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Apprehensions eased after the State Department promised that the Vietnamese would be dispersed throughout the country. At week's end, residents' attitudes had softened and many were contributing blankets and clothing for refugees. Moreover, many people near the camps look forward to temporary economic benefits from the refugees. Aides to Arkansas Senator Dale Bumpers reported that the resettlement program would pump about $10 per refugee per day into the Fort Chaffee area economy.
In the end, most Americans seemed likely to agree that for moral reasons the U.S. had no choice but to help the refugees. Said Political Scientist Wesley Fishel of Michigan State University: "Whether we bring them here to this country or find places for them to settle elsewhere, that's irrelevant. If we lose our compassionate touch with helping mankind, we'll lose a part of our tradition." There were also more practical arguments in favor of helping the refugees make new lives for themselves in the U.S. Said Democratic Representative Thomas E. Morgan, chairman of the House International Relations Committee: "What are we going to do? Throw them back into the water? Now that they are here we have to take care of them."