"Let no voice be missing from the great chorus of the Church and of the world, beseeching Christ Who was immolated for us to "Grant us peace!" Pope Paul VI
Despite heavy fighting in Vietnam throughout 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson remained optimistic that America's perseverance could not be broken, and peace would prevail over aggression. The war was steadily expanding on both the ground and in the air with neither side showing any signs of reaching their stated objectives. U.S. General William Westmoreland had his forces ready for major offenses, while at home support for the war had fallen below 50%. On December 8, 1967 Pope Paul VI called for all "men of good will" to set aside January 1, 1968 as a "Day of Peace" and for all Christians to pray together in church or at home that God would "Grant us Peace!" On this day, Pope Paul had persuaded the combined forces of South Vietnam and the United States to observe a 36-hour ceasefire. It was also a day, when 2500 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers attacked the American position in three waves killing 176 American men. Ultimately, the American forces succeeded in repelling the attacks, killing 348 NVA, but peace would not come that day. On January 30, the Viet Cong forces launched a wave of surprise attacks known as the Tet Offensive on major population centers in South Vietnam as families were celebrating the lunar new Year.
On December 23rd, 1967 LBJ landed in the Vatican gardens via helicopter to meet Pope Paul VI who was recovering from a serious (and secret) operation to exchange gifts. Johnson gave the Pope a life-like bust of the president and met with the Pope for more than an hour discuss papal intervention to ease the treatment of U.S prisoners of war by Vietnam and how to get Nguyen Van Thieu, South Vietnam’s Roman Catholic premier, to the peace table. President Johnson on that day released a statement that the United State would follow the suggesting of His Holiness and be "willing to stop the bombing and proceed promptly to serious and productive discussion". He announced that "a total end to the violence would be our urgent objective". Two weeks after what is known as the Battle of New Year’s Day, LBJ delivered his State of the Union Address to the nation. In his address, he shared acknowledged the strategy of North Vietnam to exploit our restraint but remained steadfast in the goal of "peace--and peace at the earliest possible moment."
"--The enemy continues to pour men and material across frontiers and into battle,
despite his continuous heavy losses.
--He continues to hope that America's will to persevere can be broken. Well--he is wrong. America will persevere. Our patience and our perseverance will match our power. Aggression will never prevail.
But our goal is peace--and peace at the earliest possible moment.
Right now we are exploring the meaning of Hanoi's recent statement. There is no mystery about the questions which must be answered before the bombing is stopped.
We believe that any talks should follow the San Antonio formula that I stated last September, which said:
--The bombing would stop immediately if talks would take place promptly and with reasonable hopes that they would be productive.
--And the other side must not take advantage of our restraint as they have in the past. This Nation simply cannot accept anything less without jeopardizing the lives of our men and of our allies.
If a basis for peace talks can be established on the San Antonio foundations--and it is my hope and my prayer that they can--we would consult with our allies and with the other side to see if a complete cessation of hostilities--a really true cease-fire--could be made the first order of business. I will report at the earliest possible moment the results of these explorations to the American people.
I have just recently returned from a very fruitful visit and talks with His Holiness the Pope and I share his hope--as he expressed it earlier today--that both sides will extend themselves in an effort to bring an end to the war in Vietnam. I have today assured him that we and our allies will do our full part to bring this about."
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2019). Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union. | The American Presidency Project. [online] Available at: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/annual-message-the-congress-the-state-the-union-29 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2020].
Presidency.ucsb.edu. 2021. Statement By The President Following His Meeting At The Vatican With Pope Paul VI. | The American Presidency Project. [online] Available at: <https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-the-president-following-his-meeting-the-vatican-with-pope-paul-vi> [Accessed 1 January 2021].
America Magazine. 2021. Pope And President, Paul VI And Lyndon B. Johnson: Christmas On The Tiber, Texas Style. [online] Available at: <https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/pope-and-president-paul-vi-and-lyndon-b-johnson> [Accessed 1 January 2021].
GLASS, A., 2021. LBJ Embarks On Around-The-World Tour: Dec. 20, 1967. [online] POLITICO. Available at: <https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/lbj-embarks-on-around-the-world-tour-dec-20-1967-232703> [Accessed 1 January 2021].
Military Wiki. 2021. New Year's Day Battle Of 1968. [online] Available at: <https://military.wikia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_Day_Battle_of_1968> [Accessed 1 January 2021].
Vatican.va. 2021. I World Day For Peace 1968: The Day Of Peace | Paul VI. [online] Available at: <http://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/messages/peace/documents/hf_p-vi_mes_19671208_i-world-day-for-peace.html> [Accessed 1 January 2021].
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