There is no doubt that the gowing campaign against the war in Vietnam is having some effect on the Government, The “Commonwealth Peace Mission" brainchild of Mr. Wilson would seem, in part anyway, to be a reaction to the increasing criticism from all sections of the Government's subservience to the policies of President Johnson. In the last day or two statements by Government spokesmen have indicated a slight change in nuance: Mr. Patrick Gordon \/alker speaking in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, said that it would be a'najor error for the U.S. to bomb Hanoi"; and a high-ranking Foreign Office official, speaking at the Birmingham teach-in, stated that the Government did not necessarily agree to everything the Americans were doing in Vietnam. Such wriggling should be a source of encouragement and spur us to greater efforts. Every time we see a Sign of hesitation we must press all the harder on a clear-cut line that it is not possible for this Government to make any contribution at all to peace in Vietnam until it condemns the American bombing and calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
The lobby want te beginning of the campaign not its conclusion, and we must guard against any tendency to relax during the Summer months (espeially if some gesture is made). The campaign must have two aspects: machinery must be built up to react immediately should further escalation take place or be threatened; and the Labour Party conference in Blackpool in October must be seen as the one place where a democratic discussion can take place on Mr. Wilson's handling of the Vietnam situation. In the meantime, the campaign must span the whole panorama of possible political and agitational activities so that the question of Vietnam is constantly before the public and constantly nagging at the Government. We have, on other pages, details of two initiatives in this respect. We are sure that the movement with its tabnt for ingenuity will come forth with many more ideas. May we offer our services as a connecting link in any such activities?