Mar. 7, 1964 - President Johnson said today that U.S. troops would be moved to and from South Vietnam depending on the need for them in the war against the Communist Viet Cong guerrillas. The President’s statement at a news conference was the first official suggestion that more men would be sent as advisers to the South Vietnamese Army if they were needed. However, Mr. Johnson did not predict an additional commitment of forces.
He made the point, he said, only to indicate that the occasional withdrawal of men who missions were completed should not be taken as a sign of flagging American interest in the defense of South Vietnam. A careful evaluation of future policy, the President said, must await the return from Vietnam next week of a study group headed by Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. A “good deal” of the decision on future American troop movements, he said, will depend on their report.
Mr. Johnson was careful to speak of the U.S. forces as “advisers” and “trainers” of the South Vietnamese, a phrasing that is intended to make clear that the U.S has not formally committed its own troops to battle there.
Speculation about an American withdrawal from Vietnam has persisted side by side with speculation about a greater U.S. involvement and possible extension of the war into North Vietnam. Both types of speculation derive from past Administration statements.
Mr. Johnson said he did not think Vietnam ought to be the subject of partisan debate since it had been a problem under both Republican and Democratic administrations. He denied that anyone was “hiding” information or policy decisions and said he expects men of both parties to work with the Administration as a team.