Office of the Historian

316. Letter From President Diem to President Kennedy1

Saigon, November 15, 1962.

Dear Mr. President, I wish to thank you warmly for the message,2 so cordial and full of understanding, which you sent me for the people and Government of the Republic of Vietnam on the occasion of our National Day, Oct. 26.

As we celebrate the seventh anniversary of our Republic this year, we note with great satisfaction that our determination has overcome the difficulties which the enemy has heaped in our way, and that our efforts in the economic and social fields already bear the most promising fruits, raising the hope, as you kindly pointed out, that the day is approaching when the Vietnamese people finally enjoy peace, security and happiness again.

I deeply appreciate the fact that you made a special reference to our strategic hamlets and described them as an institution designed to help us rapidly attain the essential objectives of our policy, which are respect for the human person, social justice and the creation of true democracy.

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It is hardly necessary to add that the assistance of the United States, under your leadership, definitely contributed to the successes which we have scored, particularly during recent months. I bow with respect to the sacrifices of those American citizens who came and shared our trials and hardships and sealed with their blood the brotherhood of our two peoples. I want to renew here the expression of our gratefulness to these noble sons of America, to their families, and to the entire American people as well. Their sacrifices will not be in vain, as they show that the cause which the Vietnamese people are defending is just, one which deserves to be upheld by all peoples dedicated to freedom, and the more so by those directly interested in the maintenance of peace and stability in this part of the world.

In reaffirming the friendship of the United States of American and its faith in our future, your message is not only particularly auspicious but also really heartening to us.

Please accept, [etc.].

Ngo Dinh Diem
  1. Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence Files: Lot 66 D 476.↩
  2. Document 308.↩