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7340220
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Exchange of Remarks between the President and Capt. Charles T. Miller, Captain of the Mayaguez, and Crew Members of the USNS Greenville [Ford Speech or Statement]
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7340220
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document
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Exchange of Remarks between the President and Capt. Charles T. Miller, Captain of the Mayaguez, and Crew Members of the USNS Greenville [Ford Speech or Statement]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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Mayagüez Incident, 1975
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7340220
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24
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1975-07-24
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7
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1975
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Digitized from Box 13 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 24, 1975
OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
EXCHANGE OF REMARKS
BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT
AND
CAPTAIN CHARLES T. MILLER
CAPTAIN OF THE MAYAGUEZ
AND
CREW MEMBERS
OF THE
USNS GREENVILLE
THE OVAL OFFICE
12:40 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: It is great to have you here,
and let me thank you very much. You all were just
tremendous.
Believe me, it is of great significance, not
only to the American people, but I think its significance
goes well beyond that to the world as a whole. I want
to congratulate you, Captain Miller, and through you
my congratulations to the crew who were so strong and
so resourceful.
The American people are proud of every one of
you. You did a wonderful job in a very difficult situation,
and we were sort of watching it as best we could from afar.
I want you to know I am proud of you and the American
people are proud of you.
CAPTAIN MILLER: I thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: I should mention this group
of young people over here volunteered, as I understand
it, to go from the SS GREENVILLE and to join the boarding
party that went aboard the MAYAGUEZ at the time that
the military went in and took possession.
So, these fine seamen, when they went aboard,
took charge of the ship and got it underway. We are
equally proud of you for the fine job you did. But the
fact that you volunteered -- this is in the best spirit,
I think, of America. Thank you very much.
MORE
Page 2
I am just trying to decide where to put this
wheel. I think we will have it available here, at least
we are going to keep it right in the Oval Office, for
a few days and maybe longer because it, to me, was a
very significant incident that has very broad and, I
think, tremendous impact not only on our people but
people around the world.
You look pretty healthy. How badly did they
treat you?
CAPTAIN MILLER: They did not treat us badly.
They treated us fairly well. We did not get much sleep.
THE PRESIDENT: Did they do anything to the ship
when they made you get off of it?
CAPTAIN MILLER: Some of the rooms were locked,
and they kept them all in rooms on the ship. They locked
the seamen in their quarters. They felt we had surveillance
here as a spy ship. I convinced them that I would not
go along with that; that we were just a commercial
operation. We had no warfare or combat materiel: rifles,
ammunition and bombs. We had no electronic surveillance
equipment aboard.
THE PRESIDENT: Those American planes looked
pretty good to you?
CAPTAIN MILLER: Those American planes looked
like angels coming out of the sky.
THE PRESIDENT: I bet it was good to see these
fellows when you saw them on board.
CAPTAIN MILLER: Yes, sir, I boarded the ship
at 12:05 and I walked up to the bridge and all the men
were up there, and they were telling me what happened,
as we got underway, or under tow -- the destroyer escort
towed us.
THE PRESIDENT: What does the ship's log say?
I used to be the assistant navigator on a carrier out
there in the Pacific, and part of my job, along with the
quartermaster, was to keep the ship's log.
Was there a vacant space in there from the
time you were boarded until you all got on board?
ANSWER: Right, one space.
THE PRESIDENT: It would be nice to have a
copy of the ship's log the day that it all happened and
a copy of the ship's log the day that you all boarded it
and you got back home.
MOPE
Page 3
CAPTAIN MILLER: We can give you a copy of the
log, Mr. President. We can also give you a copy of our
charts, and all the navigation reports that we had on it.
THE PRESIDENT: That would be very interesting.
What kind of a ship is the SS GREENVILLE?
ANSWER: It is a victory ship, 21 years old.
THE PRESIDENT: It is a Government-owned one?
ANSWER: Yes, sir, USS GREENVILLE CAK 237.
THE PRESIDENT: You are all part of the Civil
Service crew that operates it. Where did they find you
all?
ANSWER: We were part of the refugee operations
in Saigon and Cam Ranh and Danang. We were on standby.
THE PRESIDENT: In the Philippines? They picked
you up by helicopter?
ANSWER: Yes, in Manila Bay.
QUESTION: Was a report on the MAYAGUEZ turned
in to the White House? Is a report on the operation to
be made public?
THE PRESIDENT: I don't think it will be made
public, but there is a book being written that I gather
will be very complete.
END
(AT 12:47 P.M. EDT)