Lyndon Johnson 1965 Typed Letter Signed as President - To Secretary General of the United Nations

36th President. Typed letter signed “Lyndon B. Johnson” AS PRESIDENT, one page, 7.25 x 10.25, White House letterhead, July 28, 1965. Letter to U Thant as Secretary-General of the United Nations, discussing his appointment of Arthur Goldberg as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, in full:

I want you to know from me directly of the very great personal confidence which I place in Ambassador Goldberg. His appointment as Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations—and his acceptance of this responsibility in the circumstances—is, I hope, strong evidence that this Government places the very highest importance on the work of the United Nations and will continue to give it our utmost respect.

I have instructed Ambassador Goldberg especially to maintain close contact with you on the situation in Viet-Nam. Your efforts in the past to find some way to remove that dispute from the battlefield to the negotiating table are much appreciated and highly valued by my Government. I trust they will be continued.

Meanwhile, as I stated publicly last April, the Government of the United States is prepared to enter into negotiations for peaceful settlement without conditions. That remains our policy.

And as I stated in San Francisco last month, we hope that the Members of the United Nations, individually and collectively, will use their influence to bring to the negotiating table all governments involved in an attempt to halt all aggression and evolve a peaceful solution. I continue to hope that the United Nations can, in fact, be effective in this regard.

I hope that you will communicate to us, through Ambassador Goldberg, any helpful suggestions that may occur to you that can strengthen our common search for the road to peace in Southeast Asia.

Eight days earlier, LBJ nominated Goldberg to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations to replace the recently deceased Adlai Stevenson. One day before this letter, Goldberg officially resigned his seat on the Supreme Court so he could accept his new position.

Goldberg wrote that he resigned to have influence in keeping the peace in Vietnam and that after the crisis had passed, he expected he would be reappointed to the Supreme Court by Johnson to replace the retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren. He also said, "I had an exaggerated opinion of my capacities. I thought I could persuade Johnson that we were fighting the wrong war in the wrong place [and] to get out."

A simply superfluous letter with incredible association and content.

In very fine condition, mailing folds, else fresh.