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    "label": "Republican Dinner, Nashville, TN, November 21, 1969",
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    "id": "4526239",
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    "title": "Republican Dinner, Nashville, TN, November 21, 1969",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526239",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
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    "subjects": [
        "Vietnam War, 1961-1975"
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D28, folder \"Republican Dinner, Nashville, TN,\nNovember 21, 1969\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at\nthe Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDistribution Full\nGallerier mail 12: 2:15p.m. 15p.m. 1/1/1/69 11/21/69 office Copy\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M. FRIDAY--\nNovember 21, 1969\nExcerpts from a speech at a Republican dinner in Nashville, Tenn.\nI am by nature an optimist, but it is not for that reason that I feel\ninspired as I stand before you tonight.\nI feel inspired because each passing day strengthens my conviction that\nPresident Nixon has set a proper course, the right course, both in Vietnam and in\nour domestic affairs.\nOn Nov. 3 President Nixon addressed the Nation on the subject of Vietnam.\nThat evening he made one of the greatest speeches ever delivered by an American\nPresident. The impact of that speech is now shown by polls indicating that eight\nout of 10 Americans are supporting the President's policies on Vietnam.\nThe reason the President is being supported by an overwhelming majority of\nthe American people is that he made our two remaining choices in Vietnam abundantly\nclear. Those choices are capitulation or, in the absence of a negotiated political\nsettlement, Vietnamization of the war. Once the President had explained the\nconsequences of capitulation - otherwise known as immediate withdrawal - it was\ninevitable that the American people would give him their support.\nThere are those who claim the President campaigned on a promise to end the\nwar but has no plan to do SO. This is a blatant falsehood.\nThe President has a carefully worked out program to end the Vietnam War.\nThat program is known as Vietnamization. It means that American ground combat\nforces will be out of Vietnam hopefully by the end of 1970. They will be phased\nout of Vietnam at the fastest practicable rate, while South Vietnamese forces are\nphased in.\nThe President is carrying out what he promised during his election campaign--\na plan to end American military involvement in Vietnam.\nThe President's plan to end the American ground combat role in the war is\nsound, and it is working.\nThat is why he has the overwhelming support of the American people.\nAt the same time, we have made substantial progress in Vietnam. The\npolitical and military aspects of the struggle there have shifted in favor of the\nUnited States and its allies. The pendulum has swung in our direction.\nFORD\nThe military situation is under control. The Saigon Government's presence\nis moving ahead. The South Vietnamese armed forces are bigger and better. There\nLIBRARY\n(more)\nDigitized from Box D28 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\n-2-\nhas been encouraging political progress in Saigon through a broadening of support,\nand some drastically needed economic reforms are finally under way.\nAs for North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, they have made it plain that they\nexpect the protest movement in the United States to speed the end of the Vietnam\nWar on their terms. I say they are making a bad mistake, because the vast majority\nof the American people know that the real name for immediate withdrawal is\ncapitulation -- and they reject it.\nWhether 250,000 or even a half million people join in a massive peace march,\ngovernment policies cannot be made in the streets. Chants of \"peace, now\" are no\nsubstitute for careful decision-making in the councils of government.\nThe truth is that President Nixon has reversed the Vietnam policies of his\npredecessor. He is doing his best to extricate the United States from Vietnam, and\nhe deserves the support of the demonstrators as well as the silent majority.\nContinued protest on Vietnam can only be destructive. It can only delay the\nprocess of disengagement which President Nixon has started.\nThere is at least one hopeful note in the aftermath of the November\nMoratorium, however. It seems to me that the Students for a Democratic Society has\nbecome so splintered and the Weatherman faction has so discredited itself that SDS\nmay well be on its way to oblivion.\nI said at the outset that President Nixon's course seemed right to me both\nin Vietnam and at home.\nIn the area of domestic policy, the President has sent the Congress some\n40 proposals which are deeply rooted in the need for reforms in America.\nThere has been a noticeable reluctance among the Democratic majority in the\nCongress to move those proposals forward. Yet those proposals must be implemented\nif the country is to move ahead.\nI now find some hope in the sudden approval of draft reform by the Senate.\nThis may be a loosening of the log that breaks the jam. But I certainly believe\na watch-and-wait attitude is indicated.\nIn the case of draft reform, Congress's approval of the President's request\nfor a lottery or random selection system is the occasion for a loud hurrah. I am\nsure that is the feeling of a vast majority of the American people. Like the\nPresident, I want this country to go to an all-volunteer Army as soon as possible,\nbut meantime we must try to make the draft as fair as we can.\nThe watchword of the Nixon Administration is reform. I fervently hope that\nthe Congress will not deny the American people the reforms they so greatly desire.\n# # #\nFull Distribution\nOffice Copy\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M. FRIDAY--\nNovember 21, 1969\nExcerpts from a speech at a Republican dinner in Nashville, Tenn.\nI am by nature an optimist, but it is not for that reason that I feel\ninspired as I stand before you tonight.\nI feel inspired because each passing day strengthens my conviction that\nPresident Nixon has set a proper course, the right course, both in Vietnam and in\nour domestic affairs.\nOn Nov. 3 President Nixon addressed the Nation on the subject of Vietnam.\nThat evening he made one of the greatest speeches ever delivered by an American\nPresident. The impact of that speech is now shown by polls indicating that eight\nout of 10 Americans are supporting the President's policies on Vietnam.\nThe reason the President is being supported by an overwhelming majority of\nthe American people is that he made our two remaining choices in Vietnam abundantly\nclear. Those choices are capitulation or, in the absence of a negotiated political\nsettlement, Vietnamization of the war. Once the President had explained the\nconsequences of capitulation - otherwise known as immediate withdrawal - -- it was\ninevitable that the American people would give him their support.\nThere are those who claim the President campaigned on a promise to end the\nwar but has no plan to do so. This is a blatant falsehood.\nThe President has a carefully worked out program to end the Vietnam War.\nThat program is known as Vietnamization. It means that American ground combat\nforces will be out of Vietnam hopefully by the end of 1970. They will be phased\nout of Vietnam at the fastest practicable rate, while South Vietnamese forces are\nphased in.\nThe President is carrying out what he promised during his election campaign--\na plan to end American military involvement in Vietnam.\nThe President's plan to end the American ground combat role in the war is\nsound, and it is working.\nThat is why he has the overwhelming support of the American people.\nAt the same time, we have made substantial progress in Vietnam. The\npolitical and military aspects of the struggle there have shifted in favor of the\nUnited States and its allies. The pendulum has swung in our direction.\nThe military situation is under control. The Saigon Government's presence\nis moving ahead. The South Vietnamese armed forces are bigger and better. There\n(more)\n-2-\nhas been encouraging political progress in Saigon through a broadening of support,\nand some drastically needed economic reforms are finally under way.\nAs for North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, they have made it plain that they\nexpect the protest movement in the United States to speed the end of the Vietnam\nWar on their terms. I say they are making a bad mistake, because the vast majority\nof the American people know that the real name for immediate withdrawal is\ncapitulation -- and they reject it.\nWhether 250,000 or even a half million people join in a massive peace march,\ngovernment policies cannot be made in the streets. Chants of \"peace, now\" are no\nsubstitute for careful decision-making in the councils of government.\nThe truth is that President Nixon has reversed the Vietnam policies of his\npredecessor. He is doing his best to extricate the United States from Vietnam, and\nhe deserves the support of the demonstrators as well as the silent majority.\nContinued protest on Vietnam can only be destructive. It can only delay the\nprocess of disengagement which President Nixon has started.\nThere is at least one hopeful note in the aftermath of the November\nMoratorium, however. It seems to me that the Students for a Democratic Society has\nbecome so splintered and the Weatherman faction has so discredited itself that SDS\nmay well be on its way to oblivion.\nI said at the outset that President Nixon's course seemed right to me both\nin Vietnam and at home.\nIn the area of domestic policy, the President has sent the Congress some\n40 proposals which are deeply rooted in the need for reforms in America.\nThere has been a noticeable reluctance among the Democratic majority in the\nCongress to move those proposals forward. Yet those proposals must be implemented\nif the country is to move ahead.\nI now find some hope in the sudden approval of draft reform by the Senate.\nThis may be a loosening of the log that breaks the jam. But I certainly believe\na watch-and-wait attitude is indicated.\nIn the case of draft reform, Congress's approval of the President's request\nfor a lottery or random selection system is the occasion for a loud hurrah. I am\nsure that is the feeling of a vast majority of the American people. Like the\nPresident, I want this country to go to an all-volunteer Army as soon as possible,\nbut meantime we must try to make the draft as fair as we can.\nThe watchword of the Nixon Administration is reform. I fervently hope that\nthe Congress will not deny the American people the reforms they so greatly desire.\n# # #"
}