Sen Kennedy and Rep Engle on Second Taiwan Crisis
Sen Kennedy and Rep Engle on Second Taiwan Crisis
Master 1493 - Tape 2 Panning LS crowd gathered on tarmac beside parked propeller plane. LS crowd walking along tarmac, headed toward camera, "Operations" sign on building in BG. Panning MS U.S. Senator JOHN F. KENNEDY (D-MA) alighting plane with wife JACQUELINE KENNEDY (Jackie Kennedy, Jackie Onassis, Jackie O), being greeted by U.S. Representative CLAIR ENGLE (D-CA) and his wife. MS young white male press photographer wielding bulk flashbulb camera, taking picture. Panning low angle MS Senator John F. Kennedy smiling, walking from plane, talking with Rep. Clair Engle. Panning TLS crowd attending dinner banquet. 3/4 view DOF white men and women seated at banquet, listening to speech. MS middle-aged white man offering standing ovation, crowd following suit. CU Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy standing at podium, delivering speech: "We have a commitment to defend these islands, which we must honor or lose face. The American people would like to know when such a commitment was made, why it was made and by whom, and whether the Congress and the Allies were consulted. They are not so much interested in ambiguous treaties and legal niceties and congressional resolutions. They are more concerned about the possible disaster of an atomic war." TLS crowd seated, applauding at banquet. MSs Rep. Clair Engle standing at podium, delivering speech: "This administration has a program to meet the needs we face today. It is the best kept secret in Washington. This administration has failed not because it lacks patience but b/c it lacks the will, vigor and intelligence to cope with a constantly changing set of conditions both at home and abroad." MS Senator John Kennedy speaking from behind podium: "The current crisis in the Formosa Straits is the most serious since the end of WWII. I think all of us will agree that appeasement will never be a by-word of American policy. The Communist domination of the Far East must not be permitted, and our commitment to protect Formosa, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia must be met. Nevertheless, these off-shore islands-- about as far from the mainland as Oakland from San Francisco-- are extremely difficult to defend. The question is are they defensible w/o launching a full-scale attack upon the Chinese mainland & threatening the peace of the entire world. This is what the American people have been asking and the President has not given us the answer to this question." Historical footnote to topic being discussed above: On October 1, 1958 a PBY-5 amphibious aircraft, the Blue Goose/Blue Swan was declared missing in flight over the Formosa Straits. In route from Matsu to Taipei, it carried four US servicemen, three ROC Army officers, and a crew of four Nationalist civilians; the plane flew into a no radar zone and never returned.