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RichardM.Nixon:TheGreatSilentMajorityGoodevening,myfellowAmericans.TonightIwanttotalktoyouonasubjectofdeepconcerntoallAmericansandtomanypeopleinallpartsoftheworld,thewarinVietnam.IbelievethatoneofthereasonsforthedeepdivisionaboutVietnamisthatmanyAmericanshavelostconfidenceinwhattheirGovernmenthastoldthemaboutourpolicy.TheAmericanpeoplecannotandshouldnotbeaskedtosupportapolicywhichinvolvestheoverridingissuesofwarandpeaceunlesstheyknowthetruthaboutthatpolicy.Tonight,therefore,IwouldliketoanswersomeofthequestionsthatIknowareonthemindsofmanyofyoulisteningtome.HowandwhydidAmericagetinvolvedinVietnaminthefirstplace?HowhasthisadministrationchangedthepolicyofthepreviousAdministration?WhathasreallyhappenedinthenegotiationsinParisandonthebattlefrontinVietnam?Whatchoicesdowehaveifwearetoendthewar?Whataretheprospectsforpeace?NowletmebeginbydescribingthesituationIfoundwhenIwasinauguratedonJanuary20:Thewarhadbeengoingonforfouryears.Thirty-onethousandAmericanshadbeenkilledinaction.ThetrainingprogramfortheSouthVietnamesewasbeyond[behind]schedule.Fivehundredandforty-thousandAmericanswereinVietnamwithnoplanstoreducethenumber.NoprogresshadbeenmadeatthenegotiationsinParisandtheUnitedStateshadnotputforthacomprehensivepeaceproposal.Thewarwascausingdeepdivisionathomeandcriticismfrommanyofourfriends,aswellasourenemies,abroad.Inviewofthesecircumstances,thereweresomewhourgedthatIendthewaratoncebyorderingtheimmediatewithdrawalofallAmericanforces.Fromapoliticalstandpoint,thiswouldhavebeenapopularandeasycoursetofollow.Afterall,webecameinvolvedinthewarwhilemypredecessorwasinoffice.Icouldblamethedefeat,whichwouldbetheresultofmyaction,onhim--andcomeoutasthepeacemaker.Someputittomequitebluntly:ThiswastheonlywaytoavoidallowingJohnson'swartobecomeNixon'swar.ButIhadagreaterobligationthantothinkonlyoftheyearsofmyAdministration,andofthenextelection.Ihadtothinkoftheeffectofmydecisiononthenextgeneration,andonthefutureofpeaceandfreedominAmerica,andintheworld.LetusallunderstandthatthequestionbeforeusisnotwhethersomeAmericansareforpeaceandsomeAmericansareagainstpeace.ThequestionatissueisnotwhetherJohnson'swarbecomesNixon'swar.Thegreatquestionis:HowcanwewinAmerica'speace?Well,letusturnnowtothefundamentalissue:WhyandhowdidtheUnitedStatesbecomeinvolvedinVietnaminthefirstplace?FifteenyearsagoNorthVietnam,withthelogisticalsupportofCommunistChinaandtheSovietUnion,launchedacampaigntoimposeaCommunistgovernmentonSouthVietnambyinstigatingandsupportingarevolution.InresponsetotherequestoftheGovernmentofSouthVietnam,PresidentEisenhowersenteconomicaidandmilitaryequipmenttoassistthepeopleofSouthVietnamintheireffortstopreventaCommunisttakeover.Sevenyearsago,PresidentKennedysent16,000militarypersonneltoVietnamascombatadvisers.Fouryearsago,PresidentJohnsonsentAmericancombatforcestoSouthVietnam.NowmanybelievethatPresidentJohnson'sdecisiontosendAmericancombatforcestoSouthVietnamwaswrong.Andmanyothers,Iamongthem,havebeenstronglycriticalofthewaythewarhasbeenconducted.Butthequestionfacingustodayis:Nowthatweareinthewar,whatisthebestwaytoendit?InJanuaryIcouldonlyconcludethattheprecipitatewithdrawalofallAmericanforcesfromVietnamwouldbeadisasternotonlyforSouthVietnambutfortheUnitedStatesandforthecauseofpeace.FortheSouthVietnamese,ourprecipitatewithdrawalwouldinevitablyallowtheCommuniststorepeatthemassacreswhichfollowedtheirtakeoverintheNorth15yearsbefore.Theythenmurderedmorethan50,000peopleandhundredsofthousandsmorediedinslavelaborcamps.WesawapreludeofwhatwouldhappeninSouthVietnamwhentheCommunistsenteredthecityofHuelastyear.Duringtheirbriefrulethere,therewasabloodyreignofterrorinwhich3,000civilianswereclubbed,shottodeath,andburiedinmassgraves.Withthesuddencollapseofoursupport,theseatrocitiesatHuewouldbecomethenightmareoftheentirenationandparticularlyforthemillion-and-ahalfCatholicrefugeeswhofledtoSouthVietnamwhentheCommuniststookoverintheNorth.FortheUnitedStatesthisfirstdefeatinournation'shistorywouldresultinacollapseofconfidenceinAmericanleadershipnotonlyinAsiabutthroughouttheworld.ThreeAmericanPresidentshaverecognizedthegreatstakesinvolvedinVietnamandunderstoodwhathadtobedone.In1963PresidentKennedywithhischaracteristiceloquenceandclaritysaid,WewanttoseeastableGovernmentthere,carryingonthe[a]struggletomaintainitsnationalindependence.Webelievestronglyinthat.Wearenotgoingtowithdrawfromthateffort.Inmyopinion,forustowithdrawfromthateffortwouldmeanacollapsenotonlyofSouthVietnambutSoutheastAsia.Sowe'regoingtostaythere.?PresidentEisenhowerandPresidentJohnsonexpressedthesameconclusionduringtheirtermsofoffice.Forthefutureofpeace,precipitatewithdrawalwouldbeadisasterofimmensemagnitude.Anationcannotremaingreatifitbetraysitsalliesandletsdownitsfriends.OurdefeatandhumiliationinSouthVietnamwithoutquestionwouldpromoterecklessnessinthecouncilsofthosegreatpowerswhohavenotyetabandonedtheirgoalsofworldsconquest.Thiswouldsparkviolencewhereverourcommitmentshelpmaintainthepeace--intheMiddleEast,inBerlin,eventuallyevenintheWesternHemisphere.Ultimately,thiswouldcostmorelives.Itwouldnotbringpeace.It