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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-01528 to 363-01535.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-01528 to 363-01535
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Title
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Article on President Johnson's announcement he will not accept re-nomination
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Description
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Original title: "johnson." Keever's title: "LBJ's No-Election Bid Shocks Saigon." Article by Keever on President Johnson's announcement not to accept re-nomination
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AI Usage Disclosure
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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.
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Transcript
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2020 sag
yy 1jp
johnson 1 (normass/deepe)
SAGO
B
SAIGON, April 1 -President Lyndon Joy Johnson's
radio broadcast stating his refusal to accept re-nomination for a
second term created an atomic-sized political shock wave through
the hawkish ox American communi and Vietnamese anti-Communist
communities here.
This this war zone,
this announced decision far
out-impacted his statement of a de-escalation of the embing
American bombing raids over North Vietnam in the hopes of establishing
peace talks.
TheFov dreva net world accept the offer immediately.
their commander-in-
chief
the fitime
more router
of the half-million-man American troop effort here could easily be xx
Bobby Kennedy, who has vigorously opposed the American mli military effort here.
"The President has stolen all of (Eugene) McCarthy's
arguments, but this
will help Bobby Kennedy get the noun nomination while making him look like
a fool," one American officer explained.
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2020 sag
ᎩᎩ ljp
johnson 2 (normass/deepe)
the American Ambassador and General Westmoreland,
down
to lowly fighting privates, had tuned in their radios to the U. S. military
station here to hear the mid-morning address.
"Incredible--Fantastic!,"
the President
re-nomination.
one American officer exclaimed as
announced his decision "not to seek or accept"
"This is an entirely new ballgame--it means that
(Bobby) y Kennedy has a good chance to win."
Some of the American GI's had taped the President's address
to re-play for their buddies who had missed it. They re-played the
last portion of his speech, to MAKE Sume they Heard it
correctly.
"I thought the President said he wouldn't run un 'unless'-
but he didn't. He left no way out. But, there always must be an
unless," E
office
CEX Explanil
ре
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zczc sag
ᎩᎩ ljp
johnson 3 (normass/deepe)
Another military hawk, after overcoming his initial
a
shock, exclaimed, "The only thing left is awr
write-in--and I'm
going to write-in Harry Truman."
Whethe
Speculation in American circles, including among senior
officers, immediately began to wonder if somehow at a later time
the President would change his mind and accept a draft--or whether
he would back Vice President Hubert Humphrey--or in what way he could
guarantee ax his policy not to fall into the hands of Bobby Kennedy,
who is regarded here as a sel " sell-out dove."
To the astonishment of her male office superiors,
secretary, a Catholic,
one American
burst into tears when
she heard the transistor radio say the President would not run again.
"It was sorry for that poor man for having to govern us goffy goofy
Americans," she explained. "And it was anger at Bobby Kennedy. If
Bobby hadn't split the party, the President wouldn't have backed out.
In the dinn dining hall of the "colonel's messes",
the dining
Few seemed to believe the
halls of senior officers, many speculated "the old man must be sick
and under doctor's orders not to run again."
Vice President Humphrey could seize the nomination from Bobby Kennedy.
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johnson 4 (normass/deepe)
"This is beyond belief, or comprehension,"
officer explained.
one American
"The President has adopted the policy of Kennedy--
and yet in doing so has underout Bobby on the one hand but increased
his chances for getting elected on the other."
Even the highest ranking mei American officials here had not
been informed about the President's decision not to seek a second term.
The first order of business of the regularly scheduled mee U. S. Mission
Council was to listen to the President's address. In the third floor
conference room of the recently rocketed American Embassy, American
Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker, General William C. Westmoreland,
heads of the economic, public information ga agencies, the CIA
and seven other senior officers were informed via radio of the President
President's decision.
mission spokesman said.
"The Ambassador had no vocal reaction," a
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zcze sag
Jy lip
johnson 5 (normass/deepe)
however
Sanior American officials and commanders here had received
a rundown on the de-escalation of the bombing over North Vietnam, and
had in turn "consulted,
rather than informed"
the highest ranking
members of the South Vietnamese government.
The upper-class, educated Vietnamese,
including officers,
senators,
government officials and businessmen
were also astonished by the decisio President's announcement
statement he would not seek re-election., but they were far more skeptical
about it than the American community.
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johnson 6 (normass/deepe)
"Remember, this is Ap April Fool's Day in Vietnam,"
Vietnamese official, speaking privately explained.
one
"How can we
Vietnamese believe what President Johnson has said. He can change his
mind. He is very tricky. What he says today, he can forget
tomorrow.
A Vietnamese politician explained: "Look, we can never
trust American politicians. An example is Kennedy-he said he wasn't
going to run and then he decided to run. Who can believe them?"
Clearly,
the Vietnamese were inclined to judge the American
political scene in terms of their own cynicism and skepticism of Vietnamese
politics. But,
some were rather moderately calm and optimistic.
"Maybe the President decided to de-escalate the bombing just
to win votes or something," one Vietnamese explained. "But the
Americans can never abandon Vietnam because they have half-million
troops and a bunk bundle of pro most of the prestige wrapped up here."
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johnson 7 (normass/deepe)
One retired Vietnamese general explained: "Johnson
is one of the trickiest of American Presidents. He is the typical
American--and represents American thinking. They talk big, they talk
of power, they are tery t very tricky--and Johnson comes from Texas
Texas."
Another Vietnamese added to his commentary: "Yes, but
only the innocent Vietnamese can be fooled by tricky people. The
Vietnamese constitution promulgated a year ago dtoday--on April Fool's Day
too, and so no one could take it very seriously either.
But, remember
the Communists are very tricky too."
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johnson 8 (normass/deepe)
Officially,
the Vietnamese government has made no commene
immediate comment on the President's decision not to run; Vietnamese
newspapers were published too late to run stories or editorials about
the President's speech.
However, the Vietnamese government to the reduction of
bombing over North Vietnam-and American hopes for peace talks--brought
a strong and adverse reaction. The Vietnamese government had been
informed prior to the President's speech about the first portions
1 related to des deescalation of the bombing.
Sunday, addressing
* 14,000 students who had just finished their two weeks militia training,
Th President Nguyen Van Thieu called on the Vietnamese to make more
sacrifices and to goxkathay xm continue fighting, even if the
Americans make a peace settlement.
"Nobody can force us to accept this coalition (with the Communists)
and nobody can force us to accept Communist slavery," Thieu said.
He told the students:
with the Communists."
"I can not and will never accept coalition
Despite the initial adamacy of the Thieu government, the
reaction of one Vietnamese intellectual seemed typical: "This is the
beginning of what we don't know yet. Certainly it is the beginning of
worse to come--more b fighting won the battlefield and probably demonstrations.
in the streets."
= END Reter.
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Date
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1968, Apr. 1
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Diplomatic negotiations in international disputes; Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973; War--Public opinion; Presidents--Election
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6297
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B11, F7
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Format
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dispatches
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Collector
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections
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Language
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English
