Article about the astrology of 1964

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363-05463 to 363-05471.pdf

Digital Object Identifier

363-05463 to 363-05471

Title

Article about the astrology of 1964

Description

Original title: "Dragon", Keever's title: "Chinese New Year sees 1965 as deciding wether U.S can ever win the war", Article about the astrology of 1964 being the year of Dragon and predictions of big upheavals, published by the New York Herald Tribune

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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.

Transcript

deepe dragon--1 dec. 28, 1964 SAIGON--By the Chinese lunar calendar, 1964 was the Year of the Dragon, which is commonly accepted by Vietnamese historians and astrologers of being a year of big upheavals. It was. The year of 1965 for the Westerner will be known in the Orient as the Year of the Serpent--which is commonly acknowledged to be a continuation of, and a complement to, rather than a change from the Year of the Dragon, much as, in the worlds of one astrologer, the night is a continuation and a complement to the day. The year 1964 was a pivotal turning point in the anti-Communist political-military struggle; the year 11 1965 will reveal the direction and repercussions of that pivot--and may determine the point-of-no-return for victory against the Communist forces. Astrologers, military and political experts agree that 1965 is clearly the year of decision. They believe the war can not be lost during the year either militarily or politically--but 1965 will determine whether it can ever be won. deepe dragon--2 dec. 28, 1964 The year 1964 was the beginning of the beginning of a new phase in Vietnam’s anti-Communist war; the year 1965 will uncover the end of this beginning--and may introduce a new stage in the struggle. “In 1963, Viet Nam was a ship with all the sails flapping--but it wasn’t going anywhere,” one foreign diplomat explained. “In 1964, the ship began to sink and by the end of 1964 the water was flooding the decks. Obviously, the water can still be bailed out and the ship can be saved--but 1965 will determine whether or not this is done. If it is done, we still have a chance to win the war. If it isn’t done--the war is not lost immediately--but it can never be won.” If 1964 was a year of dubious decisiveness or inadvertent indecisiveness, [XXXX indicating deletion] the year 1965 will a year of specific, definite decisions--and the test will be how well these decisions are keyed to solving the problems and how well they are implemented. (More) deepe dragon--3 dec. 28, 1964 The year 1964 began shortly after the fall of the [insertion: authoritarian] Ngo Dinh Diem regime; it ended on the surface with the Tran Van Huong government, which has been described as “an amiable, aimless anarchy.” For the astrologers, 1963 marked the end of the 6-year half cycle of the lunar calendars which are divided into [deletion: two] twelve years; for the political observers, 1963 marked the end of the Ngo-Dinh Diem regime after nearly a decade of ruling; for the military experts, 1963 marked the end of a total drive against the Communists; the future was to see the war being waged against the Communists plus a more invisible, [deletion: but] and hence more dangerous group which are commonly called the “neutralists.” The [XXXX indicating deletion] 1964 upheaval [deletion: of] was an explosion of these post-Diem political forces into the air; the year 1965 will see the continuation of the this upheaval with the political forces, while still in turbulent motion, [deletion: fall] falling downwards into some sort of unsettled order. The arrangements, the alliances, the wars between these political forces will determine the future of Viet Nam and the prospects of prosecuting effectively the anti-Communist and anti-neutralist war. (More) deepe dragon--4 dec. 28, 1964 While it appeared that 1964 saw the swing from the authoritarian Diem regime to the anarchy of the Huong government, in fact, the year’s events reflected the rise and fall of one man--Nguyen Khanh, who entered the Prime Minister’s Office on January 30 as a [XXXX indicating deletion] goateed three-star general. [insertion: --Add] During the year he failed to lead his nation in the anti-Communist war--a task the free world assigned to him--but he succeeded to survive, which is all Viet Nam expected of him. In 1965, the prospects according to political observers here, and the destiny according to Vietnamese astrologers is that Khanh will again re-emerge, with a stronger position and more control than he wielded when he first came to power. When Khanh entered the Prime Minister’s Office, the American policy, which supported him with varying degrees of effectiveness during his fall from power, was to build a strongman regime, aided by visits of American Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. This policy in 1964 was [deletion: notc] effected with [XXXX indicating deletion] visible semi-success, but not total failure. For, in 1965, this American policy will be continued in an almost last-ditch attempt to maintain a politically stable government with a high degree of centralized power resting in the hands of Khanh. The prospect is that this [XXXX indicating deletion] plan will be implemented at all costs--and will succeed if at all possible--unless Khanh is assassinated. (More) deepe dragon--5 Khanh entered the Prime Minister’s Office on January 30 as the apparent strongman of the [XXXX indicating deletion] government; [XXXX indicating deletion] at the end of 1964, he was the [deletion: actual] invisible strongman outside the government in 1965, he is expected to become the [XXXX indicating deletion] visible strongman inside the government and in the whole anti-Communist sphere of influence in South Viet Nam. When Khanh entered the Prime Minister’s Office, he was in fact only the frontman for a coalition of right-wing generals and political parties; he himself considered his [deletion: greatest] immediate enemies were in his rear--and not the Viet Cong Communist guerrillas [insertion: in the frontlines]. At the end of 1964, he--with the help of American officials--had in one way or another eliminated all personal rivals [XXXX indicating deletion] or powerful organizations which could [XXXX indicating deletion] compete for his position. [XXXX indicating deletion] He was clearly the invisible strongman, who via remote control, influenced [deletion: all] most actions in the anti-Communist area. [insertion: [illegible]] But, in one important development in 1964, the totality of the anti-Communist influence had diminished with the emergence of the militant Buddhist organization lead by political priests whose power [deletion: was] rested in the masses. This powerful mass power throughout 1964 skirted a collision with the armed power of the armed forces; but in 1965 this will be one of the most important [deletion: conf inten] internal confrontations--or compromises--which will affect the future course of Viet Nam. deepe dragon--6 In an important position paper, the [deletion: Buddhist] chief Buddhist political-priest, Thich Tri Quang, explained that the his movement, which is growing in political importance and mass support, was against the Communists, but also against the anti-Communists, which he clearly defined as the Catholics and the Americans. In an attempt to out-maneuver [insertion: and undermine [deletion: [illegible]]] the Buddhists, who indirectly routed him from the Prime Minister’s Office in August and ignited a savage [deletion: campaign] of religious warfare throughout the northern provinces, Khanh, who at the beginning of the year toured the country with [XXXX indicating deletion] McNamara, [insertion: at the end of the year] initiated a spectacular anti-American campaign, specifically directed at American Ambassador Maxwell D. Taylor. A massive confrontation with the Buddhists would simply drive them in the into the arms of the Communists; but a massive compromise with them would lead [XXXX indicating deletion] the anti-Communist elements in the country [deletion: into] to defeat. Somehow, at the end of 1964--and continuing into 1965, an understanding between these anti-Communist forces, with focus on the Armed Forces which Khanh now commands, and the Buddhists, which are neither [XXXX indicating deletion] obvious allies nor open enemies of the state, [XXXX indicating deletion] will be forged. The nature of this understanding would shape the future of the country; for the Buddhist movement is considered to be the legal front for the Viet Cong Communists which would [deletion: initiate a coalition government and be exploited] initiate for them and be exploited by them a Laotian-style coalition government. (More) deepe dragon--7 The emergence of the Buddhist movement, which continuously [XXXX indicating deletion] attempted to undermine, subvert, if not to topple [deletion: anti-] American-backed anti-Communist governments, produced a different view of the war. While in the past, American and Vietnamese officials had paid lipservice to the subversive [XXXX indicating deletion] tactics of the Viet Cong Communists, in 1964, these subversive elements surfaced and were clearly visible; [deletion: in] but were still ignored. In 1965, they will be acknowledged as subversives, though there may the specific decision made to contain them rather than to fight them. Militarily, [XXXX indicating deletion] in 1964 neither the strategy nor the tactics of the anti-Communist [XXXX indicating deletion] struggle were changed; but the scope [insertion: intensity] and immensity of it did. The hit-and-run tactics of the guerrilla gave way to the hit-and-run military and political confrontation between the United States and North Vietnam, and indirectly other Communist bloc nations. The cat-and-mouse [XXXX indicating deletion] raids of the guerrilla gave way to the tiger-and-lion pitched battles for delta outposts and mountain hilltops, [deletion: not] with flashing reminisces of Korea-style conflict. The war without a front line of the guerrilla gave way to the war with the [deletion: visible] mobile, but momentary front line. (More) deepe dragon--8 The guerrillas who once attacked in platoons and companies have since attacked in battalion strength--with [deletion: rec] U.S. made recoilless rifles and mortars--and maintain the capacity of attacking in regimental strength. When once American and Vietnamese military statisticians recorded one battalion-sized [deletion: att] Viet Cong attack in six weeks; in 1964 they began recording six battalion-sized attacks in one week. While from 1958-63, the guerrillas were consistently weaker than the U.S-backed Vietnamese government forces, in 1964, they maintained momentary equilibriums [insertion: of strength] in specific areas at certain times. In short, the war [deletion: ex] in 1964 escalated internally; in 1965 it is expected to [XXXX indicating deletion] escalate internally and externally, principally in Laos, perhaps also in Cambodia and North Viet Nam. In short, the big little war [XXXX indicating deletion] in 1964 would become in 1965 “a bigger limited war.” [deletion: According to] [XXXX indicating deletion] An ancient [XXXX indicating deletion] but famous [XXXX indicating deletion] book, of prophecy records [insertion: [illegible]] two [insertion: Chinese] sentences which are considered the basic points of Vietnamese history [insertion: and]: which are [insertion: now being] readily recalled by astrologers as the Year of the Dragon fades into the Year of the Serpeant: At the tail of the Dragon and at the Head of the Serpeant-- There is the beginning of the War; Everywhere in the country the spears and shields will be raised; At the foot of the Horse (1966) At the thighs of the Goat (1967) Many heroes will die. During the period of the years of the Monkey (1968) and the Cock (1969) During that period the country will see peace. deepe dragon--9 Only the keepers of these mystical oracles--and the keepers of “Top Secret” policy documents--can predict whether the dying illusions of 1964 that victory would be easy will give birth to the realistic decisiveness of 1965 [deletion: that] making victory [deletion: is] attainable. -30-

Date

1964, Dec. 28

Subject

Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Astrology, Vietnamese; Public opinion

Location

Saigon, South Vietnam

Coordinates

10.8231; 106.6311

Size

20 x 26 cm

Container

B187, F1

Format

dispatches

Collection Number

MS 363

Collection Title

Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers

Creator

Keever, Beverly Deepe

Copyright Information

These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.

Publisher

Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries

Language

English