US Presidency
1966

So also we are united in our determination that no foe anywhere should ever mistake our arguments for indecision, nor our debates for weakness. So what are the questions that are still being asked? First, some ask if this is a war for unlimited objectives. The answer is plain. The answer is no. Our purpose in Vietnam is to prevent the success of aggression. It is not conquest; it is not empire; it is not foreign bases; it is not domination. It is, simply put, just to prevent the forceful conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam. Second, some people ask if we are caught in a blind escalation of force that is pulling us headlong toward a wider war that no one wants. The answer, again, is a simple no. We are using that force and only that force that is necessary to stop this aggression. Our fighting men are in Vietnam because tens of thousands of invaders came south before them. Our numbers have increased in Vietnam because the aggression of others has increased in Vietnam.