financial dealings which have made 0 him a millionaire. With r.o Connally political orgamzation in sight and not the slightest Connally effort to build one, 1976 looks bleak And 1976, Connally today himself says, would be the last chance for him $ t i' |