Nixon's Ego-Politics
Sir: I happened to pick up last week's (3 October) copy of the SPECTATOR and turned to an article of John Graham's about the Ego- politics of Mr Nixon etc. I am afraid that I did not read it with rapt attention as comments by Eng- lish journalists on the American scene are not particularly interest- ing to me but one glaring inaccura- cy caught my eye. In listing the in- cursions of the various Presidents into several countries a gross in- justice was done to Mr Johnson by casually mentioning that he was responsible for going into Vietnam. Mr Graham should surely know that it was President Kennedy who began the military commitment to South Vietnam. I quote from the Observer of 6 February 1966: 'In 1961, as the Vietcong guerrilla war was intensified, President Kennedy began the process by which Ameri- can troops, as opposed to military advisers, were sent to Vietnam in increasing numbers and gradually assumed a more active fighting ; role.' I think that it is only fair to Mr Johnson that a correction should be printed.
Harry J. T. Blackwood 82 Maryville Park, Belfast, BT9 6LQ. Northern Ireland
In fact, the military commitment in South Vietnam was entered into by President Eisenhower.—Editor, SPECTA1 OR.
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