U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote

[ckramer]

Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror

by Peter Grose, Special to The New York Times
September 4, 1967

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting.

According to reports from Saigon, 83 percent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong.

The size of the popular vote and the inability of the Vietcong to destroy the election machinery were the two salient facts in a preliminary assessment of the nation election based on the incomplete returns reaching here.

Pending more detailed reports, neither the State Department nor the White House would comment on the balloting or the victory of the military candidates, Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu, who was running for president, and Premier Nguyen Cao Ky, the candidate for vice president.

A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutional development that began in January 1966, to which President Johnson gave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu, the chief of state, in Honolulu in February.

The purpose of the voting was to give legitimacy to the Saigon Government, which has been founded only on coups and power plays since November, 1963, when President Ngo Dinh Deim was overthrown by a military junta.

Deja vu all over again

[LSdemocrat]

1. A real peace with honor

[pinto]

2. great find...n/t

[tabasco]

3. Oh what a great democracy they would have ...

if the dirty liberals like John Kerry hadn't stabbed us in the back and caused us to cowardly get out of that war.

Paraphrasing that brave conservative, Rush Limbaugh, who could not participate in that great and noble war due to anal cysts.