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8
THE 60's
nuclear weapons is no Jonger an "un–
thinkable" thought.
After the newly concluded agreement
with the United States to return Oki–
nawa to Japanese control in 1972, Japar
shows every sigo of assuming far more
political and military inRuence in Asia
during the Seventies.
Demise of Britain
The Sixties witnessed the demise of
the greatest empire the world has ever
known. As 1969 drew to a close, the
final trappings of British colonial pos–
sessions were to be found in only a few
small, widely scattered enclaves and is–
land groups.
lt is difficult for young Britons today
to realize that only 30 to 40 years ago,
Britain was the leading world power.
Yet few in Britain seemed very con–
cerned over the wholesale abandonment
of the nation's historie world role. Even
the official shutdown in 1966 of the
British Colonial Office occurred without
tears or fanfare.
Sir Charles Jeffries, who during 40
years rose to top administrative posts
before his retirement, said: "When 1
joined the office ... in 1917, 1 scarcely
imagined that 1 should live to write its
obituary notice. In those days it seemed
to be about the most permanent in–
stitution in the world, dealing as
it
did,
with an empire on which the sun never
set and was not likely to set in any fore–
seeable future."
Britain's political and cconomic mis–
fortunes earned her the title of thc
"Sick Man of Europe." The British
pound had to be rescued severa! times
by loans from the central banks of Eu–
rope and the International Monetary
Fund amounting to severa! billion dol–
lars. Much of the debt still has to be
repaid.
Because of economic retrenchment
and budget cutting, British military
power and inRuence dropped drastically
during tbe decade. Britain discovered
she no longer dominatcd the Common–
wealth, nor could she protect it. Neither
The
PLAIN TRUTH
could she count on its members to stand
by her side in case of war.
In January, 1968, Britain announccd
withdrawal of all t roops "east of Suez"
by the end of 1971. No longer could
Britain go it alonc in maintaining a
modero defensc system.
"Swinging London" was typical of
the mood in Britain during the decade.
Despite recurrent national economic im–
passes, the average Briton had more
money to spend on himself, on his own
pleasures. The fate of the nation seemcd
incoosequential. Gambling became the
manía. And, as in the rest of the West–
ern world, morals plummeted. Vice
and pornography became rampant.
Britain's fatc in the Seventies: Not
good, unless therc is a renewal of stal–
wart British character, and a recognition
of the need for a sacrificing "spirit of
Dunkirk." Says Paul Einzig in his book,
Decline and Fal/, Btilain's C,-his in lhe
Sixties:
"If
the debasement of British
character is allowed to continue too
long, the point of no return might be
passed at sorne stage."
There is not, says Einzig, very much
time left.
Vietnam
The 1960's saw the gradual devel–
opment of what has turned out to be the
most divisive war in American history
since the Civil War. Early in the decade
the big trouble spot in Southeast Asia
was Laos, where neutralist, right-wing
and Communist forces clashed in tragic–
comic action. Sorne feared deep U. S.
involvement in Laos.
Washington, meanwbile, had also
pledged to aid South Vietnam against
attacks by Communist Viet Cong rebels.
As tbe Reds stepped up their activity
and North Vietnam proclaimed its in·
tention to assist the Viet Cong rebels in
the south, the United States gradually
increased its military aid to the Diem
regime and began sending "combat sup–
port troops" - troops, often individ–
uals, acting in advisory capacity.
American battle deaths in early 1963
totalled only 30. Since that "mustard
seed" beginning, the Vietnam war has
involved more than 540,000 American
troops at its peak, has cost the American
government around $100 biJlion, and
has resulted in over 40,000 American
deaths and 300,000 total U. S. casu–
alties!
Early in the war, most of the Ameri–
can populace supported the govern–
ment's efforts in Vietnam. But by the
end of 1969, a growing vocal minority
of Americans began to exprcss their
dissent by large rallies, marches, dem–
onstrations, and "Vietnam Moratorium
Day" protests.
Outlook for the 1970's:
Minority groups will place heavy
pressure on Washington to get out of
Vietnam faster. American troop with–
drawals will continue as the
w.u
ís
"Vietnan1ized."
Growing American "neo-isolationism"
in the United States will rcstrict the
future use of American power in tinder–
box situations that could flare up in