One of the theories was that a V tail causes less interference drag because it's only attached to the fuselage at two points.
As for spins, it's catch 22. usually you use rudder to stop the rotation, but picking up a wing with rudder before the spin is fully developed carries a government health warning. However... an old adage with the F4 was "When it buffets, use your boots", the F4 is of course a different sort of aircraft