美国历史上最经典演讲Richard M Nixon.docx
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美国历史上最经典演讲Richard M Nixon.docx
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美国历史上最经典演讲RichardMNixon
RichardM.Nixon
TheGreatSilentMajority
delivered3November1969
Goodevening,myfellowAmericans.
TonightIwanttotalktoyouonasubjectofdeepconcerntoallAmericansandtomanypeopleinallpartsoftheworld,thewarinVietnam.
IbelievethatoneofthereasonsforthedeepdivisionaboutVietnamisthatmanyAmericanshavelostconfidenceinwhattheirGovernmenthastoldthemaboutourpolicy.TheAmericanpeoplecannotandshouldnotbeaskedtosupportapolicywhichinvolvestheoverridingissuesofwarandpeaceunlesstheyknowthetruthaboutthatpolicy.
Tonight,therefore,IwouldliketoanswersomeofthequestionsthatIknowareonthemindsofmanyofyoulisteningtome.
HowandwhydidAmericagetinvolvedinVietnaminthefirstplace?
HowhasthisadministrationchangedthepolicyofthepreviousAdministration?
WhathasreallyhappenedinthenegotiationsinParisandonthebattlefrontinVietnam?
Whatchoicesdowehaveifwearetoendthewar?
Whataretheprospectsforpeace?
NowletmebeginbydescribingthesituationIfoundwhenIwasinauguratedonJanuary20:
Thewarhadbeengoingonforfouryears.Thirty-onethousandAmericanshadbeenkilledinaction.ThetrainingprogramfortheSouthVietnamesewasbeyond[behind]schedule.Fivehundredandforty-thousandAmericanswereinVietnamwithnoplanstoreducethenumber.NoprogresshadbeenmadeatthenegotiationsinParisandtheUnitedStateshadnotputforthacomprehensivepeaceproposal.
Thewarwascausingdeepdivisionathomeandcriticismfrommanyofourfriends,aswellasourenemies,abroad.
Inviewofthesecircumstances,thereweresomewhourgedthatIendthewaratoncebyorderingtheimmediatewithdrawalofallAmericanforces.Fromapoliticalstandpoint,thiswouldhavebeenapopularandeasycoursetofollow.Afterall,webecameinvolvedinthewarwhilemypredecessorwasinoffice.Icouldblamethedefeat,whichwouldbetheresultofmyaction,onhim--andcomeoutasthepeacemaker.Someputittomequitebluntly:
ThiswastheonlywaytoavoidallowingJohnson¡¯swartobecomeNixon¡¯swar.
ButIhadagreaterobligationthantothinkonlyoftheyearsofmyAdministration,andofthenextelection.Ihadtothinkoftheeffectofmydecisiononthenextgeneration,andonthefutureofpeaceandfreedominAmerica,andintheworld.
LetusallunderstandthatthequestionbeforeusisnotwhethersomeAmericansareforpeaceandsomeAmericansareagainstpeace.ThequestionatissueisnotwhetherJohnson¡¯swarbecomesNixon¡¯swar.Thegreatquestionis:
HowcanwewinAmerica¡¯speace?
Well,letusturnnowtothefundamentalissue:
WhyandhowdidtheUnitedStatesbecomeinvolvedinVietnaminthefirstplace?
FifteenyearsagoNorthVietnam,withthelogisticalsupportofCommunistChinaandtheSovietUnion,launchedacampaigntoimposeaCommunistgovernmentonSouthVietnambyinstigatingandsupportingarevolution.
InresponsetotherequestoftheGovernmentofSouthVietnam,PresidentEisenhowersenteconomicaidandmilitaryequipmenttoassistthepeopleofSouthVietnamintheireffortstopreventaCommunisttakeover.Sevenyearsago,PresidentKennedysent16,000militarypersonneltoVietnamascombatadvisers.Fouryearsago,PresidentJohnsonsentAmericancombatforcestoSouthVietnam.
NowmanybelievethatPresidentJohnson¡¯sdecisiontosendAmericancombatforcestoSouthVietnamwaswrong.Andmanyothers,Iamongthem,havebeenstronglycriticalofthewaythewarhasbeenconducted.
Butthequestionfacingustodayis:
Nowthatweareinthewar,whatisthebestwaytoendit?
InJanuaryIcouldonlyconcludethattheprecipitatewithdrawalofallAmericanforcesfromVietnamwouldbeadisasternotonlyforSouthVietnambutfortheUnitedStatesandforthecauseofpeace.
FortheSouthVietnamese,ourprecipitatewithdrawalwouldinevitablyallowtheCommuniststorepeatthemassacreswhichfollowedtheirtakeoverintheNorth15yearsbefore.Theythenmurderedmorethan50,000peopleandhundredsofthousandsmorediedinslavelaborcamps.
WesawapreludeofwhatwouldhappeninSouthVietnamwhentheCommunistsenteredthecityofHuelastyear.Duringtheirbriefrulethere,therewasabloodyreignofterrorinwhich3,000civilianswereclubbed,shottodeath,andburiedinmassgraves.
Withthesuddencollapseofoursupport,theseatrocitiesatHuewouldbecomethenightmareoftheentirenationandparticularlyforthemillion-and-ahalfCatholicrefugeeswhofledtoSouthVietnamwhentheCommuniststookoverintheNorth.
FortheUnitedStatesthisfirstdefeatinournation¡¯shistorywouldresultinacollapseofconfidenceinAmericanleadershipnotonlyinAsiabutthroughouttheworld.
ThreeAmericanPresidentshaverecognizedthegreatstakesinvolvedinVietnamandunderstoodwhathadtobedone.
In1963PresidentKennedywithhischaracteristiceloquenceandclaritysaid,
"WewanttoseeastableGovernmentthere,"carryingonthe[a]struggletomaintainitsnationalindependence."Webelievestronglyinthat.Wearenotgoingtowithdrawfromthateffort.Inmyopinion,forustowithdrawfromthateffortwouldmeanacollapsenotonlyofSouthVietnambutSoutheastAsia.Sowe¡¯regoingtostaythere."1
PresidentEisenhowerandPresidentJohnsonexpressedthesameconclusionduringtheirtermsofoffice.
Forthefutureofpeace,precipitatewithdrawalwouldbeadisasterofimmensemagnitude.Anationcannotremaingreatifitbetraysitsalliesandletsdownitsfriends.OurdefeatandhumiliationinSouthVietnamwithoutquestionwouldpromoterecklessnessinthecouncilsofthosegreatpowerswhohavenotyetabandonedtheirgoalsofworldsconquest.Thiswouldsparkviolencewhereverourcommitmentshelpmaintainthepeace--intheMiddleEast,inBerlin,eventuallyevenintheWesternHemisphere.Ultimately,thiswouldcostmorelives.Itwouldnotbringpeace.Itwouldbringmorewar.
ForthesereasonsIrejectedtherecommendationthatIshouldendthewarbyimmediatelywithdrawingallofourforces.IchoseinsteadtochangeAmericanpolicyonboththenegotiatingfrontandthebattlefrontinordertoendthewarfoughtonmanyfronts.Iinitiatedapursuitforpeaceonmanyfronts.InatelevisionspeechonMay14,inaspeechbeforetheUnitedNations,onanumberofotheroccasions,Isetforthourpeaceproposalsingreatdetail.
Wehaveofferedthecompletewithdrawalofalloutsideforceswithinoneyear.Wehaveproposedaceasefireunderinternationalsupervision.WehaveofferedfreeelectionsunderinternationalsupervisionwiththeCommunistsparticipatingintheorganizationandconductoftheelectionsasanorganizedpoliticalforce.AndtheSaigongovernmenthaspledgedtoaccepttheresultoftheelection.
Wehavenotputforthourproposalsonatake-it-or-leave-itbasis.Wehaveindicatedthatwe¡¯rewillingtodiscusstheproposalsthathavebeenputforthbytheotherside.Wehavedeclaredthatanythingisnegotiable,excepttherightofthepeopleofSouthVietnamtodeterminetheirownfuture.
AttheParispeaceconferenceAmbassadorLodgehasdemonstratedourflexibilityandgoodfaithin40publicmeetings.Hanoihasrefusedeventodiscussourproposals.TheydemandourunconditionalacceptanceoftheirtermswhicharethatwewithdrawallAmericanforcesimmediatelyandunconditionallyandthatweoverthrowthegovernmentofSouthVietnamasweleave.
Wehavenotlimitedourpeaceinitiativestopublicforumsandpublicstatements.IrecognizedinJanuarythatalongandbitterwarlikethisusuallycannotbesettledinapublicforum.Thatiswhyinadditiontothepublicstatementsandnegotiations,Ihaveexploredeverypossibleprivateavenuethatmightleadtoasettlement.
Tonight,Iamtakingtheunprecedentedstepofdisclosingtoyousomeofourotherinitiativesforpeace,initiativesweundertookprivatelyandsecretlybecausewethoughtwetherebymightopenadoorwhichpubliclywouldbeclosed.
Ididnotwaitformyinaugurationtobeginmyquestforpeace.Soonaftermyelection,throughanindividualwhowasdirectlyincontactonapersonalbasiswiththeleadersofNorthVietnam,Imadetwoprivateoffersforarapid,comprehensivesettlement.Hanoi¡¯srepliescalledineffectforoursurrenderbeforenegotiations.SincetheSovietUnionfurnishesmostofthemilitaryequipmentforNorthVietnam,SecretaryofStateRogers,myassistantfornationalsecurityaffairs,Dr.Kissinger,AmbassadorLodgeandIpersonallyhavemetonanumberofoccasionswithrepresentativesoftheSovietGovernmenttoenlisttheirassistanceingettingmeaningfulnegotiationsstarted.Inaddition,wehavehadextendeddiscussionsdirectedtowardthatsameendwithrepresentativesofothergovernmentswhichhavediplomaticrelationswithNorthVietnam.
Noneoftheseinitiativeshavetodateproducedresults.Inmid-JulyIbecameconvincedthatitwasnecessarytomakeamajormovetobreakthedeadlockintheParistalks.Ispokedirectlyinthisoffice,whereI¡¯mnowsitting,withanindividualwhohadknownHoChiMinhonapersonalbasisfor25years.ThroughhimIsentalettertoHoChiMinh.Ididthisoutsideoftheusualdiplomaticchannelswiththehopethatwiththenecessityofmakingstatementsforpropagandaremoved,theremightbeconstructiveprogresstowardbringingthewartoanend.
Letmereadfromthatlettertoyounow:
¡°DearMr.President:
Irealizethatitisdifficulttocommunicatemeaningfullyacrossthegulfoffouryearsofwar.ButpreciselybecauseofthisgulfIwantedtotakethisopportunitytoreaffirminallsolemnitymydesiretoworkforajustpeace.Ideeplybelievetha
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