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Remarks at the Conclusion of Discussions With President Thieu of the Republic of Vietnam

April 03, 1973

Mr. President and ladies and gentlemen:

As our joint communiqué indicates, President Thieu and I have had very constructive talks with regard to how we shall work together in the years ahead, working for the program of peace which we now hope will all be the wave of the future, not only for the Republic of Vietnam but for all of the countries in Indochina.

Mr. President, we have been allies in a long and difficult war, and now you can be sure that we stand with you as we continue to work together to build a lasting peace.

This is a great goal for our two peoples, and I am very happy that we could have had these extended talks in developing programs that will achieve that goal.

We wish you well as you go on to Washington and as you return to your own country, and we look forward to the time when we shall meet again.

Note: The President spoke at 1:45 p.m. on the grounds of his residence at San Clemente, Calif. See also Item 102.

President Thieu responded as follows:

Ladies and gentlemen:

I am very happy to have a few minutes with you on the conclusion of this meeting with President Nixon. As you know already, the two main purposes of my visit here are to thank in person the American people for the generous and disinterested assistance given to us during the past difficult years, and secondly, to have an opportunity to discuss with President Nixon about what needs to be done in view of consolidating the peace in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia.

As I said earlier in my arrival statement, my visit here marks at the same time an end and a beginning--an end to a very difficult period of time during which our two countries have endeavored to preserve freedom for the Vietnamese people, and a beginning in the sense that the newly achieved peace in Vietnam will be the starting point of what President Nixon calls a generation of peace for the whole world.

I had during these 2 days very thorough and cordial conversations with President Nixon, which I am sure will help lay the foundation of lasting peace in our part of the world and of a fruitful cooperation between the American and Vietnamese people in the postwar period. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

I look forward to seeing you again, President Nixon.

On the evening of April 2, 1973, the President and Mrs. Nixon hosted a dinner at their residence for President and Mrs. Thieu. President Thieu hosted a luncheon at the residence on April 3.

Richard Nixon, Remarks at the Conclusion of Discussions With President Thieu of the Republic of Vietnam Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/255256

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