The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500
ATTN: PRES. LYNDON B. JOHNSON

President Johnson,
In regards to the ongoing Vietnam situation, I have decided to write this letter to advise
you on how best to respond. I have great reverence for you as a politician and as a human being,
so I hope that you will carry some respect for my ideas as you read this letter. Due to my
knowledge and experience in American history and politics, I feel that my input is valuable and
should not be taken lightly. I am well aware of your acceptance of President Eisenhowers
Domino Theory. I also believe that if Vietnam falls into Communist hands, it will lead to other
nations collapsing to communism as well. Communism is currently threatening the democracy
and security of the world, and we cannot let any additional nations to succumb to communist
control.
Your pending reelection, however, is not to be disregarded. It is apparent that many
Americans, or doves, are pacifists that are strongly against any war efforts in Vietnam. As
sending troops to Vietnam would be an unpopular action for you, in regards to the American
public, it is understandable why you would desire to hold off any direct measures against the
Vietcong. However, this tolerance is no longer a favorable line of action.
North Vietnam has not only fallen to communists, but it has also begun acting with
aggression- not only to South Vietnam, but to the United States as well. As you well know, the
USS Maddox has been attacked by North Vietnamese torpedoes in the Gulf of Tonkin. This act
of hostility towards the United States cannot be overlooked. My recommended course of action
is to send American troops into South Vietnam immediately. You need to embrace the support
you have received from Congress and throw military backing behind the South Vietnamese.
Concerning the American public, you must use television programs as a form of
propaganda to gain public support for the war. Airing explicit footage of the violent and
appalling acts of the communists in North Vietnam juxtaposed with film of the poor and helpless
South Vietnamese is the perfect strategy to ensure that Americans are in favor of sending troops
to aid the battle against the Vietcong. The introduction of the television has provided the US
government with an incredibly powerful tool in influencing the minds and opinions of the
American people. We can use this tool to gain support for the war and spread aversion to
communism.
Your next initiative must be powerful enough to quickly defeat the Vietcong and
obliterate communist influence in Vietnam. I have gotten word of powerful chemical warfare and
carpet bombing techniques being introduced into the US military. I advise you to use these
techniques when necessary. As shown in history, the public cannot bear long, drawn out wars-
especially when those wars are being fought for a cause that does not directly influence them.
Because of this, we need to act quickly and efficiently in this battle against the Vietcong.
However, it is also important to keep any aggressive and brutal war tactics as far from American
public knowledge as possible. Though this will create a credibility gap between American
society and the government, I believe that it is entirely necessary.
The impending spread of communism is a huge threat to the security and balance of
power in the world. As the strongest nation on earth, it is our duty to protect this security. We
must quickly smother any new communist nations, and contain any threats of communist spread.
I believe that this duty is more important than any other responsibility the government currently
holds. I am aware of the efforts you have placed into the Great Society program, but I believe
that the conflict in Vietnam holds a much greater demand for your attention. It is my ultimate
hope that you will follow my advice: quickly and quietly remove the threat of communism from
Vietnam and protect the democracy of the world.

Thank you for your continued patriotism,

Jenna Lee