Speech #940047820

Our relations with the South Vietnamese from the beginning have been hampered by the vast cultural differences that exist between our two countriesand this difficulty cannot be ignored when it is proposed to remove permanently large numbers of South Vietnamese citizens from their homeland. The fact that more than 8 million Americans are unemployed. and that our own country is experiencing an economic recession. does not add to the prospect for success of such a program. carried out in great magnitude. A number of South Vietnamese themselves have voiced objections to the departure of large numbers of their fellow citizens. especially when the refugees include professional and highly skilled workers such as doctors. pharmacists. and teachers. The ramifications of the problem are intensified by the importance of family and relatives in Vietnamese life. In many instances it will be necessary not only to move members of an immediate famfly. but parents and other relatives as well. The United States currently has a Jobless rate of 8.7 percent. the highest since 1941. and our overall economic picturethe recession. inflation. national debt. gross national productis far from bright. Adding well over 100.000 South Vietnamese refugees to that picture will not help the United States. What is really tragic for the refugees. who have already suffered greatly. is that the situations in which they would find themselves in America seem destined to be crammed with disappointments and frustrations. For the unskilled refugee. there seems little hope of finding gainful employment. our own unskilled workers face bleak futures. For the skilled and professional refugees. there seems to be only the prospect of underemployment. doctors. lawyers. and teachers could wind up doing the most menial work. And for all the refugees. the languagebarrier is an added burden that will not be easily overcome. Former South Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky warned his countrymen about going to the United States. In a weekend speech in Saigon. he pointed out the problems inherent in migrating to a different cultureunemployment. underemployment. and the general difficulties of adjusting quickly enough to a transcultural experience.