Kennedy Says Red Threat

Bars Saigon Aid Cut Now

By TOl\1 \\'ICiiER
Spec1al to The ,.z~w York Times
\VASHINGTON, Sept 9-Presideiit Kennedy said to·
day that "it \\•ould not be helpful at this time" to reduce
United States aid to South Vietnam. He conceded, ho\vever,
·that reductions might bring
desired changes uin the Gov·
ernment structure there.''
On the other hand, the Pres-
ident said, ..you might have a
situation '"'·hich \Vould bring
about a collapse" if aid \vere
cut-a step reported to be un-
der consideration here.
strongly in our n1inds," lhe
•
4

President said, "is 'vhat hap-

pened in the case of China at
the end of \Vorld \Va r II, '" her·e
China \vas lost-a \\·cal< govern-
ment becaJne increasingly un·
able lo control events. \Ve don't
want that.·•
If South V'ietnanl collapsed
to the Con1n1unist guerrilJas
who are fighting there. 1\Ir.
I\ennedy said, the \vhole of
Southeast Asia n1ight go \vith
it.
"China is so large, loon1s so
high just beyond the frontiers,"
·he added, "that if South Viet-
nam went, it would not only
give them an improved geo-
graphic position for a guerrilla
assault on Malaya, but would
also give the in1prcssion that
the \vave of the future in South-
east Asia was China and the
Communists.,
C.I.A. Role Defended
1\Ir. 1\ennedy also denied that
the Central Intelligence Agen·
cy tended "to make its own
policy" in South Vietnam. 1

This appeared to be a rebut-!

tal to reports that the agency
had rcne\ved its tnonthly pay-
tnents to the South Vietnamese
Special Forces, \Vhich are be-
lieved to have staged the Aug·.
21 attacks on Buddhist pagodas.
0 ~fr. I{ennecty \Vas intervie\ved

0
by Chet Huntley and David
~ Brinkley over
I
the National
;Broadcasting Company televi-
sion net\vorl{. They recorded
their interview on tape at the
White House this morning and
televised excerpts tonight.
In addition to commenting
on Vietnam, lfr. Kennedy took
the following steps in the in·
tervie\v:
fJStrongly urged a tax cut
this year, expressing concern
that without it "we are going
Continued on Paoge S, Column 2

Published: September 10, 1963

Copyright © The New York Times
 KENNEDY OPPOSES
1

I CUT IN SAIGON AID

Cont.inued Front Page 1, Col. Sl

---- · I
to have an increa!e in unent-1
ployn1ent and \ve n1ay n1ove in- :
to a period of economic do\vn-
tum.'' He added that "1964 is
going to be an uncertain time
if \Ve don't get the tax cut." ·
qPredicted that his civil·
4
rights bill \vould not 'divide
this country politically into Ne··
groes and whites."
fJCalled for the ratification
of . the treaty to prohibit all
but underground nuclear tests.
4
'The balance of po\ver,'' J\Ir.
Kennedy said, .. still rests \\yith
the West, and I think it can
incFease our strength if
\ve make the right decisions
thMis yeHar.'' tl d 'I.K. B . k but we should not \Vithdra\v." !"that if the United states Sen ..
r. un ev an nLl. rtn - Th . th p . t · t d th
ley concentrated their question- ere. 15 no \vay, e rest- a e . reJec e at treaty afle1·
in·g 011 the troubled area d~nt satd, to make all coun- ,~he Gove:nment had committed
of South Vietnam and on the tr_tes do ,as the United States, tls~lf to tt. the sound from the
Unitcd States' policies there. ~tshes. 'Th.ey have their own ! ~mtcd States around t~e world
1
.· . . 1nt:rest, the1r o\rn personali tics, t'\) ould be very uncertain."
President Sho\\ s Cautton thetr O\Vll ·tradition,, he added. - · --·
In his responses· Mr. l{ennedy "We can't n1alie everyone in
sho\ved more caution today than our i111age, and there are a good
.he did last \Veek in a sin1iJar n1any people \\·ho don't \Vant
1intervie\v \\'ith \Valter Cronkite to go in our in1age. \Ve can't
1of the Columbia Broadcasting make the \Vorld over, but \\"e
1
system. He lent his support can influence the \Vorld."
;then to critics of the South 1\Ir. Kennedy 5pokc out ur-
IVietnanlese Governn1ent of gently for his tax bill and ar-
President Ngo Dinh Dien1 and ~ gued for the stitnulus it \\"ould
'called for changes to \vin thar give the econon1y.
;regin1e popular support. ''I think it \vill provide great-
: Today the President conceded er national wealth/, he said. ''I
:concern about South Vietnan1 think it \Viii reduce nnenlploy-
but added: uwe have to deal n1ent. I think it \\'ill strengthen
.persuade the Government there our gold position:•
,That produces a kind of am· On the question of cutting
,bivalence in our efforts, \vhich taxes before balancing the bud-
1exposes us to some criticism. get, 1\Ir. Kennedy restated the
.we are using our influence to Administration's established po-
·persuade the Govenmemt there sition:
to take the steps \Vhich \viii ''My guess is that if we can
win back support. That takes get the tax cut, with the stinlu-
some time, and we must be pa- Ius it will give to the econon1y,
·tient. ,. that we will get our budget in
The Administration's concern. balance quicker than we \Vill if
Mr. Kennedy said, is that \Ve don't have it."
1
''Americans \Vill get in1patient Discussing the nuclear treatv.
:and say, because they don't like \\'hich the Sen~te began to dc-
ievents in Southeast Asia or they bate today, the President rc-
don't like the Governn1ent in n1inded his vie\vers of "the old
:Saigon, that we should \Vith- story'' from the Nc\V Tcsta-
idra\v." .. tncnt: "If the trun1pet give an
1
··That only m_akes it easy uncertain sound, \Vho shall prc-
ifor the Con1n1untsts,'' he add· pare hin1sclf for battle?"
Icd. ''I think ,,~e should stay. He \Vas quoting I Carinthia ns,
\Ve should use our Influence in xiv. 8.
as effective a way as \'{e can, "I thipk," Mr. l{ennedy ~aid,
- - - - - -- -

Published: September 10, 1963

Copyright © The New York Times