American Experience; Nixon; 302; Nixon inauguration - Vietnam protest, 1973 [Part 1 of 2]

Right. Thank you for coming. There is one chair at this particular end of Pennsylvania Avenue and that is that everyone here is a person of goodwill. And what we honor and celebrate together is something that I think all of us can take some pride in. And that is that each of us and each of you and each person across the United States who has spoken out in the last several years. Each individual who tried to get his neighbor to read the Geneva Accords or to learn the history and the culture and the beauty of the Vietnamese people has made a small contribution to a process which hopefully shortly end. A final victory of conscience of the American people whereby Now both the people and

the Congress have a firm majority which demands an end to American bombs and firepower in Indochina. The final victory if we can call it that is not just of the well known public speakers who have spoken out. Senators Wayne Morse and Ernest Greening who voted against the Gulf of Tonkin resolution now or who forced out the truth of may lie the Berrigan brothers Dan Ellsberg said I will go to jail so that this country may know the truth. Allard Lowenstein and Clark Clifford and Top Tip O'Neill who tried to persuade And finally perhaps did persuade Lyndon Johnson that this war was wrong. The mothers for peace.

The p o w wives who asked for an end to our involvement. But the final victory of the return of the American conscience is really due to millions of small individual Americans whose voices finally risen to an unmistakable cried of their individual representatives in Congress stand up and stop it. And finally I think we have the votes in the House of Representatives to end the bombing. We have to bow our heads in shame that it took a single man's tragic decision. The 12 day Christmas carpet bombing to finally awaken the conscience of a nation. But it's happened. We meet today to do a far higher thing than to inaugurate a president. We may need to exercise a constitutional right and I think a constitutional duty for the privilege of being an American to peaceably assemble and perpetration for a redress of grievance.

We meet at a time of reflection on past insensitivity regret over the time it has taken us to change national policy. Shame over the ways that our science and technology and industry have been translated into killing and destruction but also a quiet pride that what is best in each of us. Faith then love and compassion might have long last to become the policy of a nation and as we rededicate ourselves today to a rebirth of conscience let us not do so nor be led into anger against others but with the resolve to continue a commitment until the Congress has acted. The bombing power to cut off the. And to do our best with the reforms of welfare and plaque than other laws what you

contributed the good thing going to go when I can. And problem here in America we run. Half

past the hour. Wow wow wow wow wow wow.