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Show The Birch Log What We Left Behind 6y John F. McManua were saying, "So the Commu- Belmont, Massachusetts nists 8'vallowed up three more Early in November, the Penta- nations in Southeast Asia. Who gon released a report which cares? Vote for me!" listed the American-supplied equipment left behind when What About the Missing? South Vietnam was finally Weapons and equipment are abandoned. The stockpiles were not all that we left behind. We valued at $5 billion and, accord- also left our own men. How ing to the Associated Press, the many? On September 7, Pres-materiel Pres-materiel was sufficient "to ident Ford said 2,495 Americans field an entire army, navy, and were still listed as MIA (missing air force." in action). The President de-The de-The list includes 550 tanks, manded a "full accounting" for 1300 howitzers and self-pro- all MIAs and threatened refusal pelled large caliber guns, to "normalize relations" with 1,600,000 rifles, 12,000 mortars, Hanoi unless we got it. 90,000 pistols, and 15,000 ma- Why Hanoi doesn't simply chine guns. Hanoi's forces gob- state that all of our MIAs are bled up 466 helicopters, 73 F5 now dead remains a mystery, fighter planes, 113 A37 light The Reds certainly have nothing bombers, and 250 miscellaneous to lose. Surely neither Gerald aircraft. They also captured 42,000 Ford nor Jimmy Carter has any trucks, 940 small ships, and the intention of dealing with Com-staggering Com-staggering total of 130,000 tons munists from a position of of ammunition. National Guard strength, which is the only way units here at home that are still any successful dealing with suffering from a shortage of them has ever been conducted, radios will be interested to know So perhaps they will soon pub-that pub-that 48,000 radios were also left lish a list of dead Americans, for the North Vietnamese. This Then, the "normalization of re-report, re-report, of course, contains no lations" that both sides seem to mention of the numerous air- want will proceed. And maybe fields, port facilities, and build- the Reds will then be able to get ings that are now in Red hands. any spare parts they need for all that equipment we left behind Official Response for them. In an attempt to minimize President Nixon called our this colossal Red windfall, a defeat "peace with honor." Pentagon official stated that Henry Kissinger won a Nobel the equipment "could be unser- ' Peace Prize for arranging it. viceable" as a result of weather When the rout became total, conditions, damage inflicted by Gerald Ford insisted that no one retreating South Vietnamese, or should be blamed. Jimmy Carter lack of spare parts. Maybe he's will have to work hard to exceed right. Then again, maybe the the degradation to which our na- condition of this equipment is tion has been brought as a result better indicated by reports that of Washington's handling of the the Reds are already shipping Vietnam War. some of it to Communist insur- One matter sure to cross the gents in Thailand. new President's desk is the We might also recall with dis- status of those 2,495 MIAs. If gust the treatment accorded our only one of them is still alive, immense defeat in Southeast no effort should be spared to Asia by the Presidential candi- rescue him. But the chances of dates. President Ford repeatedly ever seeing any of those men suggested that he should be re- again continue to fade with elected because he had re-estab- every passing day. And so too lished peace. President-elect does the greatness of America, Carter conceded the point and now abandoning her own men never once asked about the cost, just as she abandoned her al-either al-either to the victims or to Amer- lies in Southeast Asia. ica'8 honor. It was as if the two 1976 The John Birch Society Features FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BIRCH L0Gr CALL: BILL REAGAN jgg.g - - |