"Refugees - Indochina Status Report" from President Gerald Ford, April 3, 1975

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Courtesy of Ford Museum and Library, Ford, Gerald, "April 3, 1975: Statement by the President," 3 April 1975

Description 

This document is President Gerald Ford's statement to the press. In it he says, "We are seeing a great human tragedy as untold numbers of Vietnamese flee the North Vietnamese onslaught. The United States has been doing and will continue to do its utmost to assist these people." He also authorizes the release of funds to airlift 2,000 Vietnamese orphans to the United States.

Transcription of President Gerald Ford's "Refugees - Indochina Status Report"

Source-Dependent Questions

• This statement was given by President Ford. Summarize this document and explain what the President is hoping to achieve.
• What evidence is there in the document that the United States is working to help get refugees from Vietnam to safety? What is the $2 million special foreign aid children's fund being used to do?
• What does the president want American officials in Saigon to do in order to speed up the process of getting refugee children out of Vietnam? Why would this be important?

Citation Information 

Ford, Gerald, "April 3, 1975: Statement by the President," 3 April 1975. Courtesy of Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum