Editorial Note
On April 6, 1954, the question of Indochina was the subject of debate in the United States Senate. Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts delivered an address in which he stressed that a satisfactory outcome could not be achieved unless France accorded the Associated States true independence. The following Senators participated in the discussion which followed Kennedy’s speech: William F. Knowland of California (Senate Majority Leader), Henry M. Jackson of Washington, Mike Mansfield of Montana, Stuart Symington of Missouri, Clinton P. Anderson of New Mexico, Warren G. Magnuson of Washington, Everett M. Dirksen of Illinois, and John C. Stennis of Mississippi. The debate indicated a growing concern in the Senate regarding the gravity of the situation, opposition to unilateral United States intervention, insistence that the President keep Congress informed, and a general belief that the successful defense of Southeast Asia was dependent upon success in winning the peoples of the area to the anti-Communist cause by insuring their independence. For the record of the debate, see the Congressional Record, April 6, 1954, pages 4671–4681.