FOR RELEASE SUNDAY A.M. 3/27/66
FOR TELECAST SUNDAY P.M . 3/27/66
OI•INION IN THE CAPITAL
A MEl':fi.OMEDIA -
WTTl~
TELEVISION PRESENTATION
PRODUCER
MARK EVANS
E~J(; ~QJ.TIVE
1-'RODlJCFR
FLORENCE LOWE
DU~L~f.TOR
BOB urcoNNOR
GUI:S'l':
VICE
PRESIDl:::~;iT
l-ft,BERT H. HIJMPJ-ffiEY
MODERATOR: MARK EVANS , VICE PRESIDENT FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS, METROMEDIA, INC.
REPC.IRTER: DAN BLACKBTJRN) METROJVJEDIA NEWS
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PAGE ONE
EVANS:
WIN THE POLITICAL WAR
MR . VICE PRESIDENT, DO YOU THINK WE CAN
IN VIETNAM?
WILL ENCOUNTER
YES, I DO, BUT THE DIFFICULTIES THAT WE
GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND MUCH
WILL BE VERY SEVERE AND IT WILL TAKE A
VICE PRESIDENT:
PATIENCE .
NS SHUDDER A LITTLE
MR. VICE PRESIDENT, I THINK MOST AMERICA
ITICAL TURMOIL IN VIETNAM. HOW
BIT EVERY TIME THERE IS ADDITIONAL POL
THERE SEEMS TO BE LITTLE REAL
CAN WE EXPECT TO BEAT THE VIETCONG WHEN
STABILITY AMONG THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE?
FIND MYSELF VERY REPRESENTATIVE
THE VICE PRESIDE NT: WELL, THIS TIME I
DER A BIT WHEN I READ OF THE
OF MOST AMERICANS, BECAUSE I TOO, SHUD
ABILITY. IT'S INEVITABLE THAT
POLITICAL TURM OIL OR THE POLITICAL INST
SUCH A COMMITMENT IN VIETNAM.
WE SHOULD FEEL THIS WAY BECAUSE WE HAVE
ENT AT BEST .. YOU CANNOT HELP
ANY INSTABILITY IN A VERY FRAGILE GOVERNM
IN
TION I CAN OFFER IS THISj
BUT HAVE DEEP CONCERN. THE ONLY CONSOLA
HAVE BEEN ~!MILAR CONFLICTS OF
OTHER AREAS OF THE WORLD, WHERE THERE
PATTERN. LET ME GIVE YOU ONE
SIMILAR NATURE, INSTABILITY HAS BEEN THE
URAGEMENT. IN THE GREEK CIVIL
EXAMPLE WHICH MAY GIVE YOU A NOTE OF ENCO
REALLY COMMUNIST AGGRESSION,
WAR, (IT WAS CALLED A CIVIL WAR BUT WAS
SOVIET UNION AT THE TIM E), THERE
INSPIRED AND FINANCED OUT OF STALIN'S
18 MONTHS. THAT'S REAL INSTABILITY.
WERE ELEVEN CHANGES OF GOVERNMENT IN
LL WE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER
YET, WITH OUR ASSISTANCE, YOU MAY RECA
CIVILIAN IN GREECE, AND WITH
OF AMERICAN PERSONNEL, BOTH MILITARY AND
, THE GREEKS WERE ABLE . TO OVERVERY GENEROUS ECONOMIC AND MILITARY AID
A DEGREE OF STABILITY AND GO ON
COME THE COMMUNIST AGGRESSION, REGAIN
EVANS:
TO REBUILD ANOTHER STABLE GOVERNMENT.
TING MORE STABLE ALL THE TIME?
EVANS: ARE YOU TELLING ME THEY'RE GET
NOT THAT THEY ARE GOING TO
EACH TIME A NEW GOVERNMENT COMES IN •..•
PAGE TWO
FA IL NECESSARILY.
BY FAR 7 THE MOST STABLE
THE VICE PRESIDE NT: THIS GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN 7
H VIETNAM. IT'S GOING
OF GO VERNMENTS SINC E THE DEATH OF DIEM IN SOUT
I DO NOT THINK WE SHOULD
INTO NINE MONT HS OF CONTI NUlTY AND POW E.R AND
TO SURVIVE THE PRESENT
MAKE ANY PRE DI CTIONS THAT IT WILL NOT BE ABLE
GOV'T 7 BUT THUS FAR 7
TUR MOIL. THERE MAY BE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN THE
DEMONSTRATIONS IN
THE DIFFICULTIES AND BUDDHISTS COMPLAINTS AND
GENERAL KY. THEY HAVE
VIE TNMAM HAVE NOT BEEN DIRECTED PERSONALLY AT
RDS SOME OF THE APPOINTMENTS
BEEN DIRECTE D TOWARDS THE CHIEF OF STATE 7 TOWA
N HERE. THERE ARE SOME
•.. BUT HERE HAS BEEN A VERY CAREFUL LINE DRAW
THE FIRST CORPS AREA , • .
PERS ONA LITY INVOLVEMENTS 7 FROM THE I CORPS OR
E AN INDIVIDUALIST IN
GEN ERAL THI 7 VE RY POPULAR WITH HIS PEOPLE THER 7
MILITARY DIRECTORATE .
HIS OWN RIGHT ..• THIS MAN WAS REMOVED BY THE
THE MILITARY DIRECTORATE
BUT I DO THINK YOU OUGH T TO KEEP IN MIND THAT
COUNSEL 7 THE NATIONAL
OF TEN WAS UN AMI MOUS IN THIS DECISION AND THE
THE SOUTHVIETNAMESE
UNI TY COUNSEL 7 WHIC H IS LIKE THE ASSEMBLY OF
D THE DECISION TO
REP UB LIC, THIRTY-TWO OF THE THIRTY-SIX 7 SUPPORTE
NT MEAN MUCH BECAUSE
REMOVE GENERAL THI . YOU MAY SAY THAT THAT DOES
WELL THERE HAVEN'T BEEN
THEY ARE NOT REALLY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES.
. THERE HAVE BEEN LOCAL
ANY NATIONAL ELEC TIONS IN VIETNAM FOR~ME TIME
MILITARY DOES PROVIDE
ELEC TIONS .•. A NUMBER OF THEM 7 IN FACT. BUT THE
IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT
THE ONE LINE OF CONTINUITY OF STABILITY.
FAC TOR IN TH E LI FE OF SOUTH VIETNAM.
G TIDE OF DEMONSTRATIONS
BLACKBURN: YOU DON'T FEEL THEN 7 THAT THE RISIN
THE DOWNFALL OF KY IN
OVER THE OUST ER OF GENERAL THI 7 WILL LEAD TO
SAIG ON?
E
ONE SHOULD HESITATE TO MAKE PREDICTIONS ON THES
THAT THE PRESENT REGIME
MATTERS.. I WOULD SAY THAT ON BALANCE IT APPEARS
THE VICE PRESIDENT:
PAGE THREE
SSIONS TO
MAY VERY WELL RIDE THIS OUT, BUT HAVING TO MAKE SOME CONCE
I'M SURE
THE BUDDHISTS. THE PROCESS OF NEGOTIATIONS AND ADJUSTMENT
IS UNDERWAY N<M.
BLACKBURN:
VIEWING THIS IN ITS WORST POSSIBLE LIGHT, IF THE KY
COMMITMENT
REGIME WERE TO COLLAPSE, WHAT WOULD BE THE EFFECT ON OUR
IN SOUTH VIETNAM.?
IF THAT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: IT WOULD NOT· CHANGE OUR COMMITMENT •
THE ESTABLISHREGIME WERE TO BE CHANGED, THEY'D BE SOMEONE ELSE WITHIN
MENT, SO TO SPEAK, THAT WOULD COME TO POWER.
THERE
AR~
A NUMBER
OF
PAIN AND
CONTESTING FORCES IN ANY COUNTRY THAT HAS GONE THROUGH THE
DIVISION, ....
THE SUFFERING THAT THIS ONE HAS AND WHEN YOU HAVE RELIGIOUS
EXPLAINED
YOU'VE NEVER REALLY HAD A SENSE OF NATIONAL UNITY, AND I'VE
YEARS WAS
THIS SO MANY TIMES, THIS IS A COUNTRY THAT FOR A THOUSAND
R THAN
GOVERNED BY THE MANDARINS OR DOMINATED BY THE CHINESE, BETTE
IN CONSTANT
TWO GENERATIONS BY THE FRENCH, AND FOR 25 YEARS, HAVE BEEN
TE SELFWAR, SINCE 1940 •• • THESE ARE NOT THE CONDITIONS THAT PROMO
AND TENSION
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL STABILITY. THE PROMOTE DISSENSION
AND INSTABILITY AND PERSONAL RIVALRIES.
GOVERNMENT IN SAIGON .
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A STRONG
WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PAINFUL PROCESS OF
NATION A
TRYING · TQ BUILD A POLITICAL MECHANISM THAT WILL GIVE THIS
SINEWS AND
SENSE OF NATIONA~ PURPOSE AND UNITY~--THE STRINGS AND THE
NS AND THE
THE ARTERIES AND THE VEINS OF POLITICAL LIFE AND THE TENDO
TO TAKE SOME
LIGAMENTS THAT HOLD A COUNTRY TOGETHER AND THIS IS GOING
NOT BE A
TIME. BUT, EVEN IF THERE WERE A CHANGE OF GOV'T, IT WOULD
E TO QUIT
GOY'T THAT WOULD THROW IN THE SPONGE SO TO SPEAK, OR DECID
THINK THE
THE WAR. VERY FEW FEEL THAT WAY, IN FACT, MANY OF THEM
REASONS
WAR OUGHT TO BE PROSECUTED WITH MORE VIGOR, AND ONE OF THE
FOR SOME OF THE DEMONSTRATIONS IS THAT PARTICULAR ATTITUDE.
THREAD OF
BLACKBURN : YOU SAID THAT THE MILITARY SEEMS TO PROVIDE A
PAGE FOUR
CON TINU ITY HERE ••• DOES THI S MEAN THAT A MILITARY GOV'T IS BETTER THAN
A CIVILi AN GOV ' T AT THE PRESENT TIME IN SAIGON?
THE VICE PRES ID ENT:
WE LL , I CAN'T HELP BUT RECALL WHAT PRIME MINISTER
L'M TRYING TO
KY TOLD ME ABOUT THAT SIT UATION THAT YOU DESCRIBE.
REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW HE PUT IT • . . HE SAID TO
ME, "MR . VICE PRES I DENT,
YOU AMER I CANS SE EM TO FEEL WE OUGHT TO HAVE A CIVILIAN GOV'T - I DO
TOO, BUT A CI VILIAN GOV' T THAT JUST COMES TO POWER, WITHOUT ELECTIONS,
IS NO DIFFEREN
ELECTION S .
THAT MILIT ARY OF FI CERS THAT COME TO POWER Wl THOUT
TO ME, MR. VICE PRESIDEN T, A CIVILIAN IS AN ELEC TED OFFICIAL,
WHE HER HE WAS ONCE A GENE RA L OR NO T MAKES NO DIFFERENCE, ONCE HE I S
ELE CTED, HE BECOMES A CIVIL IAN . YOUR GENERAL EISENHOWER WAS ONE OF
THE GREAT GENERALS OF YOU R COUNTRY, BU T WHEN HE WAS ELECTED HE WAS
THE CIVILIAN PRESI DE NT OF THE U. S . •. . HE WAS PRESIDENT EISENHOWER ,
NOT GE NERA L EISEN HOWER . "
HE (KY) AL LUDED TO OTHER CHAPTERS OF
AMERICAN HISTORY LIKE GEO RGE WASHINGTON, ANDREW JACKSON, GENERA L GRANT
AN D SO FORTH, ALL OF WHO M HAD MI LI TARY BACKGROUNDS BUT WERE ELECTED .
I THINK HE MAKES A POINT.
I MUST SAY, JUST BECAUSE A
PERSO~
HAPPENS
TO WEAR CIVILIAN CLOT HES, STREET CLOTHES, INSTEAD OF A MILITARY UNIFORM,
DOESN'T MAKE HlM IN TO WHAT WE WOULD CALL A CIVILIAN POLITICAL LEADER .
A CIVILIAN PO LIT ICA L LEA DER I S ONE WHO IS TRULY AN ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE
OF THE PEOPLE . ACTUAL LY, IN THIS INSTANCE OF SOUTH VIETNAM, IT MAY BE
ENT IRELY POSS IBLE THAT SOME OF THE MILITARY MAY BE BETTER . TAKE FOR
EXAMPLE IN INDONESIA AT THE PRESENT TIME, GENERAL SUHARTO, WHO, I 'M
SURE HAS THE I NTEREST S OF HIS COUNTRY AT HEART AND WHO WOU LD PROBAB LY
NO T CLAIM TO BE A CIVILIAN LEADER, IS A GENERAL .
WHAT MAKES A CIV lL I AN
lEADER IS THE FAC T THAT HE PUTS HIMSELF UP FOR THE
POLIT~AL
TES T OF
ELECTIVE OFF I CE.
EVANS:
MR . VIC E PRESIDENT , AREN' T WE KIDDING OURSELVES SOMEWHAT ON
THE I MMEDIACY OF AN ELECTI ON? EVEN
IF THE WAR WERE TO END TOMORROW ?
~A TG ON
CAN'T
TEL L YOU THE NAME OF
PAGE FIVE
, BECAUSE THEY'VE KNOWN
ANY POLITICAL LEADER OTHER THAN HO CHI MINH
IS ALMOST UNREALISTIC AT
HIS NAME SO LONG . DEMOCRACY AS WE KNOW IT,
THIS POINT IN SAIGON, IS IT NOT?
, MARK. AS A MATTER OF
THE VICE PRESIDENT: IT'S NOT QUITE THAT BAD
ENCOURAGED. LET ME J UST
FACT, I THINK THERE ARE MANY REASONS TO BE
SOUTH VIETNAMESE DID HAVE
EXPLAIN TO YOU WHAT I MEAN . LAST MAY, THE
THE IMPORTANT BASE OF
VILLAGE AND PROVINC I AL ELECTIONS . THIS IS
DEMOCRACY AND THE I MPORTAN T BASE
OF REPRESEN TATIVE GOV'T, AN D THE Y
R VILLAGE LEADER, TH EIR
DO ELEC T, EVEN NCM, IN THEIR VILLAGES, THEI
AND THEIR PROVINCIA L GOVERNORS .
VILLAGE COUNSE L, fHE I R DI STRICT GOVERNORS,
THE ELECTION PRCCESS I S NOT
THERE HAVE BEEN PRO v iNC I AL ELECTIONS, SO
E ELECTIONS . IT'S MORE OR
UNKNOWN TO THE.M. THERE ARE CONTESTS IN THES
. . I F YOU MAY . RECALL, OUR
LESS LI KE THE EARLY DAYS OF OUR REPUB Ll C.
T THE PRESIDENT OF THE U. S .
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION, W.E DID NOT ELEC
THE PERSONS THAT WERE ELECTED
UNDER THE ARTICLES, HE WAS SELECTED FROM
BERS OF THE CONGRESS OF
AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL. EVEN THE MEM
TED AS SUCH • • . THEY WERE
THE ART I CLES OF CON FEDER AT ION WERE NOT ELEC
GOVERNMENTS, SO WHILE THE
SELECTED B~ THE LEGIS LATURES OF THE LOCAL
SOME BASE OF REFERENCE
COMPARISON IS NOT A PERFECT ONE, THERE IS
A COUNCIL HAS BEEN
I WOULD ALSO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT
HERE.
ING CITI ZEN S, COMI.NG ACROSS
ESTABLISHED OF ABOUT A HUNDRED OF THE LEAD
UTION . THIS COUNCIL HAS ITS
EVERY GROUP IN VIETNAM, TO WRITE A CONSTIT
TO OUR CONSTITUTIONAL
OWN SECRETARIAT . IT WILL BE VERY SIMILAR
UTION FOR THE REPUBLIC OF
CONVENTION . THEY WILL WRITE A NEW CONSTIT
VOTED ON THIS COMING FALL .
SOUTH VIETNAM. THAT CONS TITUTION WILL BE
ESCITE, AND THEY ALSO HAVE
NOW, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE A NATIONAL PLEB
NT PEOPLE TO SET UP THE BYPROVIDED FOR A BODY OF LAWYERS AND COMPETE
ONAL ELECTION. THEY HAVE
LAWS AND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF A NATI
PAGE SIX
PLEDGED THE ELECTION IN 195 7 .
BLACKBURN:
AN ARTICLE
SO~
I THINK YOU WILL HAVE SOME ELECTIONS.
DERS BRINGS TO MIND
THIS SUBJECT OF ELECTED VILLAGE LEA
AZINE WHICH TELLS
IN A CURRENT ISSUE OF A NATIONAL MAG
•
I
IT
RUPTION OF THESE VILLAGE LEADERS AN APPALLING STORY OF THE COR
'
EF WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE AN OFFICER
CITES THE CASE OF ONE~ A VILLAGE CHI
.D. HAD SUPPLIED
~TO A VILLAGE WHERE A;I
E
CAM
WHO
Y~
ARM
SE
AME
ETN
VI
IN THE
THESE SUPPLIES~ TURNED AROUND
GOODS AND MATERIALS~ CONFISCATED ALL
DOESN'T THIS CUT THE VERY GROUND
AND SO LD THEM ON THE BLACK MARKET.
FROM UNDER THE FEE T OF DEMOCRACY?
THE VICE PRESIDEN T:
WELL~
MY GOOD
FRIEND~
IF YOU'RE SPEAKING OF
IT HERE~ THEN WE OUGHT TO
DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH VI ETNAM AS WE KNOW
AREN'T TEN COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
STOP THE DISCUSSION . BECAUSE~ THERE
THAT EXPERIENCE JHE SAME DEGREE OF
THAT WE DO. YOU CAN GO THROUGH
DEMOCRATIC GOV' T OR THE SAME TYPE~
RICA AND YOU'LL FIND MANY REASONS
AME
IN
LAT
AND
JCA
AFR
OF
ONS
I
NAT
THE
.
THAT WE'RE NOT WITHOUT SIN OURSELVES
SAY
HT
MIG
I
AND
ED~
RAG
COU
DIS
BE
TO
AL AND STATE
LIFE~ PUBLIC LIFE~ LOC
WE'VE HAD SOME MOMENTS IN AMERICAN
MINUTE
CKING. I WOULDN'T DENY FOR A SINGLE
GOVERNMENT~ THA T ARE SHO
THAT WOULD MAKE A BURGLAR LOOK
THAT YOU MAY FIND A VILLAGE LEADER
BT THAT - PARTICULA~ IN A WAR
L-IKE A SOCIAL WORKER . I WOULDN'T DOU
AVAILABLE AND YOU CAN HI-JACK THOSE
Sli .UATION WHERE THERE ARE SUPPLIES
HING UNIQUE
CK MARKET RUNS RAMPANT WHICH IS NOT
SUPPLIES~ WHERE THE BLA
PENED
GREECE~ TURKEY~ · IT HAP
IT HAPPENED IN KOREA~ IN HAPPENED IN
T ODAY~
OR TWEN TY
COUN T RIES~
HERE~
.
IT HAPPENS EVERY PLACE YOU HAVE A WAR
THINK WE OUGHT TO KNOW THAT. THE
WARS DO NOT PROMOTE MORALITY NTRY THAT HAS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT
FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THIS IS A COU
E FROM COLONIALISM AND FRENCH
CODE OF POLITICAL STANDARDS - IT CAM
CALL ANGLO-SAXON-NORDIC STANDARDS
COLONIALISM DID NOT PROMOTE WHAT I
ICIALS, BECAUSE THEY UDN'T HAVE
OF POLITICAL MORALI TY FOR ELECTED OFF
IN · FRANCE IN WORLD WAR TWO -
PAGE SEVEN
ULT TASK, THIS
' ANY ELECTED OFF~ClALS. THIS IS GOING TO BE A DIFFIC
ION,
MATTER OF POLIT ICAL REFORM. QN YOUR. INITIA L QUEST
WAR B€ WON?'
I SAID, YES, IF Yo:u HAVE . PATIE NCE.
IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME.
BREAK
'CAN THE POLIT ICAL
IT WILL BE DIFFI CULT -
Part II - l
Part II
DAN BLACKBURN:
Mr. Vice Pres iden t, if corr uptio n such as this case
we were disc ussin g exis ts throu ghou t Vietn am,
~r
even in smal l
of the gove rnme nt?
insta nces , does n't this unde rcut the popu larit y
a thing to keep
How do you stop this thing ? How do you figh t such
a gove rnme nt stab le?
VICE PRESIDENT HUMPHREY:
Well , it sure ly is of no help .
remin d you that there are many hund reds, in
faa~
But I woul d
thou sand s, of villa ges
c. Ther e are the
and the insta nce that you give is not char acte risti
mes, that you can
extre mes, and I think that this is one of the extre
dedi cated lead ersh ip
poin t to. You can poin t to some very self less ,
tear s come to
on the part of villa ge lead ers,t oo, that woul d make
that these lead ers
your eyes as to the dedi catio n and the sacr ifice
prop er pers pect ive make for thei r peop le. But I want to put this in
the peop le of
I repe at, it will be a long diff icul t orde al for
help build what
Vietn am and the Unit ed Stat es and othe r allie s to
al revo lutio n that
they call "the new natio n"; to get this grea t soci
in a perio d of war
is need ed; chan ges of attit udes , of prac tices ; and
le and mate rial,
such as this wher e there are vast influ xes of peop
all kind s of blac k
it's tati~~de for all kind s of shanni~ans and
s happ en to us in
mark eting and prof iteer ing. We had the same thing
burg 's ''War Year s"
the war betw een the state s. If you read Carl Sand
Linc oln was cons tantl y
and the year s of Linc oln's serv ice, poor Abraham
rtion s by the
faced with atro ciou s, outra geou s corr uptio n, dese
way, dese rtion s take
thou sand s from the Unio n armi es - whic h, by the
r way in and out
plac e by the Vietn ames e armi es. - peop le buyi ng thei
Part II - 2
of the milita ry servic e, suppli es being hijack ed and blackm arketed .
The same thing happen ed in the Spanis h-Ame rican War.
And I must be
vecy:f rank with you, we even have it happen a little bit even now
overse as when someti mes some of our people get into some troubl e.
So let's put it i n perspe ctive.
It doesn 't help the govern ment, but
t he presen t govern ment is taking stern measu res, may I say, to try
t o do some thing abou t it. (the presen t govern ment in South Vietna m).
My goodne ss , only recent ly we witnes sed this pathet ic pictur e of
a
mercha~t
in Saigon being shot, with the family weepin g and sobing .
Now 7 why did that happen .
Irm not approv ing the shooti ng of the
mercha nt as a form of pun ishmen t for his blackm arketin g, but blackmarket ing is a proble m.
And it is a problem of seriou s propor tions
and t he presen t govern ment made up its mind that it had to take
severe measur es to try to check it.
about this .
I talked to Prime Minist er Ky
He i s trying to do sometr. tin g about it, but it is a hard
uphill battle , and some of the pe-ople there do not cooper ate too much.
ies,
I don rt want to get into nation alities or purpos es, I mean or countr
but some of the old merch ants, Chines e and French , inpart icular , are
not too cooper ative on these matter s and a few Vietna mese have
l earned some of the tricks too.
EVANS:
Mr . Vice Presid ent, the Indone sian situat ion is
a
little
flue nt at the momen t, but there is a ray of hope, and I think it is
an acknowledged fact that the Red Chines e have taken a pretty severe
lickin g in many corner s of the globe . in the past month or so.
Are
we ready to step in and help this fledgi ng republ ic of Indone sia,
or do we st:and back and wait and see what happen s?
Par t II - 3
ng the
Wel l, our poli cy has .bee n one of resp ecti
a by the Indo nesi ans. It is
dec isio ns that are bein g made in Indo nesi
ther e to be any Ame rican
my con side red judg men t, Mar k, tha t were
unde rway ther e mig ht very
inte rfer enc e, that the proc esse s whic h are
es at work in Indo nesi a
wel l be side trac ked and dera iled . The forc
a long time . This is one
have been accu mul atin g the ir stre ngth for
the lead ers of the cou ntry
inst anc e whe re the peo ple of a cou ntry and
own way. Som etim es it rath er
have deci ded the ir own chan ges in the ir
and the pace that they
mys terio us to us how thes e chan ges are made
hurr y as some Ame rican s
foll ow. They are not quit e in as big a
it to you, I thin k the
wou ld be in mak ing chan ges. To simp ly put
h we have foll owe d, is to
bes t thin g for our gove ram ent to do, whic
The Vice Pres iden t:
wha t they are doin g.
keep hand s off; thes e peo ple seem to know
n't you?
S: You are plea sed with the deve lopm ent, are
eVAN
VICE PRESIDENT HUMPHREY:
I wou ld sugg est that this is som ethi ng
to take care of the ir own
that we ough t to look to the Indo nesi ans
job.
aps from Eas t
Mr. Vice Pre side nt, if we coul d move perh
rela tion s with Fran ce, how
to Wes t and the que stio n of our curr ent
ce at this moment?
wou ld you desc ribe our rela tion s with Fran
Trou bled , but not inso lubl e; diff icu lt,
VICE PRESIDENT HUMPHREY:
hip betw een the Ame rican
but man agea ble. The re's a body of frie nds
lead er can for long disr upt
peop le and the Fren ch that no pol itic al
the Fren ch Rep ubli c, Gen eral
or put into disa rray . The Pres iden t of
We do not agre e with his
DeG aull e, has his own way of doin g thin gs.
goin g to agai n spea k soft ly,
rath er nati ona list ic appr oach , but we'r e
DAN BLACKBURN:
our part ners in NATO, and,
work with our alli es, try to reas on with
•
•
Part II - 4
;·· ~~ ~, '
•·
a unite d Europ e,
hopef ully , to bring the Frenc h to a reali zatio n that
ger Europ e a Europ e bu ilt ar·ound the princ iples of NATO, is a stron
We may have a
not only milit arily , but econo mical ly and polit icall y.
·r • ~ ~
temp orary se t back here, but nothi ng of long durat ion.
In his speec h this week, Presi dent Johns on warne d that
DAN BLACKBURN:
ion on NATO.
Franc e may be endan gerin g her own secur ity by its posit
rawin g, in a
Does t !- is TnE!ar. that the Unite d State s may consi der withd
sense , i t s 1mb:r.e lla of prote ction over Fran ce?
VICE PRES IDENT HUMPHREY:
No, I do not think that we will act impe tious ly,
or t hat we will act out of ar.ger , out of emoti on.
Colle ctive secu rity
the inter est of
in we s t er::.: E··1.rope is to our na·tio nal i n teres t, and to
. What we regre t
weste rn Europ e and the i_ter est of the cause of freed om
retur ning to a
in the pr·es ent devel opme nt is that Fran ce seems to be
, at a time when
kind of !'l"itio nalis tic stanc e, a natio r:alis tic postu re
of polit ical life
there is a neces s ity for interd epend en ce, when the facts
ration in inter lite r a lly call for interd epend en ce and a close r coope
natio nal relat ionsh ips .
Franc e wants her bi-la teral treat y with us.
The Fr•enc h are not break ing the relat ions with us.
Presi dent de Gaull e
Unite d State s.
says he wants a treat y of mutu al assis tance with the
as he think s of
He jus t doesn 't want Frenc h armie s, and Franc e itsel f,
nal instr umen tality .
it, to be swall owed up by NATO, which is an inter natio
inter natio nal
Presi dent de Gaull e has very serio us doub ts about these
that his doub ts
insti tutio ns . However , I would call to your atten tion
ago, he decid ed
have not alway s been recon ciled in his favor . Sometime
in the common mark et.
he was goi ng to make some dras tic chang es in the six
•
Par t II - 5
He did n 1 t ge t by with it.
t her e wer•e some con ces sio ns
and whi le
The oth er fiv e stoo d the re gro und
the
rr,ade to Fre nch intr ans ige nts , tod ay
of
The pri nci ple of i nter dep end enc e and
lity . I thin k thi s wil l be pre tty
col lec ·ti:v..e eco nomic act ion is a rea
1
und erst and me, NATO wil l be cha nge d
much the thin g on NATO. Don t mis
pur sue s it, but the re wil l be a
bec aus e of Fre nch pol icy , if Fr anc e
ts adv anta ge to hav e a NATO tha t is
NATO. And it wil l n ot be to France
day s to come~7we mai nta in our
wea ken ed, and I am sur~ tha t, i n the
liti cal jud gme nt, tha t Fra nce wil l
sen se of bal anc e and our sen se of po
der
of nat ion s of wes tern Eur ope as a lea
fiLd her way bac k i n to the fam ily
comm on mar ket and the who le ide a
aga in.. Rememb er tha t NATO and t h e
, of Fre nch
r e, in a larg e mea sure
of a Eur ope an defe nse community ~ we
y cre ativ e peo ple in pol itic al
cre atio n. The Fre n ch hav e been a ver
lar ly sin ce World War II. So
inst rum e:rr ts and i nst itu tio ns, par ticu
of s-tr eng th, not a sou rce of
I l ook upo n ·the Fre nch as a sou rce
hav e
pro blem s, jus t as we occ asio nal ly
wea kne ss . We hav e some tem por ary
common mar ke t i s a rea lity .
at home .
MARK EVANS :
on the par t
, do you see any hop e
Mr. Vic e Pre sid ent , I was won der ing
more hel p in Vie tnam ?
of our so- cal led all ies irt giv ing us
ly list ed some of the min usc ule
The U. S. News & World Rep ort rec ent
It was a dis tur bin g thin g, I thin k,
ass ista nce giv en by clo se frie nds .
l hop e of the ir get ting into thi s
to mos t peo ple . Do you see any rea
as us?
thin g., whi ch i nv olv es them as wel l
nds and all ies are bec omi ng more
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Some of our frie
are doi ng a ma ster ful job .
i nvo l ved . Of c our se, the Kor ean s
Part II - 6
They are giving great help.
EVANS:
Well, I'm thinking of Canada, with one professor and 130 scholars,
and the United Kingdom with eleven police instructors.
VICE PRESIDENT IDJMPHREY:
Let me say about the United Kingdom.
The
United Kingdom has a very substantial fleet and a large body of men
in the Malayasia area and that's all a part of the general struggle
that's going on i n Southeast Asia.
United Kingdom.
We ought not to be critical of the
She's been extremely helpful both in terms of diplomacy
and in terms of the common defense against Communist aggression in
Southeast Asia.
EVANS:
She has a commercial fleet that's feeding Hanoi, too.
VICE PRESIDENT HUMPHREY:
over
of
e~enated.
Well, very little; very little.
That's way
The amount of supplies that come in through the port
Haiphong and through British transport is minimal, and it's being
reduced all tretime, but these are maritime nations.
I can only say
this, that the price of leadership, gentlemen, is that you bear most
of the burden.
EVANS:
I wish it weren't the case, but it is.
On the international scene, he's the nation's number one roving
Amb~ssador
for peace.
On
the domestic scene, he's the President's
number one salesman for controversial policies.
In a recent speech,
Hubert Humphrey recalled that John Adams said that "America is blessed
by the spirit of public happiness."
Adams, of course, was referring to
the joys and blessings of self-governme nt, but America!.s -,!J~ic
happiness today, is a man named Hubert Humphrey.
Recent polls show
his popularity at an all-time high with increasing appreciation and
Par t II - 7
dlin g the seco nd hig hes t job
app rov al of the way in whi ch he is han
g with us on
Much obli ged Mr. Vic e Pre side nt for bein
n hon or and a mem orab le exp erie nce
"Op in ion i n t he Cap ital ". Itrs alw aysa
i n the Eati on .
to hav e you with us .
edia News, for you r help .
Tha nks t o you , Dan Bla ckb urn, Metr•om
I
Minnesota
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