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Kissinger & Ron Nessen enter; Nessen: “The briefing was delayed until the evacuation was completed & the last helicopters are now in the air. I’d like to read a statement by the President: During the past week, the President had ordered the reduction of American personnel in the United States mission in Saigon to levels that could be quickly evacuated during an emergency, while enabling that mission to continue to fulfill its duties. During the day on Monday, Washington time, the airport in Saigon came under persistent rocket as well as artillery fire and was effectively closed. The military situation in the area deteriorated rapidly. The President therefore ordered the evacuation of all American personnel remaining in South Vietnam. The evacuation has now been completed. The President commends the personnel of the Armed Forces who accomplished it as well as Ambassador Graham Martin & the staff of his mission, who served so well under difficult conditions. This action closes a chapter in the American experience. The President asks all Americans to close ranks, to avoid recrimination about the past, to look ahead to the many goals we share, & to work together on the great tasks that remain to be accomplished. Copies of this statement will be available as you leave the briefing. Now to give you details of the events of the past few days & to answer your questions: Secretary of State Kissinger.”
20:01:47 Ladies and Gentlemen, when the President spoke before the Congress April 10, he stated as our objective the stabilization of the situation in Viet-Nam. We made clear at that time, as well as before many congressional hearings, that our purpose was to bring about the most controlled & the most humane solution that was possible and that these objectives required the course which the President had set. Our priorities were as follows: We sought to save the American lives still in Viet-Nam. We tried to rescue as many South Vietnamese that had worked w/ the United States for 15 years in reliance on our commitments as we possibly could. And we sought to bring about as humane an outcome as was achievable under the conditions that existed. Over the past two weeks, the American personnel in Viet-Nam have been progressively reduced. Our objective was to reduce at a rate that was significant enough so that we would finally be able to evacuate rapidly, but which would not produce a panic which might prevent anybody from getting out. Our objective was also to fulfill the human obligation which we felt to the tens of thousands of South Vietnamese who had worked w/ us for over a decade. And finally, we sought, through various intermediaries, to bring about as humane a political evolution as we could. By Sunday evening April 27, the personnel in our mission had been reduced to 950 & there were 8,000 South Vietnamese to be considered in a particularly high-risk category—between 5,000 and 8,000. We do not know the exact number.
20:04:33 On Monday evening, Washington time, around 5 o'clock, which was Tuesday morning in Saigon, the airport in Tan Son Nhiit was rocketed & received artillery fire. The President called an NSC National Security Council meeting. He decided that if the shelling stopped by dawn Saigon time, we would attempt to operate with fixed-wing aircraft from Tan Son Nhut Airport for one more day to remove the high-risk South Vietnamese, together w/ all the Defense Attache's Ofiice DAO, which was located near the Tan Son Nhut Airport. He also ordered a substantial reduction of the remaining American personnel in South Viet-Nam. I may point out that the American personnel in Saigon was divided into two groups; one w/ the Defense Attache's Office, which was located near the Tan Son Nhut Airport; the second one, which was related to the Embassy & was w/ the U.S. Mission in downtown Saigon. The shelling did stop early in the morning on Tuesday, Saigon time, or about 9 p.m last night, Washington time. We then attempted to land C-130's but found that the population at the airport had got out of control & had flooded the runways. It proved impossible to land any more fixed-wing aircraft. The President thereupon ordered that the DAO personnel, together w/ those civilians that had been made ready to be evacuated, be moved to the DAO compound, which is near Tan Son Nhut Airport; & at about 11:00 last night, he ordered the evacuation of all Americans from Tan Son Nhut & from the Embassy as well.
20:07:03 This operation has been going on all day, which of course is night in Saigon, & under difficult circumstances, & the total number of those evacuated numbers about 6,500 - we will have the exact figures for you tomorrow - of which about 1,000 are Americans. Our Ambassador has left, & the evacuation can be said to be completed. In the period since the President spoke to the Congress, we have therefore succeeded in evacuating all of the Americans who were in South Viet-Nam, losing only the two marines last night to rocket fire & two pilots today on a helicopter. We succeeded in evacuating something on the order of 55,000 South Vietnamese. And we hope we have contributed to a political evolution that may spare the South Vietnam some of the more drastic consequences of a political change, but this remains to be seen. This last point remains to be seen. As far as the Administration is concerned, I can only underline the point made by the President. We do not believe that this is a time for recrimination. It is a time to heal wounds, to look at our international obligations, & to remember that peace & progress in the world has depended importantly on American commitment and American conviction & that the peace & progress of our own people is closely tied to that of the rest of the world. I will be glad to answer questions. Continued on next card
Vietnam War End; Saigon Evacuation; Secretary of State; 29Apr75; 1975;
NOTE: Up to any continuous 24 minutes of 20:00:00 - 20:47:26 sold at per reel rate.
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NOTE: FOR ORDERING See: www.footagefarm.co.uk or contact us at: Info@Footagefarm.co.uk Kissinger & Ron Nessen enter; Nessen: “The briefing was delayed until the evacuation was completed & the last helicopters are now in the air. I’d like to read a statement by the President: During the past week, the President had ordered the reduction of American personnel in the United States mission in Saigon to levels that could be quickly evacuated during an emergency, while enabling that mission to continue to fulfill its duties. During the day on Monday, Washington time, the airport in Saigon came under persistent rocket as well as artillery fire and was effectively closed. The military situation in the area deteriorated rapidly. The President therefore ordered the evacuation of all American personnel remaining in South Vietnam. The evacuation has now been completed. The President commends the personnel of the Armed Forces who accomplished it as well as Ambassador Graham Martin & the staff of his mission, who served so well under difficult conditions. This action closes a chapter in the American experience. The President asks all Americans to close ranks, to avoid recrimination about the past, to look ahead to the many goals we share, & to work together on the great tasks that remain to be accomplished. Copies of this statement will be available as you leave the briefing. Now to give you details of the events of the past few days & to answer your questions: Secretary of State Kissinger.” 20:01:47 Ladies and Gentlemen, when the President spoke before the Congress April 10, he stated as our objective the stabilization of the situation in Viet-Nam. We made clear at that time, as well as before many congressional hearings, that our purpose was to bring about the most controlled & the most humane solution that was possible and that these objectives required the course which the President had set. Our priorities were as follows: We sought to save the American lives still in Viet-Nam. We tried to rescue as many South Vietnamese that had worked w/ the United States for 15 years in reliance on our commitments as we possibly could. And we sought to bring about as humane an outcome as was achievable under the conditions that existed. Over the past two weeks, the American personnel in Viet-Nam have been progressively reduced. Our objective was to reduce at a rate that was significant enough so that we would finally be able to evacuate rapidly, but which would not produce a panic which might prevent anybody from getting out. Our objective was also to fulfill the human obligation which we felt to the tens of thousands of South Vietnamese who had worked w/ us for over a decade. And finally, we sought, through various intermediaries, to bring about as humane a political evolution as we could. By Sunday evening April 27, the personnel in our mission had been reduced to 950 & there were 8,000 South Vietnamese to be considered in a particularly high-risk category—between 5,000 and 8,000. We do not know the exact number. 20:04:33 On Monday evening, Washington time, around 5 o'clock, which was Tuesday morning in Saigon, the airport in Tan Son Nhiit was rocketed & received artillery fire. The President called an NSC National Security Council meeting. He decided that if the shelling stopped by dawn Saigon time, we would attempt to operate with fixed-wing aircraft from Tan Son Nhut Airport for one more day to remove the high-risk South Vietnamese, together w/ all the Defense Attache's Ofiice DAO, which was located near the Tan Son Nhut Airport. He also ordered a substantial reduction of the remaining American personnel in South Viet-Nam. I may point out that the American personnel in Saigon was divided into two groups; one w/ the Defense Attache's Office, which was located near the Tan Son Nhut Airport; the second one, which was related to the Embassy & was w/ the U.S. Mission in downtown Saigon. The shelling did stop early in the morning on Tuesday, Saigon time, or about 9 p.m last night, Washington time. We then attempted to land C-130's but found that the population at the airport had got out of control & had flooded the runways. It proved impossible to land any more fixed-wing aircraft. The President thereupon ordered that the DAO personnel, together w/ those civilians that had been made ready to be evacuated, be moved to the DAO compound, which is near Tan Son Nhut Airport; & at about 11:00 last night, he ordered the evacuation of all Americans from Tan Son Nhut & from the Embassy as well. 20:07:03 This operation has been going on all day, which of course is night in Saigon, & under difficult circumstances, & the total number of those evacuated numbers about 6,500 - we will have the exact figures for you tomorrow - of which about 1,000 are Americans. Our Ambassador has left, & the evacuation can be said to be completed. In the period since the President spoke to the Congress, we have therefore succeeded in evacuating all of the Americans who were in South Viet-Nam, losing only the two marines last night to rocket fire & two pilots today on a helicopter. We succeeded in evacuating something on the order of 55,000 South Vietnamese. And we hope we have contributed to a political evolution that may spare the South Vietnam some of the more drastic consequences of a political change, but this remains to be seen. This last point remains to be seen. As far as the Administration is concerned, I can only underline the point made by the President. We do not believe that this is a time for recrimination. It is a time to heal wounds, to look at our international obligations, & to remember that peace & progress in the world has depended importantly on American commitment and American conviction & that the peace & progress of our own people is closely tied to that of the rest of the world. I will be glad to answer questions. Continued on next card Vietnam War End; Saigon Evacuation; Secretary of State; 29Apr75; 1975; NOTE: Up to any continuous 24 minutes of 20:00:00 - 20:47:26 sold at per reel rate. NOTE: FOR ORDERING See: www.footagefarm.co.uk or contact us at: Info@Footagefarm.co.uk