The Great Silent Majority: Nixon's 1969 Speech on Vietnamization

“The Great Silent Majority,” November 3, 1969

“The฀Great฀Silent฀Majority” November 3, 1969 Pres. Richard M. Nixon Good฀evening฀my฀fellow฀Americans.1 ฀ Tonight฀I฀want฀to฀talk฀to฀you฀on฀a฀subject฀of฀deep฀concern฀to฀all฀ Americans฀and฀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฀ is฀that฀many฀Americans฀have฀lost฀confidence฀in฀what฀their฀government฀ has฀told฀them฀about฀our฀policy. ฀ The฀American฀people฀cannot฀and฀should฀not฀be฀asked฀to฀support฀ a฀policy฀which฀involves฀the฀overriding฀issues฀of฀war฀and฀peace฀unless฀ they฀know฀the฀truth฀about฀that฀policy. ฀ Tonight,฀therefore,฀I฀would฀like฀to฀answer฀some฀of฀the฀questions฀that฀ I฀know฀are฀on฀the฀minds฀of฀many฀of฀you฀listening฀to฀me. ฀ How฀and฀why฀did฀America฀get฀involved฀in฀Vietnam฀in฀the฀first฀place? ฀ How฀has฀this฀Administration฀changed฀the฀policy฀of฀the฀previous฀ Administration? ฀ What฀has฀really฀happened฀in฀negotiations฀in฀Paris฀and฀on฀the฀battlefront ฀in฀Vietnam? ฀ What฀choices฀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฀on฀January฀20. 1.฀฀The฀war฀had฀been฀going฀on฀for฀four฀years. 2.฀฀31,000฀Americans฀had฀been฀killed฀in฀action. 3.฀฀The฀training฀program฀for฀the฀South฀Vietnamese฀was฀behind฀ schedule [] richard m. nixon 4.฀฀540,000฀Americans฀were฀in฀Vietnam฀with฀no฀plans฀to฀reduce฀ the฀number. 5.฀฀No฀progress฀had฀been฀made฀at฀the฀negotiations฀in฀Paris฀and฀ the฀United฀States฀had฀not฀put฀forth฀a฀comprehensive฀peace฀ proposal. 6.฀฀The฀war฀was฀causing฀deep฀division฀at฀home฀and฀criticism฀ from฀many฀of฀our฀friends฀as฀well฀as฀our฀enemies฀abroad. ฀ In฀view฀of฀these฀circumstances,฀there฀were฀some฀who฀urged฀that฀I฀end฀ the฀war฀at฀once฀by฀ordering฀the฀immediate฀withdrawal฀of฀all฀American฀ forces. ฀ From฀a฀political฀standpoint,฀this฀would฀have฀been฀a฀popular฀and฀ easy฀course฀to฀follow. ฀ After฀all,฀we฀became฀involved฀in฀the฀war฀while฀my฀predecessor฀ was฀in฀office.฀I฀could฀blame฀the฀defeat,฀which฀would฀be฀the฀result฀of฀ my฀action,฀on฀him฀and฀come฀out฀as฀a฀peacemaker.฀Some฀put฀it฀to฀me฀ quite฀bluntly:฀This฀was฀the฀only฀way฀to฀avoid฀allowing฀Johnson’s฀war฀ to฀become฀Nixon’s฀war. ฀ But฀I฀had฀a฀greater฀obligation฀than฀to฀think฀only฀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฀on฀the฀future฀of฀peace฀and฀ freedom฀in฀America฀and฀the฀world. ฀ Let฀us฀all฀understand฀that฀the฀question฀before฀us฀is฀not฀whether฀ some฀Americans฀are฀for฀peace฀and฀some฀Americans฀are฀against฀peace.฀ The฀question฀at฀issue฀is฀not฀whether฀Johnson’s฀war฀becomes฀Nixon’s฀ war.฀The฀great฀question฀is฀how฀can฀we฀win฀America’s฀peace? ฀ Well,฀let฀us฀turn฀now฀to฀the฀fundamental฀question:฀Why฀and฀ how฀did฀the฀United฀States฀become฀involved฀in฀Vietnam฀in฀the฀first฀ place? ฀ Fifteen฀years฀ago฀North฀Vietnam,฀with฀the฀logistical฀support฀of฀ Communist฀China฀and฀the฀Soviet฀Union,฀launched฀a฀campaign฀to฀ impose฀a฀Communist฀government฀on฀South฀Vietnam฀by฀instigating฀ and฀supporting฀a฀revolution. ฀ In฀response฀to฀the฀request฀of฀the฀government฀of฀South฀Vietnam,฀ President฀Eisenhower฀sent฀economic฀aid฀and฀military฀equipment฀to฀ [] "the great silent majority" assist฀the฀people฀of฀South฀Vietnam฀in฀their฀efforts฀to฀prevent฀a฀Communist ฀takeover. ฀ Seven฀years฀ago,฀President฀Kennedy฀sent฀16,000฀military฀personnel฀ to฀Vietnam฀as฀combat฀advisors. ฀ Four฀years฀ago,฀President฀Johnson฀sent฀American฀combat฀forces฀to฀ South฀Vietnam. ฀ Now฀many฀believe฀that฀President฀Johnson’s฀decision฀to฀send฀American ฀combat฀forces฀to฀South฀Vietnam฀was฀wrong.฀And฀many฀others,฀I฀ among฀them,฀have฀been฀strongly฀critical฀of฀the฀way฀the฀war฀has฀been฀ conducted. ฀ But฀the฀question฀facing฀us฀today฀is—now฀that฀we฀are฀in฀the฀war,฀ what฀is฀the฀best฀way฀to฀end฀it? ฀ In฀January฀I฀could฀only฀conclude฀that฀the฀precipitate฀withdrawal฀ of฀all฀American฀forces฀from฀Vietnam฀would฀be฀a฀disaster฀not฀only฀for฀ South฀Vietnam฀but฀for฀the฀United฀States฀and฀for฀the฀cause฀of฀peace. ฀ For฀the฀South฀Vietnamese,฀our฀precipitate฀withdrawal฀would฀inevitably ฀allow฀the฀Communists฀to฀repeat฀the฀massacres฀which฀followed฀ their฀takeover฀in฀the฀North฀fifteen฀years฀before.฀They฀then฀murdered฀ more...