\\M0BASL30;\M1BASI30;\M2BASB30;\MENGR40;\M3NGR25;\M4NGR20;\MFSTA200;\;
\'3;↓↓\FFS\FE
\'3;↓Q\CSTANFORD UNIVERSITY
\F3\CSTANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
\F4



ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY\←L\-R\/'7;\+R\→.\→S   Telephone:
COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT\←S\→.415-497-4430
\F0\C4 February 1975




ex-President Richard M. Nixon
San Clemente, California



Dear Mr. President:

\JThe amount of money required to sustain South Vietnam and Cambodia
beyond what Congress has appropriated is small enough to be raised
in private donations.  It is less than the amount American Jews raised
in support of Israel in each of its crises - 1948, 1967 or 1973.
I believe that you are uniquely in a position to initiate such a
public campaign, and to do so would be an enormous service to the
American people and worldwide freedom.  It would serve the American
people, because it would provide them a chance to express individually
their devotion to freedom, and it would serve the world by giving
the Vietnamese one more chance.

Such a campaign would probably require an enabling act of Congress,
because of Neutrality Acts, etc., and it would put the Congressmen
who want to forget Vietnam in an embarassing position.  By now they
just hope the Communists will take it over with as little noise as
possible, but they won't easily vote against an act that permits
private citizens to help.

There is yet another way Vietnam can be helped.  Communist victory will
mean great suffering for hundreds of thousands of people in South
Vietnam.  If the United States is politically unable to help them
avoid Communist takeover, perhaps we can help people who do not
want to live under Communism emigrate.  The United States should
let them come here and solicit visas from other countries.  I have
in mind asking the Philippines, Taiwan, South Africa and Australia.
Some of them would have political reasons for giving at least some
visas, and some would be embarassed not to.  It is logistically
possible to evacuate the whole of South Vietnam, and the Communist
claim to have the support of the Vietnamese people would be
refuted if they conquered an empty country.

Congress and the American people can be confronted with the alternatives:
either help defend Vietnam or help its people escape.  You are
in what may be the best position to present the American people with
the alternatives.

If you reply please use my home address, 846 Lathrop Drive, Stanford,
California 94305 or my home telephone 415 321-7580.  I hope you will, because
I would like to have a further part in the matter.\.

\←L\→S\←R\-L\/'2;\+L\→L
Respectfully,




John McCarthy
Director, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Professor of Computer Science
\←S\→L