Noam Chomsky Attacks Liberal Press For Distorting U.S. Role in S.E. Asia

Noam Chomsky, professor of Linguistics at MIT and member of the New American Movement, last night attacked the American "liberal" press for emphasizing the Watergate affair for the past two years while neglecting more important issues on the international and domestic scenes.

Chomsky charged that the American press knew that the United States was waging a private war with Cambodia and Laos throughout Nixon and Kissinger's first team in office, but acquiesced to a government appeal to practice self-censorship on the issue.

Speaking to 200 people in the Science Center, Chomsky said that it was astonishing to note that the articles of impeachment never questioned Nixon's right to go into Cambodia and Laos, but only that he did so without informing Congress.

Chomsky said he had personally asked the press to expose the abuse of presidential power.

After citing a number of victims of U.S. agression, Chomsky said that "the Watergate discussion, in comparison to these things that occured during the four years of Nixon and Kissinger should be given about five lines in a gossip column."