Ten O'Clock News

[John Hashimoto] 'Even before he began talking about direct talks, President Bush today brought up another subject: the memory of Vietnam.' [President Bush] 'In our country, I know that there are fears about another Vietnam. Let me assure you. Should military action be required, this will not be another Vietnam.' [John Hashimoto] 'The murmurs of another Vietnam surfaced within days after the President ordered an offensive build up in the Persian Gulf. It has become a favorite historical reminder for an emerging anti-war movement. Tomorrow Boston will be the site of its own Prevent the War Rally, and leading the charge will be none other than this man, Daniel Ellsberg.' [Daniel Ellsberg] 'It's not hard to explain the presence of some troops in Saudi Arabia. But to explain the function of sending those troops against Iraqi napalm ditches, and barbed wire, miles of it, anti aircraft guns firing flat trajectory at the advancing infantry. That's very hard to explain.' [John Hashimoto] 'From 1964 to 1967, America's involvement in Vietnam was growing

and Daniel Ellsberg was a rising star as a civilian military analyst for the government. He even went to Vietnam to study the combat firsthand. But by 1969, Ellsberg, like much of the Nation, had become disillusioned with America's role in the undeclared war. So he became the nation's most infamous peace activist by leaking the Pentagon Papers. Now two decades later Ellsberg is convinced the U.S. is headed down the road to another quagmire.' [Daniel Ellsberg] 'The parallel is an executive branch that is determined to have its way by threats of force and if necessary, carrying out those threats that is preparing offensive action as the administration in '64 and '65 was preparing offensive action. Without much forethought, he and a small group of advisors foolishly made some very strong commitments early on to a very large force which was a very expensive, and involved calling up reserves and had to be justified by ambitious goals.

And he committed himself to ambitious goals.' [President Bush] 'Action be required.' [John Hashimoto] 'It's exactly that kind of criticism that may have led Bush today to point out differences between the Vietnam experience and Operation Desert Shield.' [President Bush] 'The forces arrayed are different. The opposition is different. The resupply of Saddham's military would be very different. The countries united against him and the United Nations are different.' [John Hashimoto] 'Ellsberg believes the one other real difference between this potential military conflict and Vietnam is a lost opportunity to establish a new world order.' [Daniel Ellsberg] 'With the ending of the Cold War, the kind of comprehensive international cooperation including the Soviets, and the Chinese, and the Arabs in company with US, holds the possibility for real alternatives to war. All of that would be destroyed by war. The international cooperation would disappear. The Arab allies would be probably on the other side of that war if it was a US- Israeli war with Iraq.'

[John Hashimoto] 'Tomorrow thousands of people are expected to join in a rally here on the Boston Common to urge peace in the Persian Gulf. But even though anti-war activism is surfacing nationwide, the reality is only Congress can provide a check or balance to any decision to go to war. And thus far neither the President nor Congress seems willing to let this process move to that form yet. With the 10 o'clock News, I'm John Hashimoto.'