Back to the Brothel

The subject of brothels came up again last week--at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings--and again it was William Fulbright who brought it up. "I have been criticized recently for having cited a story from the New York Times," drawled the Arkansas Senator, adding blandly that "the word which seemed to be so offensive was not of my origin--that Saigon was an American brothel." However, said Fulbright, "I did inquire some--from men who had been there in our aid program--and by and large they confirmed it."

The chairman assured Defense Secretary McNamara: "I am not taxing you with this directly." He asked, nonetheless, how the Secretary viewed the question of prostitution in South Viet Nam. Crisp as always, McNamara replied: "I have not been to Saigon since Nov. 30. It was not a brothel then and I do not believe it is today." "You do not agree?" demanded Fulbright. McNamara emphatically did not. "I think we do a disservice to the Vietnamese and to our own men when we characterize it as such," he said quietly. "I do not mean to say there are not prostitutes in Saigon. There are in Washington, and I do not mean to say that civilian and military personnel of our country are not patronizing them. They do."

McNamara pointed out that during his November trip to Saigon he had seen U.S. troops spending their off hours dispensing medicine to villagers and helping to build schools. "Now I do not mean to say that every American over there is a welfare worker," said the Defense Secretary. "But neither is every American over there a patronizer of a prostitute, and I do not think the New York Times or any other periodical ought to leave that impression."

For that matter, not everyone in Fulbright's own Arkansas cities of Little Rock and Hot Springs patronizes prostitutes either, though there is an abundance of whores, ranging from massage-parlor employees ($5) to $200-a-night hotel call girls. And at Little Rock Air Force Base, every airman so inclined knows that he has only to call FRANKLIN 4-2181, ask for "Rocket" or "Houston," and find out if "the ice is on." The price of ice starts at $15 a dish.

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