Letter from Saigon: the Neutralists Speak Out

Last June, while President Thieu was meeting President Nixon at Midway, a small group of intellectuals, students, politicians, and labor leaders gathered for dinner near the Truong Minh Giang market in a crowded quarter of Saigon. Not all of those attending knew that this would be anything more than a social gathering. Some had brought their wives. But when the purpose of the meeting became clear, wives went home and a declaration was read. It contained four main points:

(1) A complete cease-fire must be brought into effect immediately.

(2) A reconciliatory government must be established, composed of nationalists acceptable to all sides. This government would have the responsibility to establish normal patterns of living, t...