Pending more detailed reports, neither the State Department nor theWhite House would comment on the balloting or the victory of themilitary candidates, Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu, who was running forpresident, and Premier Nguyen Cao Ky, the candidate for vice president.
A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in PresidentJohnson’s policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processesin South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutionaldevelopment that began in January, 1966, to which President Johnsongave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu,the chief of state, in Honolulu in February.
The purpose of the voting was to give legitimacy to the SaigonGovernment, which has been founded only on coups and power plays sinceNovember, 1963, when President Ngo Dinh Deim was overthrown by amilitary junta.
Few members of that junta are still around, most having been ousted or exiled in subsequent shifts of power.
Significance Not Diminished
The fact that the backing of the electorate has gone to the generalswho have been ruling South Vietnam for the last two years does not, inthe Administration’s view, diminish the significance of theconstitutional step that has been taken.
The hope here is that the new government will be able to maneuver witha confidence and legitimacy long lacking in South Vietnamese politics. That hope could have been dashed either by a small turnout, indicatingwidespread scorn or a lack of interest in constitutional development,or by the Vietcong’s disruption of the balloting.
American officials had hoped for an 80 per cent turnout. That was thefigure in the election in September for the Constituent Assembly. Seventy-eight per cent of the registered voters went to the polls inelections for local officials last spring.
Before the results of the presidential election started to come in, theAmerican officials warned that the turnout might be less than 80 percent because the polling place would be open for two or three hoursless than in the election a year ago. The turnout of 83 per cent was awelcome surprise. The turnout in the 1964 United States Presidentialelection was 62 per cent.
Captured documents and interrogations indicated in the last week aserious concern among Vietcong leaders that a major effort would berequired to render the election meaningless. This effort has notsucceeded, judging from the reports from Saigon.
NYT. 9/4/1967: p. 2.
Oh my god, could the war turn around now? 83% turnout, I bet we can still win!