Evening star., 1960-10-13
KENNEDY
Senator Bitin9Iy Answers
Attack on Quemoy Stand

COnLinueu. FROM FIRST rage
a nuclear war by permitting
any other nation to drag us
into the wrong war at the wrong
place at the wrong time through
an unwise commitment that is
unsound militarily. unnecessary
to our security and unsupported
by our allies"
Senator Kennedy named
President Eisenhower, Secretary
of State Herter and the top
military commanders in this
country in recent years as sup
porting his view that the islands
are not defensible and war
should not be risked in trying
to hold them.
The Democratic nominee, who
said he did not intend to let
Generalissimo Chang Kai Shek
and the Chinese Communists
decide whether American troops
would fight on those islands,
declared that the line should be
drawn around Formosa and the
Pescadores. He said the United
States has a pledge to that de-
fense and he would stand by it.
Quotes Eisenhower
He charged that the Republi-
can nominee was making a new
policy and cited Mr.. Eisenhower
. as saying in 1855 that this coun-
try's defense obligations should
not be enlarged beyond For
mosa and the Pescadore Islands.
"Mr. Nixon, in Short" the
Senator added, makes a COM
mitment where we have no COM
mitment now, where he is all
alone in his view and where we
would be all alone in war. For
only Generalissimo Chang Kai
shek shares Mr.. Nixon's view
as to where the line should be
drawn.
This is a foolhardy and
reckless decision. If he fol-
lowed through on it, it would
mean a tragic disaster. If he
backed down on it, it would |
mean retreat under Communist
pressure"
With a reference to Mr..
Nixon's statement in last
weeks television debate that a
matter of principle was in
volved, Senator Kennedy said:
Mr.. Nixon says that the
people who live on these islands
are not important I think
they are important. I think !
the lives of the Americans who
would be sent to die on these !
islands are important. / think |
the American homes and cities
which might be wiped out if we
were dragged into attacking
the Chinese mainland are i'm
portant.
Lives Of Others
For it's not Mr.. Nixon's life
that will be on the fighting line |
out there. It's not my life.
But it will be the lives of
Americas sons and brothers
and husbands whom Mr.. Nixon
would send to fight for what
he calls two unimportant pieces
of real estate"
To commit the United States
to the defense of the islands,
Senator Kennedy said, "only |
ties our hands. plays into Com
smunist hands, and brings the
whole world closer to war"
II do not think the American
people will accept such a posi-
tion," he added. "I do not
think they will support such
trigger-happy leadership. I be-
lieve they want peace-that
they want us to make only
those commitments which can
be honored. which our allies
will support and which we have
the arms to back up"
Senator Kennedy said the
two islands were closer to the
Chinese mainland than Staten
Island was to the Waldorf
Hotel where he spoke. And, he
added. Communist artillery can
pound I them at will and the
Communists can use the situa-
ton to create a crisis at will.
Phases of Principle
With respect to Mr.. Nixon
saying it was a matter of prin-
ctple in pulling back from two
Islands now in the area of free
dom, Senator Kenendy said:
But if it is bad principle to
persuade the Chinese Nation
alists to evacuate these islands
in order to save their lives
and prevent warmly was it
not equally bad principle when
the administration he serves
took exactly that same course
for exactly the same reasons
on the neighboring off-shore
Islands of Tachen in exactly
the same situation? After our
fleet helped Chang evacuate
these islands. they passed from
the area of freedom to the
are of communism. But Mr..
Nixon didn't say a word that
was ever publicly recorded.
Even more incredible, he
tidn't say a word when the
Communists took power in
Cuba-not 4 miles off their
shores, but only 80 miles off
our shores. Mr.. Nixon saw
what was happening in Cuba.
The warnings about a coming
Communist take-over and a
growing anti-Americanism were
sounded long before it was too
late. But Mr.. Nixon appar-
emily did not see any principle
involved on the once-friendly
island of Cuba"
He said the Republican
nominee was was equally un-
concerned when the Red Chi
nese were moving into In
dia's northern border, into
Laos and elsewhere, when
Tibet passed behind the Iron
curtain and in othnr ROM