Hoffmann Says North Viet Bombing Will Postpone Settlement in Vietnam

Stanley H. Hoffmann, professor of Government, yesterday voiced the fear that the retaliatory bombings in Vietnam would only "postpone a negotiated settlement with the Soviet Union" and enlarge the war in Vietnam.

Expressing concern over the United States' handling of the problem, Hoffmann pointed out that the current policy might actually "force the Soviets into helping the North Vietnamese."

Although he agrees with Johnson's statement that failure to retaliate against the Vietcong would be a "misleading signal of U.S. intentions," he questioned both the purpose and the timing of the bombings.

"If we're there to help South Vietnam," he said, "why do we let them kill off the South Vietnamese and then retaliate only when they attack a U.S. base by night?"

Pointing out that limits must be salient in order to be significant, Hoffmann charged that the reason given by the U.S. for the retaliation wasn't plausible.

Compared to the issue of the 38th parallel in Korea or the missiles in Cuba, "the distinction between day and night attacks seems a rather foolish place to draw the line," he said.

Bad Timing

Hoffmann also stated that since North Vietnam has no desire to become a Chinese satellite, it wants to involve the Soviet Union in the situation. "By playing the Soviets against the Chinese," he explained, "they hope to escape from the Chinese grip."

Saying, however, that he doubted the Soviets, because of domestic difficulties, had any desire to become involve, Hoffmann questioned the wisdom of scheduling the retaliatory bombings to coincide with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin's presence in North Vietnam.

He pointed out that while intelligent handling of the situation might have fostered a "joint interest in keeping the war down," the badly-timed retaliation might well be construed as a direct challenge to the Soviet Union, exactly what the North Vietnamese want.