President Johnson Giving his Vietnam "Withdrawal Speech"

This photograph shows President Lyndon B. Johnson speaking to the nation from the White House Oval Office, surrounded by TV technicians. In his speech, he called for a halt to bombing in Vietnam, greater reliance on the South Vietnamese, and a modest troop increase. In April, North Vietnam agreed to open peace talks.

President Johnson also shocked even his closest advisers when he announced his decision not to run for a second term as President: “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.”