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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-04767.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-04767
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Title
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Viet's Course: It Changes With Our Men
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Description
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Article published in the New York Herald Tribune about the actions of Maxwell Taylor in South Vietnam, page unknown
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Transcript
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- Page 1
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It Changes
With Our Men
[Dec 13, 1964]
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
SAIGON.
Not long ago, American
Ambassador Maxwell Daven-
port Taylor described life in
this turbulent capital city as
"a constant surprise" and "a
spicy way to live."
Saigon's reaction to the 63-
year-old Gen. Taylor is some-
what more restrained. His
five-month tenure in the
wood-paneled Ambassador's
Office on the fifth floor of the
American Embassy has caused
a mixed reaction among the
Vietnamese and Americans
living here.
While all are in common
agreement that the political
situation has plummeted
since his July arrival, some
say that Gen. aTylor would
have had to be a "miracle
worker" to have salvaged
any sort of stability out
of the massive in-fighting
among Vietnamese factions,
some of which are suspected
of being Communist pene-
trated.
DONE NOTHING
Others have a lukewarm at-
titude to him. "He's done
nothing to be congratulated
for or reproached for," one
Vietnamese captain laughed.
"He tried to please everyone
the generals, the politicians,
the Buddhists, the Catholics.
No one can succeed in that."
little-noticed "American coup"
in the American mission.
There has been such a rapid
turnover of American person-
nel-in the highest echelons
― of each key American
agency that a current Ameri-
can joke here is: "If my boss
calls, get his name."
The first high-priority task
Gen. Taylor assigned himself
on arrival was to improve
co-ordination of activities
within the American mission
and to set up a joint Viet-
namese - U. S. mission co-
ordinating committee to dis-
cuss day-by-day implemen-
tation of key programs.
Foreign diplomats believe
he did an admirable job and
would have succeeded except
for the Vietnamese govern-
ment change, with a com-
plete switch of ministers, and
the "American coup" in
which, since the beginning of
the year, the local heads
of the Central Intelligence
Agency, the U. S. Informa-
tion Service, the Agency for
International Development
and the Embassy-all of the
U. S. civilian agencies-plus
the Military Assistance Com-
mand have been changed.
Gen. Taylor brought with
him a first-rate embassy
staff, including Deputy Am-
bassador U. Alexis Johnson,
an expert on Far Eastern
affairs, and William H. Sulli-
van, former head of the Viet-
namese task force in Wash-
ington. They were to assist
in the strengthening of co-
ordination.
Mr. Sullivan left here last
month, officially with "mis-
sion accomplished." But no
sooner had he departed than
a vicious battle broke out in
the AID, which led to the
Sullivan-
resignation of a
openly
Many in the American com-
munity, however,
blame him for "stiffness and
lack of imagination" during
the prolonged state of crisis
for the past several months.
One called him "the original
uncertain trumpet," a refer-
ence to his polemic book
called "The Uncertain Trum-
pet," named after a Biblical
quotation, "For if the trumpet
give an uncertain sound, who
shall prepare himself to the
battle?"
Whatever the improbabili-
ties of out-intriguing the
Vietnamese in their course
towards political self-destruc-
tion, American observers here
note two specific effects of
Gen. Taylor's brief tenure in
office. One is that his tenure
has practically nullified the
tenure of his predecessor,
Henry Cabot Lodge. Gen.
Taylor's attempts to assist the
stability of the current gov-
ernment is viewed here as a
reversal when in late August
last year Washington officials
and Lodge in Saigon withdrew
support from another civilian
government headed by Ngo
Dinh Diem. It was under Mr.
Lodge that Maj. Gen. Nguyen
Khanh came to power in the
civilian government-and five
of Viet Nam's most competent
generals were exiled in a
mountain resort city on
charges they were attempting
to neutralize Viet Nam. Now,
10 months later, at Mr. Tay-
lor's suggestion these five
generals have again been re-
turned to powerful positions
in the army. Under Mr. Lodge,
the systematic program of
American economic aid to the
provinces continued to flour-
ish-despite two coup d'etats.
Now, as even more political
instability has diseased Viet
Nam, this system is in the
process of change and the tra-
ditional form of working
through government minis-
teries is again slated to be
reinstated.
The second effect of the
Taylor tenure-which has
also hindered Gen. Taylor-
is that the current political
instability of the Vietnamese
has been accompanied by a
appointed counter-insurgen-
cy expert, Dr. George K.
Tanham, in protest against
the views of the AID director
here.
Some personnel changes
were initiated under Mr.
Lodge. With the arrival of
Gen. Taylor, they increased
and caused a lack of continu-
ity in day-to-day implemen-
tation of policy.
Despite the pressures of his
assignment, Gen. Taylor has
been occasionally seen enter-
ing the Embassy whistling an
incoherent tune with his
jacket flopped over one shoul-
der. At home, he occasionally
has a scotch-soda or gimlet
before dinner. A safe has been
installed in his home so that
he can carry classified docu-
ments with him to read after
work; on week ends he carries
home three to five-inches
worth of fat reports (in the
Pentagon, he used to carry
home a suitcase of material
for the week end).
He drives around Saigon in
a Chrysler "that was dredged
up" from a warehouse; his
Cadillac "was falling apart
with a broken transmission,"
an associate explained. He is
covered by a minimum of se-
curity officials, though barbed
wire barricades block off the
street on which he lives. Un-
like his predecessor, he does
not carry a weapon. Occa-
sional intelligence reports are
received that the Viet Cong
Communist terrorists will try
to assassinate him, but he ap-
pears unconcerned and re-
fuses to change his schedule
of activities.
Gen. Taylor is still agile
and handsome at 63-a young
Vietnamese waitress at an
American military installa-
tion reportedly told him once
at lunch, "You No. 1 sexy."
Despite a sprained knee, the
tall Missourian still enjoys
swimming and aides regularly
schedule tennis matches for
him.
"He wins more games than
he loses," one aid said, "but
he does not win them all."
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Date
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1964, Dec. 13
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Subject
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Taylor, Maxwell D. (Maxwell Davenport), 1901-1987; United States--Relations--Vietnam (Republic); Ambassadors; Diplomatic and consular service
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Container
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B4, F6
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Format
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newspaper clippings
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
