US Presidency
1967

They know that it is possible for them to choose their own national destinies -without coercion. The ' performance of our men in Vietnam backed by the American people has created a feeling of confidence and unity among the independent nations of Asia and the Pacific. I saw it in their faces in the 19 days that I spent in their homes and in their countries. Fear of external Communist conquest in many Asian nations is already subsiding- and with this, the spirit of hope is rising. For the first time in history, a common outlook and common institutions are already emerging. This forward movement is rooted in the ambitions and the interests of Asian nations themselves.