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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-05476 to 363-05481.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-05476 to 363-05481
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Title
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Article about Buddhist protest movement's tactics
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Description
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Original title: "buddhist", Article about the Buddhist protest movement tactics, published by the New York Herald Tribune
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Transcript
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- Page 1
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deepe
buddhist part II-page 1
deo. 17, 1964
SAIGONA sudden flipflop in the current tactics
of the Communist-oriented militant Buddhist movement has produced the
illusion it has lost what what it wants most--the masses.
A comman and widely hold viewpoint of political
analysts in Saigon paintx states that the Buddhist movement
has not been able to capture the popular support and enthusiasm that it
muster to spark the overthrow of the Ngo Dinh Dion regime last
November.
But other political observers argue that the Buddhists
have the potential power to topple the current government of
Tran Van Huong--but it has yet to issue an all-out appeal for public
support.
According to this line of reasoning, the Buddhist movement
penxianning was the spearhead in the first drive to overthrow
the Catholic President last year whalenxaxaxsupportingmom which
Hung
they accomplished in with/spectacular flaming suicide burings
burnings of Buddhists monks and one Buddhist nun. The second stage
of protest was handled by the students, politicians, intellectuals
and in the final stage by the armed forces who violently overthrow and
assassinated Diem.
2.
a
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doopo
buddhist-part II-page 2
Con,
he hoover, the oppositionist movements
against Khanh--and against Huong until last wook-ore spearheaded by
the students, schoolboys and politicians. Thozan Buidhist movement
beonmo a supporting alomont which stayed in the roar.
Last wook-end, however, the Buddhists again reverted to the
tection unod sunoonfully unter Diocby launching a corice of bungor strike
in protest against the Buong govormmont the ide
militant Buddhist looders again decided to sponkhond the
oppositionist attnak. During the past year, the Buddhists have
officially and loudly donlod any direct, immediate links with the
oppositionist movemente---though they had been consistently implicated.
Bow, an in the ator later stages of the Dion battle against Diem,
the Buddhist alergy have again ontored actively into the political
area erona.
The Buddhists are now considered to bo in the naming-up
phocoend the potential power they viold over the monson has yet to be
pa tooted.
(More)
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deepe
buddhist-part II-page 3
dec. 17, 1964
In their fight for allegod religious freedom against the
Diem regime, the Buddhists paved the way for a sweeping political
dissident movement in the urban centers, including non-Buddhist elements,
intellectuals, students, political party oppositionists--and even some
Ctholics.
A
support.
It is argued that the Buddhist militants of this year samman
haxhinmoxidemrangemenim have lost this wide range of
But from the Buddhist point of view, many of these elements have
im order to im swell their ranks from
been willingly sacrificed
factions.
other elements, The Buddhists movement appears to have lost the
support of their mix strongly anti-Communist elements--such as the
northern refugee buddhists laity who have escaped from North Viet Nam and
the Buddhist laity of the economically conservative class. While the
Buddhist milita nts regularly announce anti- -,communist communiques for
foreign consumption-such as their recent letter to President Lyndom
B. Johnson--they regularly transmit pro-neutralist communiques for
m internal Vietnamese consumption.
During the past year, while losing some of the conservative
Militant
Id HisT LEADERS
anti-Communist rank-and-file, they have continued to strengthen both
she their vertical organization reaching from the national level to the
N
villages and their horizontal organization reach touching persons in all
walks of life.
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deepe
buddhist-part II-page 4
While Huong-unlike Diem during the last days of his regime-
still has the high-ranking armed forces officers backing him-Huong does
not have their wives. The wives of th Buddhist wives of even the
strongest pro-Huong generals continually nag their husbands to be
moderate
more pit with the Buddhists,madm instead of cracking down on them,
and to oppose Huong. The Buddhist whiser whispering campaign claime
claims to have art at least 2,000 Armed Forces officers who are prepared
to side with them instead of with the government in a showdown. While
divisiveness of
this claim ixx may be exaggerated, the emotional all the Buddhists
within the Armed Forces is of deep concern to the highest ranking
VETNA se
officer.
Similarly, Buddhist chaplains now serving with each
service of the Armed Forces and three-man Buddhist committees-p de facto
politica 1 cell within each company of the Army has sapped the emotional
military more and more into the Buddhists emotional dragnet.
Last week,
a Vix Buddhist communique written for R Vietnamese
readers boosted of having seventy per cent of the police force on their
side instead of that of the government in the event of a showdown.
One Vietnamese housewife
recalled that low-ranking
government officials in the precincts of Saigon--while continuing
het official duties was also enthusiastically pushing the Buddhist
propaganda line. These lower-ranking Buddhist government officials are know
ORGA: zation,
A
to have given the Buddhists valuable intelligence information about families
living in each city block.
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deepe
buddhist-part II-page 5
Buddhist representatives for each block have been calling on
housewives and families telling them to "be alert" for any call for
Buddhist-sponsored demonstrations.
During the past year, the Buddhists have strengthened
considerably their vertical organization running from the Saigon
headquarters to the # regional, provincial and village offices. Last year,
for example, the Buddhist movement operated in its stronghold area of
Central Viet Nam much like a secret society, as the monks continuously
moved about for fron fear of arrest. Today, however, it is readily
acknowle god that the militant Buddhist wing is strong enough
in terms of organisation and mass support "to do anything it wishes
up there." It is virtually without opposition and exhaustive attempts to
help the victims of a recent flood in that area presumably calvansied
their support even more..
In short, the vertical organisation of the Buddhist movement
appears to copy that of the Saigon governments the horizontal organisation
appears to copy that of the Communist-led National Front a for the
Liberation of South Viet Nam.
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doopo
buddhist-part II--page 6
Much as the Viet Cong political organisato organisation
has created youth Longues and Peasant A,ooolations, the Buddhist
movement, with headquarters in Saigon, has established a Buddhist
Boy Toouto, Girls Scouts, associations for tendo union workers,
studontoand oven disabled uns mar votorano.
In addition it has formed alliances with the political
parties, all of whom a re attempting to hitch onto the Buddhist
support, with other religious groups-including footions of Catholics
which are now badly disuni tedy Internationally, at Buddhist conferences
the Vietnam's Buddhist movement has open relations with nontralist and
photo Communist countries the anti-Communist Saigon rofuces to
recognise.
In its attempts to capture the support of the masses, the
militant Duddhists are at least a paralleling the
Communist
Viot Cong organization in the fight for the como masses.
But while
saigon has beon spinning with more of latest nown as the Buddhists
attack the anti-Communist government of Huongthere has not been a
rumor, a whisper, a shred of evidence that the Buddhists are
in conflict with the Viet Cong in thoir conquest for the masses.
-30
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Date
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1964, Dec. 17
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Subject
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Vietnam, 1961-1975; Demonstrations; Protest movements; Buddhists--Political activity; Tactics
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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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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B187, F1
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Format
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dispatches
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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
