South Vietnam were determined by popular choice. by fairly democratic procedures. I am convinced that our rural reconstruction efforts will continue to fail unless this practice is reinstated. Furthermore. at the present time. about a million Vietnamese refugee women. children. and older men exist in marginally acceptable temporary camps distributed throughout the coastal areas. These individuals. already uprooted from their homes. need to be far better cared for and given a far better opportunity to participate in the development of the nation. They could be a symbol of accomplishment. rather than. as today. a symbol of misery and social disintegration.