Rev. Griffin Says Binh Is 'Friendly'

Richard B. Griffin, Roman Catholic University Chaplain, who has just returned from a ten-day visit with the four delegations to the Paris Peace Talks, said yesterday he found the North Vietnamese and Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam (PRG) delegations "friendly and open."

The South Vietnamese and American delegations, however, were "not terribly cordial," he said.

Griflin went to Paris on May 20 as a member of the Catholic Commission of Inquiry, an interdenominational group of antiwar clergy and laymen. He met with Nguyen Thi Binh, head of the PRG delegation, and with Xuan Thuy, head of the North Vietnamese delegation.

'Genuine Respect'

"I could not regard these people as our enemies," Griffin said. "The people of North and South Vietnam have a genuine respect for the people of the U. S. but they reject very strongly the policies of the U. S. government."

Binh told Griffin that the U. S. peace demonstrations have been "a contribution to our struggle. We think very highly of your actions," he quoted her as saying.

In response to inquiries concerning the release of American prisoners-of-war in North Vietnam, Thuy said that prisoners would be released only when all American involvement in the war ended.

Griffin also met with two Catholic priests from North Vietnam and one from South Vietnam. He said he was surprised to learn that about ten per cent of the population of North Vietnam was Catholic. "Christmas is a holiday along with Buddha's birthday," Griffin said.