User:DanKeshet/Chomsky in Vietnam

INDOCHINA ARCHIVE UNIV. CALIFORNIA

SPRING PEACE OFFENSIVE OF AMERICAN PEOPLE WELCOMED

Solidarity Meeting

Hanoi VNA International Service in English 0551 5)PT 1 b Apr 70 B 4-7y

[Text] Hanoi VNA A p r i l 14--A meeting was held here yesterday evening under the sponsorship of the Committee for Solidarity With the American People to welcome the 1970 spring offensive of the American people demanding an end to the U.S. war of aggression in Viet Nam.

Present at the psesidium of the meeting were Prof. Dang Thai, M a i, Reverend Ho Thanh Blen and Rof. Nguyen Canh Toan, vice-chairman of the sponsoring cownittee, Le Thi 'Xuyen, vice-'president of the Vietnam Womenla Union, Ho TFUQ, secrcrtary general of t h e Viet Nam Youth Federation, Luu Thi Doan, member of the Executive Committee of the ,Viet Nam Federation of Trade-Unions and Lawfar Pham l'hanh Vinh, standing member of the Viet Nam Lawyers' Association.

Truong pong Dong, aottng-head of the special representation of the Republic of South Wet Nam, was present. Also present a t the presidium, were Noam, Chomsky, Douglas Dowd and Richard FLrnandez of the American' intellectual delegation now visiting Viet Nam.

The meeting was attended by representatives of central and Hanoi public offices an& mass organizations, and representatives of the Various s t r a t a of the Hanoi populations.

Speaking a t the meeting, Prof. Nguyen'Canh Toan waraly welcomed the spring offensive of the American people for an end t o the Viet Nam war, and praised the peace-and justice-loving American people f o r t h e i r f i r m opposition t o the Nixon administration's policy of prolonging the war.. He s a i d :

"The spring offensive of the American people is taking place a t a time when the U.S. a u t h o r i t i e s a r e boasting about the so-called success of t h e i r program f o r "Vietnamizing" the war, seeking thereby t o cheat public opinion, while stepping up the war i n Viet Nam, increasing t h e i r intervention i n Laos and Staging a coup d ' e t a t i n Cambodia, thus cauiing f u r t h e r tension i n Indochina. This has f u r t h e r exposed Wixonls war manoeuvres and deceitful trioxs. "

After thanking the world's people f o r t h e i r increasing support t o the Vietnamese people's p a t r i o t i c struggle and their vigorous response -'to the American peoplels spldng offensive, Prof, Nguyen Canh Toan stressed:

"While f i g h t i n g t o win a t a l l costs t h e i r fundamental national r i g h t s, namely independence, sovereignty, u n i t y and t e r r i t o r i a l 'integrity, the Vietnamese people have been following with deep sympathy the j u s t struggle of the American people. A s Premier Pham Van Dong has 6aid i n h i s message t o the American people on October 14, 1970: : lYour drive eloquently r e f l e c t s the legitimate and pressing denand of your people--to save the honour of the United S t a t e s and t o avoid f o r t h e i r boys a useless death i n Vbet Nam. Thls:.is. Plso a.very f i t t i n g and tiaely.answer t o the U:S:. a u t h o r i t i e s who stubbornay persist i n intensifying and prolonging the war of aggression i n Viet N a m , i n defiance of the protests of'American and world public opinion. 1 "

Speaking on t h i s occasion, Noam Chomsky, Douglas Dowd and Richard Fernandez vehemently condemned the U.S. imperialistsI crimes against the Vietnamese people i n both zones and demanded t h a t the U.S. a u t h o r i t i e s bring immediately a l l U.S. troops home. They paid profound t r i b u t e t o President Ho Chi Minh and expressed t h e i r admiration f o r the Vietnamese 'People engagCd I n a j u s t :struggle. f o r independence and freedom, and t h e i r confidence i n the l a t t e r l s a e r t a i n victory.

On behalf dd the anti-war movement i n the United S t a t e s, the American guests presented the Vietnamebe people .with a number of books on the U.S. imperialists8 crimes i n 3on MY. South V i e t Nam, and on the anti-war campaign of the American people.

Tne participants i n the meeting unanimously adopted a resolution voicing f u l l support t o Zhe presding demand$ of the American People f o r a b e t t e r l i f e and democratic freedoms and f o r immediate cessation of the Viet Nam war and speedy withdrawal of a l l U.S. troops from South Viet Nam. the b e r i c a n peopleis struggle and reaffirmed, the Vietnamese peopleis militant s o l i d a r i t y vftdi:the American people i n the common struggle against the U..S. war of aggression i n V i e t Nam..,It called on a l l peace-loving and demoeratic forces i n t h e world t o j o i n the Vietnamese and American peoples i n denounoing and condemnit)& the Nixon administration f o r prolonging i t s war of aggression i n South V i e t Nam through the so-called "Vietnamization" program, and demanding t h a t it withdraw speedily k11 U.S. troops without posing any conditions whatsoever. The resolution highly valued 1 I

The resolution wished the American people many nev successes i n t h e i r x p r i n g offensive.