- Title: USA: PRESIDENT NIXON FORECASTS END TO VIETNAM WAR.
- Date: 9th December 1969
- Summary: 1. CU NIXON AT MICROPHONE 0.05 2. SV GROUP OF PRESSMEN 0.08 3. CU NIXON INTERVIEW (SOF) 0.53 4. SV PRESSMEN ASKS QUESTION (SILENT) 0.58 5. CU NIXON SPEAKS AGAIN (SOF) 2.03 TRANSCRIPT: (SEQ 3) QUESTION: "MR. PRESIDENT DO YOU SEE ANY SIGNS OF THE VIETNAM WAR COOLING OFF?" PRESIDENT NIXON: "WELL LOOKING OVER THE LONG PERIOD, YES. AS FAR AS RECENT WEEKS ARE CONCERNED, SINCE MY SPEECH OF NOVEMBER THREE, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. WHEN WE COMPARE THE SITUATION WITH REGARD TO INFILTRATION AND CASUALTIES THIS YEAR WITH LAST YEAR THERE IS A GREAT DIFFERENCE. AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, IF THAT SITUATION CONTINUES, I BELIEVE WE CAN SEE THAT THE VIETNAM WAR WILL COME TO A CONCLUSION REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS AT THE BARGAINING TABLE. AND IT WILL COME TO A CONCLUSION AS A RESULT OF A PLAN THAT WE HAVE INSTITUTED, ON WHICH WE ARE EMBARKED, FOR REPLACING AMERICAN TROOPS WITH VIETNAMESE FORCES. WHAT APPEARS WAS CERTAINLY A MASSACRE. AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WAS IT JUSTIFIED. ONE OF THE GOALS WE ARE FIGHTING FOR IN VIETNAM IS TO KEEP THE PEOPLE FROM SOUTH VIETNAM FROM HAVING IMPOSED ON THEM A GOVERNMENT WHICH HAS ATROCITY AGAINST CIVILIANS AS ONE OF ITS POLICIES. AND WE CANNOT EVER CONDONE OR USE ATROCITIES AGAINST CIVILIANS IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. NOW YOU USED THE WORD ALLEGED, THAT IS ONLY PROPER IN TERMS OF THE INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED. UNDER OUR SYSTEM A MAN IS NOT GUILTY UNTIL PROVED TO BE SO. AND THERE ARE SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED HERE WHO WILL BE TRIED, BY MILITARY COURTS, AND CONSEQUENTLY WE SHOULD SAY ALLEGED AS FAR AS THEY ARE CONCERNED UNTIL THEY ARE PROVED GUILTY. AS FAR AS THIS KIND OF ACTIVITY IS CONCERNED, I BELIEVE THAT IT IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. CERTAINLY WITHIN THIS ADMINISTRATION WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO FIND OUT WHETHER IT WAS ISOLATED, AND SO FAR OUR INVESTIGATION INDICATES THAT IT WAS." Initials JB/N-TELE & B-TELE/PW/BB Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 23rd December 1969 13:00
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- Location: WASHINGTON, USA
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA36UNB7DAOA561PIT1DQELRJNZ
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