When President Gerald Ford made his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Kansas City–the speech that has been widely applauded as the best he ever delivered–he stated: “While I am President, we will not return to a collision course that could reduce civilization to ashes.”
The same week, North Korean soldiers in the truce village of Panmunjom brutally hacked to death two U.S. Army officers with axes and metal pikes. It was an unprovoked attack while the American soldiers were peacefully supervising a routine tree—trimming operation.
The North Koreans apparently decided to embark on a “collision course” with the United States and see if they could force Ford to retreat. The North Koreans issued a note calling the murder “regretful” but declining to punish the guilty.
The Ford Administration first called the North Korean statement “not acceptable,” but the next day backed down and called the very same note “a positive step.”
The trouble with Ford’s announcing to the world that he “will not return to a collision course” is that the Communists all over the world will conclude that Ford will do anything, even surrender, to avoid a confrontation.
Having watched this test in Korea, the Soviets are now getting ready to take advantage of Ford’s newly proclaimed policy.
The Russians are well aware that Gerald Ford is now engaged in a contest in which his political life, his reputation, and his place in history are at stake, and all polls rank him as the underdog to a peanut farmer who was unknown nationally a year ago. Ford and his advisers cherish the fond hope that, if they could just pull a rabbit out of the hat, all their jobs would be secure for another four years.
The best opportunity for such a “rabbit” would be a new SALT II treaty with the Soviets that could be publicized with appropriate fanfare. ‘The Georgia peanut farmer could hardly top that!
The situation is ripe, therefore, for the Soviets to write any terms they want, and Ford will sign on the dotted line. They know he wants an agreement, they know he has publicly and officially committed himself to avoid “a collision course,” and they know he just demonstrated this commitment in Korea.
If the Russians want to stop deployment of U.S. cruise missiles (or limit their range to a pitiful 375 miles), but refuse to stop Soviet deployment of their five new ICBMs, Ford and Kissinger will agree. If the Soviets want a humiliating provision that limits U.S. deployment of the Bel bomber, but puts no limit on the new advanced Soviet Backfire bomber, Ford and Kissinger will agree.
All the Soviets need to do in this politically precarious election year is to rattle a few sabres, and they know Ford will walk backwards to sign any agreement while he tells the American people it is “a positive step.” For both military and political reasons, President Ford should not sign any SALT agreement before the November election.
