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1、RichardM.Nixon:TheGreatSilentMajorityGoodevening,myfellowAmericans.Tonight1wanttotalktoyouonasubjectofdeepconcerntoallAmericansandtomanypeopleinallpartsoftheworld,thewarinVietnam.1believethatoneofthereasonsforthedeepdivisionaboutVietnamisthatmanyAmericanshavelostconfidenceinwhattheirGovernmenthastol
2、dthemaboutourpolicy.TheAmericanpeoplecannotandshouldnotbeaskedtosupportapolicywhichinvolvestheoverridingissuesofwarandpeaceunlesstheyknowthetruthaboutthatpolicy.Tonight,therefore,IwouldliketoanswersomeofthequestionsthatIknowareonthemindsofmanyofyoulisteningtome.HowandwhydidAmericagetinvolvedinVietna
3、minthefirstplace?HowhasthisadministrationchangedthepolicyofthepreviousAdministration?WhathasreallyhappenedinthenegotiationsinParisandonthebattlefrontinVietnam?Whatchoicesdowehaveifwearetoendthewar?Whataretheprospectsforpeace?NowletmebeginbydescribingthesituationIfoundwhenIwasinauguratedonJanuary20:T
4、hewarhadbeengoingonforfouryears.Thirty-onethousandAmericanshadbeenkilledinaction.ThetrainingprogramfortheSouthVietnamesewasbeyondbehindschedule.Fivehundredandfbrty-thousandAmericanswereinVietnamwithnoplanstoreducethenumber.NoprogresshadbeenmadeatthenegotiationsinParisandtheUnitedStateshadnotputforth
5、acomprehensivepeaceproposal.Thewarwascausingdeepdivisionathomeandcriticismfrommanyofourfriends,aswellasourenemies,abroad.Inviewofthesecircumstances,thereweresomewhourgedthat1endthewaratoncebyorderingtheimmediatewithdrawalofallAmericanforces.Fromapoliticalstandpoint,thiswouldhavebeenapopularandeasyco
6、ursetofollow.Afterall,webecameinvolvedinthewarwhilemypredecessorwasinoffice.Icouldblamethedefeat,whichwouldbetheresultofmyaction,onhimandcomeoutasthepeacemaker.Someputittomequitebluntly:ThiswastheonlywaytoavoidallowingJohnson,swartobecomeNixonswar.ButIhadagreaterobligationthantothinkonlyoftheyearsof
7、myAdministration,andofthenextelection.Ihadtothinkoftheeffectofmydecisiononthenextgeneration,andonthefutureofpeaceandfreedominAmerica,andintheworld.1.etusallunderstandthatthequestionbeforeusisnotwhethersomeAmericansareforpeaceandsomeAmericansareagainstpeace.ThequestionatissueisnotwhetherJohnson,swarb
8、ecomesNixonswar.Thegreatquestionis:HowcanwewinAmericaspeace?Well,letUSturnnowtothefundamentalissue:WhyandhowdidtheUnitedStatesbecomeinvolvedinVietnaminthefirstplace?FifteenyearsagoNorthVietnam,withthelogisticalsupportofCommunistChinaandtheSovietUnion,launchedacampaigntoimposeaCommunistgovernmentonSo
9、uthVietnambyinstigatingandsupportingarevolution.InresponsetotherequestoftheGovernmentofSouthVietnam,PresidentEisenhowersenteconomicaidandmilitaryequipmenttoassistthepeopleofSouthVietnamintheireffortstopreventaCommunisttakeover.Sevenyearsago,PresidentKennedysent16,000militarypersonneltoVietnamascomba
10、tadvisers.Fouryearsago,PresidentJohnsonsentAmericancombatforcestoSouthVietnam.NowmanybelievethatPresidentJohnsonsdecisiontosendAmericancombatforcestoSouthVietnamwaswrong.Andmanyothers,1amongthem,havebeenstronglycriticalofthewaythewarhasbeenconducted.Butthequestionfacingustodayis:Nowthatweareinthewar
11、,whatisthebestwaytoendit?InJanuaryIcouldonlyconcludethattheprecipitatewithdrawalofallAmericanforcesfromVietnamwouldbeadisasternotonlyforSouthVietnambutfortheUnitedStatesandforthecauseofpeace.FortheSouthVietnamese,ourprecipitatewithdrawalwouldinevitablyallowtheCommuniststorepeatthemassacreswhichfollo
12、wedtheirtakeoverintheNorth15yearsbefore.Theythenmurderedmorethan50,000peopleandhundredsofthousandsmorediedinslavelaborcamps.WesawapreludeofwhatwouldhappeninSouthVietnamwhentheCommunistsenteredthecityofHuelastyear.Duringtheirbriefrulethere,therewasabloodyreignofterrorinwhich3,000civilianswereclubbed,
13、shottodeath,andburiedinmassgraves.Withthesuddencollapseofoursupport,theseatrocitiesatHuewouldbecomethenightmareoftheentirenationandparticularlyforthemillion-and-ahalfCatholicrefugeeswhofledtoSouthVietnamwhentheCommuniststookoverintheNorth.FortheUnitedStatesthisfirstdefeatinournationshistorywouldresu
14、ltinacollapseofconfidenceinAmericanleadershipnotonlyinAsiabutthroughouttheworld.ThreeAmericanPresidentshaverecognizedthegreatstakesinvolvedinVietnamandunderstoodwhathadtobedone.In1963PresidentKennedywithhischaracteristiceloquenceandclaritysaid,WewanttoseeastableGovernmentthere,carryingontheastruggle
15、tomaintainitsnationalindependence.Webelievestronglyinthat.Wearenotgoingtowithdrawfromthateffort.Inmyopinion,forUStowithdrawfromthateffortwouldmeanacollapsenotonlyofSouthVietnambutSoutheastAsia.Soweregoingtostaythere.?PresidentEisenhowerandPresidentJohnsonexpressedthesameconclusionduringtheirtermsofo
16、ffice.Forthefutureofpeace,precipitatewithdrawalwouldbeadisasterofimmensemagnitude.Anationcannotremaingreatifitbetraysitsalliesandletsdownitsfriends.OurdefeatandhumiliationinSouthVietnamwithoutquestionwouldpromoterecklessnessinthecouncilsofthosegreatpowerswhohavenotyetabandonedtheirgoalsofworldsconquest.ThiswouldsparkviolencewhereverourcommitmentshelpmaintainthepeaceintheMiddleEast,inBerlin,eventuallyevenintheWesternHemisphe
