Goldwater Backs LBJ on Vietnam

Apr. 27, 1965 - Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate for the Presidency last year, said today that “my President has done the right thing in the right way” in Vietnam.

Goldwater, speaking at a luncheon meeting of the Anglo-American Press Association in Paris, introduced himself as the man who was portrayed in Europe as “the trigger-happy, warmongering S.O.B. who wanted to do something about supply routes in North Vietnam.”He said people were called statesmen now for advocating the Vietnam policy he wanted last year. 

“I hope that President Johnson will continue his strong policy,” he said, “so that the spread of Communism will be stopped.”

He said he would not advocate bombing China unless there was provocation, such as Chinese troops “in massive numbers” fighting in Vietnam. However, he said he sometimes thought that if he were the President, he would “pray that Communist China give us provocation to attack their nuclear possibility.” But he said he did not foresee provocation because “it’s not in their interest.”

Speaking of his future, Goldwater said: “I have no political aspirations other than the Senate.”

The next Senatorial election in Arizona would put him against Sen. Carl Hayden, whom he has supported in the past. 

“I do not know if I could run against him,” Goldwater said, “but I don’t know if he will run.” Sen. Hayden would be 91 at election time.

On a question about Chinese membership in the U.N., he said he did not think that the exclusion could be continued for long. He noted that this was a touchy political issue in the U.S.

“I lost very badly in the last election,” he said. “I could have lost much worse if I had advocated recognition of Red China.”

Goldwater and his wife and some friends are on a pleasure trip through Europe.

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