Wednesday, February 7, 1962

News Conference

JFK gave one of his many news conferences. He spoke about the worsening conflict in Vietnam.

There is a war going on in South Vietnam, and I think that last week there were over 500 killings and assassinations and bombings, and the casualties are high. As I said last week, it is subterranean war, a guerilla war of increasing ferocity. The United States, since the end of the Geneva Accord, setting up the South Vietnamese government as an independent government, has been assisting Vietnam economically to maintain its independence, viability, and sent training groups out there, which have been expanded in recent weeks, as the attacks on the government and the people of South Vietnam have increased.”

[451, p.114]