SOUTH VIETNAM: PRESIDENT THIEU TELLS PRESS CONFERENCE THAT AMERICAN TROOPS MAY BE IN SOUTH VIETNAM FOR YEARS

Record ID: 441144

  • Title: SOUTH VIETNAM: PRESIDENT THIEU TELLS PRESS CONFERENCE THAT AMERICAN TROOPS MAY BE IN SOUTH VIETNAM FOR YEARS
  • Date: 10th January 1970
  • Summary: 1. GV ZOOM IN TO SV.. THIEU (CENTRE) KY (LEFT) AND KHIEM (RIGHT) ON ROSTRUM 0.14 2. MV THIEU SPEAKING SOF 1.50 3. SV KY, THIEU AND KHIEM 1.54 4. MV THIEU PAN TO KY 2.02 5. MV THIEU SPEAKING IN FRENCH SOF... 2.53 TRANSCRIPT: SEQ 5: THIEU: "I CANNOT GUESS WHAT THE COMMUNISTS WILL DO. BUT I BELIEVE THE COMMUNISTS WILL NEVER NEGOTIATE SERIOUSLY WHEN THEY ARE IN THE WEAK POSITION. SECONDLY I REMIND YOU OF DECISION NUMBER NINE, AND DECISION NUMBER NINE -- SUPPLEMENTARIES NUMBER NINE -- THAT THE COMMUNISTS HAVE DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE WAR, TO LAUNCH ANOTHER GENERAL OFFENSIVE, WITH THE HOPE TO FORCE FASTER WITHDRAWAL OF US TROOPS IN VIETNAM AND TO ACCEPT A COALITION GOVERNMENT HERE IN SAIGON. SO MEANWHILE THE US HAVE MADE SUCH A DECISION, AND ADOPTED SUCH A LINE OF CONDUCT. I FRANKLY NEVER BELIEVED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL AND SERIOUS TALKS FROM NOW UNTIL THE DAY THEY HAVE ORDERED THE LAST, THE SO-CALLED GENERAL OFFENSIVE, AFTER THAT MAYBE THEY HAVE TO ADOPT ANOTHER POLICY." Initials JB/V/BOB/ES Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 25th January 1970 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SAIGON, SOUTH VIETNAM
  • Country: Vietnam
  • Reuters ID: LVA581VN1CTDNWN86R0HXN02J081
  • Story Text: PRESIDENT NGUYEN VAN THIEU TOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE IN SAIGON YESTERDAY (FRIDAY) THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR ALL UNITED STATES COMBAT TROOPS TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE COUNTRY BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. THE PRESIDENT SAID IT MIGHT BE YEARS BEFORE ALL AMERICAN COMBAT TROOPS WOULD LEAVE.

    HE TOLD THE PRESS CONFERENCE THAT SOUTH VIETNAM WOULD CONTINUE ITS POLICY OF REGULARLY REPLACING AMERICAN TROOPS IN 1970 AND YEARS TO COME. COMBAT TROOPS WOULD BE NEEDED TO PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR AMERICAN LOGISTICS AND SUPPORT TROOPS FOR SOME YEARS. PRESIDENT THIEU SAID HE HOPED SOUTH VIETNAMESE TROOPS WOULD PROVIDE THIS PROTECTION, BUT THE ADDED THAT SOUTH VIETNAM HAD LIMITED MANPOWER AND NEEDED TIME TO TRAIN ITS MEN. HE SAID THAT SOUTH VIETNAM WAS DETERMINED TO GRADUALLY TAKE OVER THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR, BUT IT WAS CRUCIAL THAT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PROVIDE ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT, FUNDS AND TRAINING FOR THE PROGRAMME OF STRENGTHENING SOUTH VIETNAMESE FORCES.

    TURNING TO THE PARIS TALKS, PRESIDENT THIEU SAID HE HAD NO CONFIDENCE IN THE PROGRESS OF THE TALKS.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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