Linus Pauling
P.O. Box 4068, Santa Barbara
California
December 2, 1965
President Lyndon B. Johnson
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Dear President Johnson:
On 10 August 1965 I wrote to you, communicating an appeal signed by eight recipients
of the Nobel Peace Prize. This appeal, addressed to all the Governments and parties
concerned in the war in Vietnam, asked for immediate action to achieve a cease-fire
and a negotiated settlement of this tragic conflict.
On the same day I sent the same letter and appeal to other national leaders.
I have now received a reply from President Ho Chi Minh of the Democratic Republic
of Viet-Nam. A copy of this reply is enclosed.
The letter emphasizes four points in relation to the peaceful settlement of the
Vietnam problem: reaffirmation of the rights of the Vietnamese people to peace, independence,
sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; the withdrawal of United States troops;
and so on.
I believe that it is most important to note that no conditions are mentioned
as prerequisites to the initiation of negotiations. President Ho Chi Minh in his letter
to me and my fellow recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize has expressed his hope that
peace will be achieved in Vietnam, and has stated his views about the settlement of
the problem, without prescribing any conditions to a cease-fire and the beginning
of discussions.
As we said in our appeal, our present object is not to apportion blame; the one
imperative is that the killing, the maiming, and the burning should cease. I believe
that you and your advisors are wise enough to be able to find the way to achieve the
goal of a cease-fire and a peaceful settlement of the Vietnamese problem in accordance
with the principles of justice and humanity. As spokesman not only for a group of
recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, dedicated to working for world peace, but also
for moral human beings everywhere, I appeal to you to act now.
Sincerely,
Linus Pauling
mjh
Enc.
