Exchange of Memorial Day Messages With Chairman Thieu of the Republic of Vietnam.

THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear General Thieu:

Your thoughtful Memorial Day message will be deeply appreciated by the American people. It will have particular meaning in those homes and families where a life has been given in the defense of our common freedom.

In remembering our own honored dead, our thoughts turn inevitably to the valiant Allies with whom we have shared the burden of resisting aggression. Thus we are mindful today of the great sacrifices of the Vietnamese people, and we look forward to a brighter day of peace and progress in Vietnam, in Asia, and throughout the world.

Sincerely yours,

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

GENERAL THIEU'S MESSAGE

Dear Mr. President:

On the occasion of Memorial Day, I wish to express to you, in the name of the Vietnamese people and in my own name, our most sincere gratitude for the valiant officers and men of the United States who have made the supreme sacrifice of their lives to defend freedom and to ensure a just and durable peace in this part of the world. Americans and Vietnamese have toiled and struggled together on this soil for a noble cause. The sacrifices that our two peoples have made together in this common cause strengthen every day the bonds of friendship between our two nations. They constitute the bulwark against tyranny, for the preservation of an international society in which East and West can cooperate in harmony, in mutual appreciation and mutual respect.

We are confident of the successful outcome of this struggle, and shall do our best so that the sacrifices of these brave heroes will not be made in vain.

Sincerely yours,

LT. GENERAL NGUYEN-VAN-THIEU,

Chairman of the National

Leadership Committee