AMERICAN NOTES: Levels of Violence

The Viet Nam truce of 16 months ago satisfied one urgent desire of the Americans and the North Vietnamese— extrication of U.S. forces from the combat. But fighting continues as both the South Vietnamese and the Communists violate the agreement with metronomic regularity. Neither side seems genuinely interested in further compromise that could lead to real peace.

Henry Kissinger has noted that "the level of violence is markedly less" than in 1972. U.S. military aid, however, remains high—$1.1 billion in the current fiscal year for South Viet Nam and Laos—and the Administration says that more is needed. It...