Dec. 31, 1963 - President Johnson assured South Vietnam today that the U.S. would continue to offer that country “the fullest measure of support.” In a New Year’s message to the head of South Vietnam’s military regime, Maj. Gen. Duong Van Minh (pictured left with Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge), Mr. Johnson pledged a flow of military aid and personnel “as needed to assist you in achieving victory” over the Communist Viet Cong guerrillas. “Our aims are identical with yours: to enable your Government to protect its people from the acts of terror perpetrated by the Communist insurgents from the north,” Mr. Johnson wrote. “As the forces of your Government become increasingly capable of dealing with this aggression, American military personnel in South Vietnam can be progressively withdrawn. Thus, your Government and mine are in complete agreement on the political aspects of your war against the forces of enslavement, brutality, and material misery. Within this framework of political agreement, we can confidently continue and improve our cooperation.”
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