Americans on the War Divided, Glum, Unwilling to uit

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The results of the poll demonstrate the extent to which the war has divided the American people. The country's leadership group, for the most part, is far more impatient about the war, far more cynical about the prospects of peace, than the general public. Antiwar sentiment is higher among blacks than whites, more pronounced among the young than the old, stronger in the East and West than the South and Midwest.

Support for the President

Overall, Nixon has gained rather than lost ground recently. Nixon's positive rating on the conduct of the war jumped ten points from a low of 35% in September to 45% on Oct. 14, the last day of interviewing for the poll and the day before the Viet Nam moratorium. Yet 50% of the general public and 53% of the leaders gave him a negative rating, proving that he is still highly vulnerable on the war issue. Nixon's handling of the negotiations to end the war won him no more kudos. Only 45% of the general public and 43% of the leaders approved his handling of the negotiations, while 49% of the public and 53% of the leaders gave him negative marks.

Is Nixon following the policies of the Johnson Administration in Viet Nam?

The people say no. Sixty percent of the total public and 53% of the leadership group believe that Nixon has broken with his predecessor to follow his own policy in Southeast Asia.

The President's plan to bring home the troops has strong support throughout the country. When asked directly, 76% of both the public and the leaders agreed, at least in principle, with the Nixon policy on troop withdrawals. But pressure to step up their pace seems likely to intensify. Only 6% of the public thought the withdrawals were proceeding too quickly, while 49% found the pace "about right"; 29%, however, felt the pace too slow. Among leaders, the pressure is even stronger. Although 39% were satisfied with the rate at which American manpower was being pulled out of Viet Nam, only 4% thought things were moving too rapidly, while 38% felt they were going too slowly.

How quickly should the troops be withdrawn?

Thirty-six percent of the public and 32% of the leaders favored immediate, total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Viet Nam. Of several hypothetical situations that might justify an immediate U.S. pullout, only a seizure of the Vietnamese government by hard-line generals determined to fight indefinitely found a majority willing to back an instant U.S. withdrawal.

The majority of Americans and their leaders favored phased withdrawals. "It's too late to suddenly just drop it," said Mrs. James A. Deines of Bird City, Kans. "The only alternative we've got left is to end it as honorably and as quickly as possible." Sixty-one percent of the public and 58% of the leaders believed that an American pull-out should be timed according to increasing South Vietnamese strength — though patience with the Vietnamization effort is strictly limited.

How strong is the commitment to withdrawal?

Forty-seven percent of the public would follow a prearranged withdrawal timetable, even if the Saigon government were to collapse as a result; only 38% would alter the schedule to save the Thieu regime. Among leaders, the commitment is even firmer: 56% opted to pull out in the face of a government disaster; only 31% agreed to stay.