The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 24

Cos Angelee Cimes 24 Part 1 Wednesday February 9 1983 Officer Headed My Lai Investigation ROBERTI: Budget Mistakes Doomed US Vietnam Victory General Says Continued from Third Page times and "I don't recall at any time either of us raising our voices" He claimed their differences over the budget have more to do with tactics than philosophy Brown has been more amenable to Deukmejian's plans to roll over part of the projected $15-billion budget deficit to next year and deal with the rest through a combination of spending cuts and revenue transfers Roberti and other Senate Democrats favor a sales tax increase -We feel that it is most important to wage this quarrel with the governor on what we believe our strong ground is and our correct ground and that is the fiscal integrity of the state and the fact we have never had deficit financing" the Senate leader said "Right now as I understand the way the Speaker sees it he prefers an era of good feeling (with the Deukmejian Administration) at this point "If there is an impasse I would say that a good strong percent of it is not that the Legislature cannot agree It is that the governor has given us mixed signals and the director of finance either has not been speaking for the governor or there has just not been coordination there" He said for instance that after the finance chief Michael Franchetti told the Senate Finance Committee two weeks ago that Deukmejian might agree to some kind of sales tax increase that would take effect only if the state's financial health remained poor Deukmejian later rejected the idea additional soldiers would have been necessary As it was Peers said "I think what we actually did) stretched things out to the point that it gave the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese more time to infiltrate people and supplies" American involvement did not reach its peak until three years 536100 soldiers were stationed in Vietnam He asserted that a quick Peers said he considered absolutely essential to American military success in on the huge initial troop commitment "That isn't what happened" he said "We fought instead) a war of 'graduality' and one that was) piecemeal What happened Peers contended is that as the war dragged on the failure to press for a quick victory turned the conflict into "a Pentagon war and not a people's war" Time and corresponding changes in public opinion doomed the prolonged war effort along with failure to militarily counter communist forces Peers insisted that a buildup of larger proportions later in the war might have worked but he said that not only did that not occur but the quick early victory was far more preferable By ALLAN PARACHIN1 Times Staff Writer The US military made two major errors in 1965 within months after its first concerted Vietnam War effort doomed the United States to years of stalemate and eventual retreat the retired general who headed the Army's inveotigation of the My Lai massacre said Tuesday Neither of the two necessary steps would have been politically popular then said William Peers Jr retired lieutenant general- But failure to take them meant that US forces could not win from the very beginning according to Peers' argument Peers who served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 and later headed the Army's troop supply program at the Pentagon told a Vietnam retrospective conference at USC that he had warned his commanders at the outset of the 1965 buildup that achieving victory would require: initial commitment of 650000 Army troops making up 12 full divisions Other forces from the Marine Corps and Air Force also would have been necessary but Peers gave no numerical estimate The Army number is more than triple the total troop strength actually committed to Vietnam in 1965 but only about 100000 more than the number stationed there at the height of US involvement three years later massive immediate callup of Army Reserve and National Guard units to flood Vietnam with trained But while the Peers investigation led to the conviction and imprisonment in 1970 of Li William Cal ley Jr the general said he remains bitter and angry to this day that more Army personnel guilty of "war crimes" were not punished Cal ley was pardoned in 1974 Peers contended that about 50 American in rank up to guilty of war crimes but only one ever convicted of them "That's all that ever happened and 1 don't think that in light of that we as a nation and 1 as an individual (ought to) feel that this is justice" Peers said that although Nry Lai was unique because of the number of noncombatants killed it was far from the only such incident involving American troops He said he was personally aware of at least one other major the deaths of about 25 he declined to discuss it in detail Peers said his appearance Tuesday marked the first time he has spoken out publicly about mistakes in US strategy in Vietnam At the same time a Florida historian who wrote a book analyzing the actions of the US Army in the Vietnam era warned that today 10 years after the signing of the Paris accords that ended the war Army leaders still have not conducted an objective and detailed analysis of tactical and strategic mistakes made in Vietnam The failure to conduct a studies have been done after every other war fought by this country in the 20th the Army unable to properly prepare itself for the next war said Cecil Currey a professor of history at the University of South Florida in Tampa Currey is the author of "Self-Destruction: The Disintegration and Decay of the US Army During the Vietnam Era" published in 1981 Peers whose address was interrupted frequently by boos and catcalls from an overwhelmingly anti-war audience spoke at the USC conference "Vietnam Reconsidered: Lessons From a War" He was added to the program at the last minute in an attempt to balance a discussion of the effects of Vietnam on the US military Peers contended that if the initial 650000-troop commitment had been made in 1965 and 1966 no Her Heart Will Flutter lp Immediate involvement of reserve forces was necessary early in war Magnificent La lique Crystal Swans Double Swan $101" Single Swan $7700 Double Swan $101 OA IS )0 A if at 'IN -'---s 44 7 5 6 r- ez 44 -1 o040--- -f 11 1 sN if -1'4k----- --1--- soldiers equipped to win the war only practical way a conventional victory could have been achieved Though Peers said that he pressed a request for a reserve callup of several hundred thousand troops with then-Army Chief of Staff Gen Harold Johnson he said the move was rejected by Defense Secretary Robert McNamara The immediate involvement of reserve forces was necessary early in the war Peers said because normal Army channels were incapable of training and equipping enough new troops quickly enough to flood Vietnam with American soldiers As it was no sizable reserve call-up occurred until 1967 and it involved fewer than 10000 men Peers said that My Lai which involved the slaughter of at least 175 and perhaps more than 400 innocent Vietnamese civilians in 1968 "drastically affected" the Army Eventually Peers was named to head an in-depth investigation of My Lai after a public outcry Bring the frosted beauty of Latique Crystal to your Valentine with these delicate swan dishes Use for rings mints or as ashtrays Just two fine pieces in our vast collection of new lique and period Rene Lague Come see for yourself Phone orders including Visa MasterCard American Express call (213) 826-1945 Mon thru Fri 9 am to 4 pm Mail orders send $8400 for single $10957 for double Covers tax insurance local delivery ue ese gs ew ri He 11 it) HERITAGE 0 KEEN Visit our vast antique silver porcelain and estate jewelry department 1AulDORGE FIN OM FURNISHINGS ALWAYS DISCOUNTED ONSLIMERS GUILD ca t2J411--mi Vtit14T tr4 141 11 Phone -3400 or 875 5 75 Fo Price Quote Beverly Hills 272-3355 320 Rodeo Dr 90210 Northridge 885-1661 Fashion Center (Valet parking Rodeo Dr at Dayton Way) (Lower level Shirley St ('ntrance) Farmers Market 936-2426 Third Fairfax Sherman Oaks 783-2424 37 Fashion Square South Coast Plaza 3333 Bristol 714-545-5889 COMA: Victim Dies 0 m11 WEE 2 a no Mmmll Continued from Third Page in that condition go home Even our own family doctor was against it "We fixed up a room off the kitchen so my wife could watch over him as she worked My wife never went out to work A housewife with seven kids doesn't need another job "He was in a hospital bed and we had to have air conditioning oxygen apparatus and a suction machine for the tracheostomy tube My wife had to be trained to look after him and we had a lady who came in at 10 o'clock at night to look after him through the night We trained her ourselves" For five years the young man lay in the bed in his room "practically lifeless" Beck said Then he began to improve 'He got to a stage where he'd move his arms 0 and legs around He'd turn his head when you walked rf 00410) through the room He'd 4'''' hold your hands when you talked to him He could ili 'V Ar- pretty well talk with the family through his ex- 07 pressions He'd smile if he 'c was feeling good or frown tp if he didn't like what you t-6 said "I'm a Catholic I'm 1 very religious I always figured he'd wake up some day and do great things I Steven Beck in 1972 figured God had plans for shortly before crash him" On Saturday Beck had been outside working in the garden and came back into the house and lay on the bed talking to his wife and listening to the wheezing of Steven's breathing through the tube "One of my daughters went to answer the phone and as she came in sight of him she saw blood coming out of the tube We jumped up but there was no way we could stop it" Paramedics took him to the hospital "We all went to see him We watched him all Saturday night We were all in town except one of his sisters Shirley She was skiing at Mammoth so I phoned her and she drove back Sunday "He seemed better When she got there he gave her a big smile I feel in my own mind that he waited for Shirley to get to him so he would have seen all of us We were all there Friends as well Had Long Talk With Son "Then everyone went home and I was there alone with him I had a nice long talk with him Then my wife came to take my place and I went home I'd only just got home when my wife called and I rushed back to the hospital but it was too late He was dead" Robert Beck thought a long time then sighed "Right now we're all kind of numb" he said "All we've got is questions Why did he survive so long but not come to? Why did he have to go through that at the end? Why couldn't he just die peacefully in his sleep "No answers Just all these questions "Well I guess we'll work it out with the Lord That's the way we do it around here" 0 Money market investments for the short or long term Glendale Federal has the right account for you! And you don't need a large balance either As little as $2500 will get you started with any of our high-interest accounts like our 312 year and 5 year guaranteed income accounts Or open a daily access Money Market Account for as little as S2500You'll get check writing privileges suited to your personal needs and more In any and every case you'll earn secured high interest higher than the current money market mutual fund yield! For details current rates and yields call or come in to your local Glendale Federal office today Or call the toll-free Interest Update Hotline (800) 232-2189 We'll help you select the right account or combination of accounts Long-term short-term daily access -the choice is yours at Glendale Federal! 20 YEAR GUARANTEE LABOR AND MATERIAL ELIMINATE EXTERIOR HOUSE PAINTING NO DOWN PAYMENT (Lower than bank interest rate) KOVER-TEX Application consists of trenching around your house Sand-blasting repairing all cracks holes and building defects Sealing and waterproofing Adds insulation and beautifies Includes all trim painting Guaranteed against chipping peeling and flaking TEXTURE COAT Your house with the company offering you over 25 years of experience 16 beautiful colors At a price you can afford FREE ESTIMATE AVAILABLE By Phoning (213) 652-1620 Direct or Collect Or Write BAY CITY HOME BUILDERS INC 116 North Robertson Blvd Suite 711 Los Angeles CA 90048 Lic B1-104074-C33 20 DISCOUNT WITH THIS AD FP $125 Per Sq Fl 0 IPEca 0L Get a little Glendale going you're going to be all right! One of the largest savings and loans in the world with over 180 offices serving California and Florida! (4:1983 Glendale Federal Savings and Loon Assoctafion.