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OCR Page 1 of 18This Copy For
PRESIDENT RICHARD M. NIXON'S NEWS CONFERENCE #12
Held in the East Room
At the White House
Washington, D. C.
10
December 19, 1970
At 7:00 P.M. EST (Thursday)
Official White House Transcript
THE PRESIDENT: Won't you be seated, please.
Miss Thomas has the first question tonight.
QUESTION: Mr. President, a question about Vietnam.
Our recent air strikes have raised speculation that our policy
of not bombing North Vietnam may be undergoing a subtle
change.
What is our policy? Also, despite the rejection
by the Saigon Government and the Vietcong, do you plan to
propose a unilateral cease-fire from Christmas through Tet
in a bid for peace?
THE PRESIDENT: Let me answer the second part of
the question first. We are prepared to have cease-fires on
a limited basis over the holiday seasons. As you know, the
North Vietnamese have turned down any extended cease-fire
over the holiday season out of hand. We, of course, could
not have any extended cease-fire, unilaterally, because that
would be very dangerous for our forces.
If it is a brief cease-fire, we will do it; if it
is extended, we will not.
With regard to the second part of your question,
the bombing of North Vietnam, you may recall that a few
weeks ago there was bombing of installations in North
Vietnam after the North Vietnamese had fired on some of our
unarmed reconnaissance planes.