American Newspaper Publisher's Association Luncheon with General William Westmoreland

General William C. Westmoreland, the commander of US Military Forces in Vietnam, speaks at a luncheon meeting of the American Newspaper Publishers Association at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York on April 24th, 1967. His prepared remarks are followed by a group of questions, submitted in advance and read by Paul Miller, president of the Associated Press.

General Westmoreland is responding to the accuracy of the media coverage, and the perception by the American public, to the Vietnam War.

He describes the approach of the Vietcong as "from the book of Mao Tse-tung" and gives a brief history of this approach beginning in 1954. He cites an example of Vietcong brutality that occurred on April 16th, 1967, "Among the victims were five Revolutionary Development team members. Three of them were women. Their hands were tied behind their backs and they were all shot through the head."

He reaffirms President Johnson's escalation of bombing tactics and admits that the end is not in sight, and a ceasefire is not an option. He acknowledges that there are civilian casualties, "due to mechanical failure or human error," and emphasizes efforts to avoid these mistakes in the future.

Westmoreland praises the Republic of Vietnam armed forces as well as civic action projects and the "missionary zeal" of US forces toward civilians. He praises the US forces and their living conditions in Vietnam and provides a characterization of the typical soldier, "As an individual, this fighting man is a tough, determined professional in battle one day, and, the next day, a sensitive, compassionate friend helping the Vietnamese people. He is a fighter, a thinker, a doer."

He characterizes public opposition to the war as a strength for the enemy and predicts that this will intensify their aggression.

The question and answer session is followed by a summary given by reporter, Scott Peters.

Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection

WNYC archives id: 150001
Municipal archives id: T1140