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Mobile County GOP Fund-Raising Dinner, Mobile, AL, August 22, 1966
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4525970
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Mobile County GOP Fund-Raising Dinner, Mobile, AL, August 22, 1966
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
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Civil disobedience
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1966
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The original documents are located in Box D20, folder "Mobile County GOP Fund-Raising
Dinner, Mobile, AL, August 22, 1966" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary
and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D20 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M.
MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1966
SPEECH EXCERPTS--MOBILE COUNTY, ALA., GOP FUND-RAISING DINNER AT MOBILE.
Our soldiers are performing brilliantly in Vietnam. But it is tragic that more
and more of our young men are being sent to fight and perhaps to die there.
It is equally tragic that a few misguided Americans are blind and mistaken
enough to wish for a Vietcong victory.
I believe these individuals are nauseously wrong in their views, but they have
every right under our Constitution to speak out in protest against U.S. policy in
Vietnam. They have every right to demonstrate and to picket peacefully to dramatize
their dissent from majority opinion.
But it is absolutely contemptible-and worse--for any American to interfere
with vigorous prosecution of the Vietnam War and to seek to impede the movement of
U.S. troups and material to Vietnam.
The ruckus created by the jumpers and the screamers at last week's hearings of
the House Un-American Activities Committee tended to obscure the actual purpose of
the investigation.
What is the objective of these hearings? To smear leftwing students who believe
we have no business in Vietnam? Not at all. The Committee is considering the need
for legislation to punish American citizens who give active support to the Vietcong.
If the Vietnam War were a declared war, our American fighting men would already
be protected from disloyal citizens who are aiding the enemy.
But we are living in a new era of undeclared wars. This is the pattern of
Communist aggression. We saw it in the Korean War. We see it now in Vietnam. We
may expect more such sneak aggression.
Because the Vietnam conflict is an undeclared war, are the American people to
shrug their shoulders while Americans dedicated to victory for world communism
actively support the enemy? Are we to blink it and smile tolerantly when wobbly-
minded American socialists and Communists obstruct our efforts in a war Communist
leaders cynically call a war of liberation?
I say this nation is harboring a viper within its bosom in coddling those of
its citizens intent on sabotaging this nation's war effort.
The Communists are playing a new and deadly serious game--the undeclared war.
Without sacrificing the precious rights which all Americans should enjoy, it's time
we ourselves made some new rules.
(MORE)
-2-
If present laws are adequate to deal with disloyal Americans during an undeclared
war, then why isn't the Johnson Administration enforcing them?
I would hate to think that the life of even one of our boys in Vietnam was
sacrificed on the altar of freedom as perverted by disloyal Americans determined to
deliver us all to the enemy.
***
Riots in the streets. The Johnson-Humphrey Administration made glorious
promises to the poor and then failed to make good on them.
And we have no less a figure than the Vice President of the United States
telling the poor that if he lived under slum conditions he might lead a pretty good
revolt himself.
When the Johnson-Humphrey Administration promises more than it can deliver and
when the No. 2 official in the land talks about leading a revolt, defiance of the
law is encouraged.
I say that disregard for law and order breeds anarchy. I say that such
deliberate and flagrant flouting of the law is inexcusable in a civilized society.
Is this a Great Society?
What touches off this madness? I believe it springs from the attitude that
Americans should only obey the laws that please them. It derives from the theory
that if your social objectives appear to be beyond the law then you are justified
in breaking the law to obtain them. It stems from the feeling that if you've got
more than I have, I can take from you whatever I want. It's the old attitude of
the-world-owes-me-a-living gone wild.
There is an atmosphere of lawlessness in this country that is making a jungle
of some of our big cities.
It is ironic that while the South is beginning to solve its race problems, the
North is just beginning to discover it has some,
***
The easiest and quickest way for you to clean up Vietnam, stop inflation, bring
down interest rates and protect the lives, rights and property of us all is to vote
Republicans in in November. I think the American people will demonstrate their
great good sense on Election Day.
###
Re: HOUSE AMER. ACT. HRgs,
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE AT -6:30 P.M.
MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1966
SPEECH EXCERPTS--MOBILE COUNTY, ALA., GOP FUND-RAISING DINNER AT MOBILE.
Our soldiers are performing brilliantly in Vietnam. But it is tragic that more
and more of our young men are being sent to fight and perhaps to die. there.
It is equally tragic that a few misguided Americans are blind and mistaken
enough to wish for a Vietcong victory.
I believe these individuals are nauseously wrong in their views, but they have
every right under our Constitution to speak out in protest against U.S. policy in
Vietnam. They have every right to demonstrate and to picket peacefully to dramatize
their dissent from majority opinion.
But it is absolutely contemptible-sand worse--for any American to interfere
with vigorous prosecution of the Vietnam War and to seek to impede the movement of
U.S. troups and material to Vietnam.
The ruckus created by the jumpers and the screamers at last week's hearings of
the House Un-American Activities Committee tended to obseure the actual purpose of
the investigation.
What is the objective of these hearings? To smear PT leftwing students who believe
we have no business in Vietnam? Not at all. The Committee is considering the need
for legislation to punish American citizens who give active support to the Vietcong.
If the Vietnam War were a declared war, our American fighting men would already
be protected from disloyal citizens who are aiding the enemy.
But we are living in a new era of undeclared wars. This is the pattern of
Communist aggression. We saw it in the Korean War. We see it now in Vietnam. We
may expect more such sneak aggression.
Because the Vietnam conflict is an undeclared war, are the American people to
shrug their shoulders while Americans dedicated to victory for world communism
actively support the enemy? Are we to blink it and smile tolerantly when wobbly-
minded American socialists and Communists obstruct our efforts in a war Communist
leaders cynically call a war of liberation?
I say this nation is harboring a viper within its bosom in coddling those of
its citizens intent on sabotaging this nation's war effort.
The Communists are playing a new and deadly serious game--the undeclared war.
Without sacrificing the precious rights which all Americans should enjoy, it's time
we ourselves made some new rules.
LIBRARY
(MORE)
-2-
If present laws are adequate to deal with disloyal Americans during an undeclared
war, then why isn't the Johnson Administration enforcing them?
I would hate to think that the life of even one of our boys in Vietnam was
sacrificed on the altar of freedom as perverted by disloyal Americans determined to
deliver us all to the enemy.
***
Riots in the streets. The Johnson-Humphrey Administration made glorious
promises to the poor and then failed to make good on them.
And we have no less a figure than the Vice President of the United States
telling the poor that if he lived under slum conditions he might lead a pretty good
revolt himself.
When the Johnson-Humphrey Administration promises more than it can deliver and
when the No. 2 official in the land talks about leading a revolt, defiance of the
law is encouraged.
I say that disregard for law and order breeds anarchy. I say that such
deliberate and flagrant flouting of the law is inexcusable in a civilized society.
Is this a Great Society?
What touches off this madness? I believe it springs from the attitude that
Americans should only obey the laws that please them. It derives from the theory
that if your social objectives appear to be beyond the law then you are justified
in breaking the law to obtain them. It stems from the feeling that if you've got
more than I have, I can take from you whatever I want. It's the old attitude of
the-world-owes-me-a-living gone wild.
There is an atmosphere of lawlessness in this country that is making a jungle
of some of our big cities.
It is ironic that while the South is beginning to solve its race problems, the
North is just beginning to discover it has some.
***
The easiest and quickest way for you to clean up Vietnam, stop inflation, bring
down interest rates and protect the lives, rights and property of us all is to vote
Republicans in in November. I think the American people will demonstrate their
great good sense on Election Day.
###