Fourth. That the prime way of beating a guerrilla war as indicated by past experience in Malaya. the Philippines. and so forth. is to isolate the guerrilla from his environment. from the South Vietnamese people themselves. There are two ways of accomplishing this: first. by gaining the loyalty of the people through a legitimization process tied to free and open elections and the early creation of a civilian government. and second. by carrying out a vast program of social and economic reform. including land reform and refugee care. reforms that directly touch the lives of the people. Fifth. That pacification. legitimization. and reform will take time and priority effort. and that we must. therefore. prepare ourselves for the long haul in Vietnam. and not give in to the frustration of demands for force as a quick solution.