The War: New Support For Nixon

Shortly before President Nixon's Nov. 3 address to the nation, a TIME-Louis Harris poll found the U.S. public gloomy about the prospect of victory yet determined to secure an honorable peace in Viet Nam, eager for an end to the war but willing to give the Administration time to search for a settlement. Last month, in a follow-up TIME poll, Harris questioned a national cross-section of 1,608 households to gauge the impact of the Administration's appeal for support. The findings:

HEEDING his appeal to "the great silent majority," the U.S. public has rallied behind both President Nixon and his Viet Nam policy. Although a sizable plurality still have serious reservations about the ultimate results of this policy, an overwhelming majority of 82% feel that Nixon is doing all he can to end the war. The public, which in October disapproved Nixon's handling of the war by a margin of 50% to 45%, now approves his performance on Viet Nam 54% to 40% (see box). But Nixon still faces a small threat from the right. Those who voted for George Wallace in 1968 criticize him for "not trying to win the war" and give him a negative rating, 56% to 38%.

A substantial majority approve the President's plan for U.S. disengagement from Viet Nam. Support for immediate withdrawal of U.S. fighting men has dropped from 36% in October to 32% last month, while support for an accelerated troop pullout has fallen from 29% to 26%. Correspondingly, backing for the Nixon timetable of withdrawals geared to South Vietnamese ability to take over the fighting has increased. Sixty-one per cent went along with the Nixon schedule in October; 65% went along last month.

Though Nixon's appeal for support of his peace efforts has met with signal success, his attack on opponents of his war policy has been only moderately successful. A greater number than ever before now go along with the Administration claim that Viet Nam is essential to U.S. security; where the public rejected this contention 47% to 41% in October, it now accepts it 52% to 34%. More also believe that "opposition to the war is led by radicals who.don't care what happens to the U.S." In October, the public rejected this statement 49% to 37%, but now it accepts it by a narrow plurality of 44% to 42%. There is, however, no massive rallying behind Vice President Spiro Agnew's charges against the Eastern press and television networks. Only 39% go along with the Agnew attacks, while 29% are unable to make any judgment on them at all.

Surprisingly, Americans are not particularly disturbed by the disclosure that U.S. troops apparently massacred several hundred South Vietnamese civilians at My Lai. By a substantial 65% to 22%, the public shrugs off My Lai, reasoning that "incidents such as this are bound to happen in a war." It also rejects by a margin of 65% to 24% the charge that My Lai proves that U.S. involvement in the war has been morally wrong all along.

Though the public does not agree with Agnew's overall attacks on TV and the press, it is highly critical of the news media for their part in reporting the My Lai incident. Sixty-seven percent of those polled believe that the press and TV should not have reported statements by soldiers involved prior to a trial. Americans show considerable sympathy for Lieut. William Galley, the platoon leader charged with over 100 of the deaths at My Lai. By a margin of 55% to 23%, they believe that Calley is being made a scapegoat by the Government.

Although Nixon has not been hurt by either My Lai or the moratoriums, his consensus is still clouded. Americans may support his policy in the short run, but they remain disturbingly uncertain about both the success of Vietnamization and the ultimate outcome of the war. A plurality of 41% to 39% believe that South Viet Nam will be unable to defend itself without U.S. troops. More significant, the number who feel that South Viet Nam will eventually go Communist has not changed one point since October. It was 43% then and remains 43% now. The message seems clear: Americans are less interested in fighting the war than ending it, and will support their President's efforts to wind it down--but not continue it indefinitely.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.