good evening, my fellow americans.
tonight i want to talk to you on a subject of deep concern to all americansand to many people in all parts of the world, the war in vietnam.
i believe that one of the reasons for the deep division about vietnam isthat many americans have lost confidence in what their government has told themabout our policy.
the american people cannot and should not be asked to support a policywhich involves the overriding issues of war and peace unless they know the truthabout that policy.tonight, therefore, i would like to answer some of thequestions that i know are on the minds of many of you listening to me.how andwhy did america get involved in vietnam in the first place?how has thisadministration changed the policy of the previous administration?what has reallyhappened in the negotiations in paris and the battlefront in vietnam?whatchoices do we have if we are to end the war?what are the prospects for peace?now let me begin by describing the situation i found when i was inaugurated onjan.
20th: the war had been going on for four years.
thirty-one thousand americans had been killed in action.
the training program for the south vietnamese was behind schedule.
five hundred forty-thousand americans were in vietnam with no plans toreduce the number.
no progress had been made at the negotiations in paris and the unitedstates had not put forth a comprehensive peace proposal.the war was causing deepdivision at home and criticism from many of our friend, as well as our enemies,abroad.in view of these circumstances, there were some who urged withdrawal ofall american forces.
from a political standpoint, this would have been a popular and easy courseto follow.
after all, we became involved in the war while my predecessor was inoffice.
i could blame the defeat, which would be the result of my action, on him --and come out as the peacemaker.
some put it to me quite bluntly: this was the only way to avoid allowingjohnson’s war to become nixon’s war.but i had a greater obligation than to thinkonly of the years of my administration, and of the next election.
i had to think of the effect of my decision on the next generation, and onthe future of peace and freedom in america, and in the world.let us allunderstand that the question before us is not whether some americans are forpeace and some americans are against peace.
the question at issue is not whether johnson’s war becomes nixon’s war.
thank you!
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