 He's right over there. Hello? Yes, sir. General glad to hear you. Well, I tell you. I listened to your talk last night. I'm complimented. I thought that it was a very fine exposition on what had been America's purposes and and then I was quite pleased to see that new idea of setting up a commission to study what could be done there. I would suggest, Mr. President, that when that committee gets its charter, it directs that it be told to study ways of bringing the thinking of the South Vietnamese populace in line with our thinking and vice versa. That'd be a better, greater understanding and a greater rapport. What I'm getting at? Sure do. I remember you emphasized that when you were here and I think it has much merit. Well, I tell you, Mr. President, we know this. This country can be saved by an outsider unless its own heart is in the right place and unless until those people are educated. You see, now your talk to all the literate world will explain them and explain America's purposes and its intentions and its unselfish attitudes. But this poor little devil down there that's trying to make a living on an acre of ground is right. That's why he just doesn't know. And he's a fellow who's trying to get at them. And so I think these people, along as they're trying to figure out what the economic betterment could be brought about. Why they also have to take the mental side and the spiritual side of the human and trying to better him in the same way. I quite agree and I think that the two places that we have been very deficient to. One is in that respect and the other is getting a government that we can, that formulating governments at the local level and at the top level that can see this thing through. And that's pretty difficult to do. After all these years, of course, their morale is bad. After you were here and talked to me, I called in the best propaganda people we had, the best information people we had, the most inspirational people we had, even a few spiritual ones. And I sent them out and made a study and turned them over a lot more equipment and accelerated the effort and brought them in charge of one man, brought in all the military people and all the USIE people and considerably strengthened the program but it got to strengthen it a good deal more. But I was trying to reflect a little of that in my speech last night and I thought I'd kick it off at this level here and then get Gene Black in that most people have confidence in as a being pretty practical fellow but a progressive fellow and see if he could take our resources and pull them together and then try to make the Asians form a plan themselves for other countries which we'd be delighted to participate. That's right. I only had Greens early. I have no criticism of that plan idea whatsoever. The only thing I was hoping... Now, for example, we're going to give this to the solid government out there. It's got to be based on a rather, I mean a satisfactory government to us. It's got to be based on the kind of conviction and belief, popular conviction and belief that we ourselves espouse, you see? Yes, it is. And because we never can keep a government up there just with bailments. It's got to be with the consent and the desire of those people. Right. That is the problem that I always... As I told you once, I used to get so weary with this fellow running because he would stand biased on foreign aid, let's say, but my gosh would give the USIA, he would just always cut the pieces. Now, it's such a hard thing to sell politically. There's someone that's thinking of nothing but just re-elected damage. The government is just... He's not magnetic, but we know as responsible people that we're going to save a nation. We've got to go after their minds and hearts as well as we do at their stomach. And I think that's the only thing I would suggest as an addition, sir. Well, I appreciate that suggestion. I'm in hearty agreement with it. I profited greatly from our meeting when you were here last time, particularly in that respect. I sent our best people out immediately. They made substantial increases and I think some progress in going after their minds and their hearts. And we will concentrate on that. I don't think you could be more right than you are. And I appreciate so much. Give me the chance to talk to you. Well, actually, I just wanted to say that I thought it was a very timely and fine move. I was delighted to hear you do it. Well, Milton, from time to time, asked me the ways that he could help and he did help me put this on. I had to indicate I might want to do it Monday, but I wanted time to have General Goodpastor talk to you and talk to some other folks. And unfortunately, I had to go on Wednesday and he had to be in Seattle, but it had a wonderful audience. It was well received. The world reaction has been very good. Of course, it's not good from China and the Communist countries are not pleased with it, but the other countries have been very good. And I'm meeting now Gene Black and some of the departmental people in the cabinet room and we are getting ready to make suggestions to you, Todd, so that quietly, so it doesn't look like the white men try and run everything and get him to go out and see if those people can't evolve some program they own, which we will give some direction and maybe a little substance. Well, I'll say that one remark you just made is a thing that I believe always. We can't do this just with white nations. We ought to have an Asiatic association that's just a little bit bigger than Seaco and probably a little bit different charter, but with Japan and Formosa and South Korea and Thailand and the Vietnam in there and Mele, it'll be a Mele finding and then we could join with it a little bit. Well, I'll be pursuing it. I'll be back in touch with you. How long are you going to stay out there and live like a king? Well, I'll tell you a bit. Actually, Mr. President, I've been here over almost three weeks, but I kept it pretty secret. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm going to leave here on the 27th and I'll be home on the morning of the 30th. Well, let's get together pretty soon after that. I'd like to. Fine, thank you so much. Give my love, Ms. Eisenhower. Is there any reason why I shouldn't? Am I liberty to say that we talked about this? Oh, surely. I'll particularly tell Gene Black that I'm delighted that he's ready to take up the tour. Wait just a second. That will do him more good than anything I could say if you would just say that to him because he's tried to retire, you know, and he went down to Florida and he hadn't been too well, but he's all right now. And I just called him and told him he had to come in and help me. And you don't know how many people in this country, how they feel about you, General. You just mean a lot to all of us. And I know you do to Gene Black. Here he is. Gene is the General Eisenhower. Gene, I'm delighted to hear your voice. I heard you've been a little bit ill. Well, that's good. Well, that's good. Say, what I was just telling the President is I was thought he had a double of a good idea that he proposed last night. And I even thought it was put the frosting on the cake when he said he's going to get you to say, head it up. Thank you very much. I know that you've handled these damn things in the past and I'm all for you. Thank you, General. Now, General, I'll be in touch with you as soon as you get back. You let me know. Okay, I'll do that. Thank you. Good night.