Documents / Official release
This file from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library holds press releases and statements that House Republican Leader Gerald R. Ford issued between January and April 1966. Most cover Vietnam policy, the war on poverty, inflation, foreign aid, the federal budget and changes in his press staff. An April 21, 1966 statement says the Air Force told Ford it would contract a university with no close Air Force ties to have scientists study unexplained UFO sightings and make the report public. According to Ford, his call for congressional hearings led to this study.
“The Pentagon”5 pages
CONGRESSMAN GERALD R. FORD HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER FOR RELEASE ON RECEIPT, APRIL 18 NEWS RELEASE President Johnson is going to have to make a big decision soon-whether to make greater usc of our air and sea power or to send many more U. s. troopa to Vietnam, maybe an additional 200,000 or more., We apparently must make such a choice to achieve even a stalemate in Vietnam and to gain a cease-fire in a war that now looks like a war without end. Infiltration of enemy troops from North Vietnam into the south has been officially estimated at 4,500 a month. How should we deal with this continued infU tration 1 U. s. combat losses so far this year already have exceeded those for all of 1965--1,361 Army, Marine, Navy, and Air Force men killed in combat between Januarr 1 and April 9 as compared with 1,342 men in all of last year. This reflects the fact that there were only about 25,000 American troops in Vietnam last year at this t~e, while there now are more than 240,000 there. Use of more air and sea firepower would seem preferable to sending more u. s~ manpower to Vietnam. Let's try this before sending more of our boys into combat. I feel use of more air and sea power could save thousands of American lives and hasten the accomplishing of our objective in Vietnam--to stop Communist aggression, persuade the enemy to agree to a negotiated settlement, and promote an honorable and lasting peace. Is there a shortage of certain kinds of bombs in Vietnam? The Pentagon has acknowledged that our factories will not be turning out new 750-pound bombs until July and that meantime we're resorting to such things as buying back 5,570 750-pounders we sold to a West German fertilizer firm which wanted the nitrate from the explosives. We find that the Pentagon sold these bombs to the West German firm for $l.f0 apiece two years ago a.nd now is buying them back for $21 apiece. That means the German firm is making a gross profit of $102,124 on the deal--1, 200 per centi:mfit. If there is no shortage of 750-pound bombs, then I can't understand why the Defense Department would be w!.lling to buy back it.s own bombs. Let the Pentagon explain that away. I say such an incident substantiates my charge of misma~agement. I say it's a glaring example of mismanagement. And !.'m sure the American people will feel the s~e way about it.
Official release, from the nara collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 55 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.