Video: '1961 Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson Visits Saigon'

(Friday, May 12, 1961, 11:30 a.m. Indochina Time; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — U.S. Vice President Lyndon Johnson told South Vietnam’s National Assembly today in Saigon the United States was ready immediately to help South Vietnam increase its 150,000-man regular military forces by a substantial number.

In a speech to the Assembly, after talks with President Ngo Dinh Diem, Johnson said the U.S. would also assist in equipping and training the 50,000-man Civil Guard in the fight against the Communists.

Video: 'Vice President Johnson In South Vietnam (1961)'

Also, the U.S. would build up the Village Militia, which is known as the self-corps.

Video: 'Vietnam: A Television History (Ep-3) America's Mandarin (1954-1963)' (LBJ in Vietnam at 22:48)