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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-01205 to 363-01211.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-01205 to 363-01211
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Title
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Article about South Vietnam political crisis
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Description
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Original caption: "crisis" Article about the political crisis in South Vietnam, including an interview with Nguyễn Thị Mai Anh, South Vietnam's first lady. For the New York Herald Tribune
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Transcript
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Beverly Deepe
101 Con l
Saigon
orisis ono
Далу
Saigon-rs, Nguyen Du Thiou gracefully hopped into her
slightly battered Renault, and carefully on straightened her
fragile pink no dal before pushing the starter.
"This car is a wreck," ho mumbled absentained absentmindedly.
"Thing and I were going to buy a new one, but decided against it. Everything
we do depends on the situation."
The young, perk housewife and mother of three rambled on,
eager to have an attentive ear to listen to her pax troubles.
"We "We were going to
"Six months 800, 770 were going to re-decorate our house and build
another ving," she continued as the atu auto lurched up to a modest French
villa. "Thon the first coup camo. We waited a couple of months and more
again going to start construction. Then the second coup ceno. Nus Then
we gave up--'re not going to do anything because of the situation."
(More)
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noope
oriado-2
She perked the car and ontored her nest living room furnished
with an odd mixture of Tronch sofas end Vietnamese lacquerware
Turning on lasy overhead fon, she continued.
ty moralo is drov dropping by the minute," she explained,
sipping a hot Jasmine ten her made a maid had hamlet hos, "It doesn't show
up in military atatit statistics, but the Commiss
duner under Diem (President Ngo Dinh Disa, killed in Horseber November
coup d'etat) cze now oneing back to Saigon. They're everywhere. They're
working with the agitating the students-I know, because my sister
goes to school. They're in business and labor. And they're high top in
the governmonte
*I was talking a a to a close friand I've known for ten years-
he's now in the government and high up too. Ile aid something and a light
flashed through my mini. I thought he has the toniemcy too-ity Col, bota
a Communist too. How lung and I trunt so
we talk to to ono; we do
nothing."
The nervously
fidgeted with her chippel rod
fingernail polish fingernail and with a poignant mixture of frustration end
despair continuede
"We don't want to live with the Communists but we on the
government won't give us oxit permits to leave.
I often wonder why wo
waro we born Vietnamese? Why couldn't we have been born Swiss or
Ansrotioan or sonothing else?"
(More)
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Doepe
Crisis--3
The articulate, well-educated housewife feared what the Vietnamone
call the "invisible bands of the pro-Communists in the urban centers and the
potentia 1 danger of their assassinating at the right moment staunchly
anti-Communist persons.
diffun
But she, continud emphasized, in the provinces, the danger is
od Coumist guerrilla attack-but no loss dondly.
"A friend of nine lives in e larga Catholic à villege fifty
miles north of Saigon," he said. "Two weeks ago the Viet Cong (Communist
gueill:
to har vällage and told the pooplo to move out because
they were going to atted. My friend just brought her elderly nother to live
in Salcon."
The park hottnende represents a small minority of persons-nostly
Catholic-ho are committed in fighting the Commist guerrilles. They know
they will be pornoouted under a Communist recte. That are generally strongly
pro-morion and show an intense on with developemts in Viet Nam, though
the Paco Pathot no nivance in se i too recote to concern that. They have
enough problems at home.
In the potpurri of views about the situation in South East
Asia, immo two other views are more prevalent. A second stroem of thinking
springs from those persons who have consistently said the Laos neutrality acresmente
would fold up and the Communist ger guerrillas in South Viet Nam weld continuo
to get stronger. They see no orisis at this time.
(1980)
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Doope
Crisi
The third viewpoint comes from what the Vietnamese call the "block
poople the ponsats, cyo trishaw-drivers and "people of the street." Largely
uninformed, and illiterate, they are recentemot to living with from minis to
omisia and their life of labor blue-boller labor would not be much substantially
different union Communist Forimo.
In the Western sense of logo, the yeang Catholic housewife who
fears e Commmist takeover should bo on vid supporter of the government
of crime inister Oeneraly Nguyen Thanh. The 36-year-old goatcal general, however,
laoks on amazing asingly Ladena figment of support from the urban magnes,
though perhaps the illiterato clans have the fewest impressions, Concurrently there
is a growing ticulation of
by pro-morton olomonte-
of boing "an inesioan pigpet", which tandhobananak
reinforces Commulet propagands. Some charge hip with a "ok of political
othere lase hin for corruption in his government which in three
times more than under Diem." Even civilians working within his government are
antagonistie ecinct the predominant authority resting in the hands of ±
military officers. Coneral Khanh has attempted to mediate between all
fnationa 1 disputes---between the Cathollos end the Buddhists, betroen various
political partios, between factions withing his om military junta-but has
compromised with all, satisfied none and gained the support 2 of fow. From
those fragmentary reasons, perhaps the core of the criticim is that kom
in this critical time of crisis, he is not leading this government.
(More)
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dome
crisis-5
"If geux I had the tino end you gave no a piece of clay, I
could metre a lovely vase," explained an anti-"ommunist businessman. "But
we don't have the time to make mistakes-and you've given me a piece of mal.
That's Generel Khanh. American can't melte hin a loader, and wo onn't dump
him until Washington decides to. Wo blone in the Americans for
giving us this chunk of mul."
In the countryside, the government is not General Khanh, but the
province and district chiefs he appoints. After whirlwind changes of those
provinciel leaders during the two comps, the attitude of the rural population
is difficult to know.
ondly so.
Americans in Asia soo the Indo-China situation as weaky, but
"Cambodia le the most noutralist country horo spouting the
Poking line...but it has no Communists, except those in jail," explained
one long-time American resident here,
a neutralist coalition, but it imm't.
with belligerent co-end co-axistence.
er "Everyone thinks Leos is or wa
It's three separate governments
in th and the most entimist
country-Viet has the most Communists, but we can't find them. They're
like ghost,*
(More)
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deepe
crisis-6
Most Americans in Asia genuinely accept the State Dopertmont
line that the fight is against Chinese Communist imperialism, an argument
which has missed even the most patriotic Vietnamese. Vietnamese thin view
the Viet Cong Communist guerrillas as another political party, but one operating
with guns.
The Americans in Asie, however, are far more anti-French
that than the official American government line. They note that while
the Communists have consistently "nibble up ground and then sit back to
talk about it" the one important change in this year's crisis is the loss
opon loss of French support in Indo-China. Last fall, Gen. de Quall Gaulle's
neutralist proposal directly contradicted American policy for Viet Nam and
within the past weeks the French in Laos, who are military, culturally and
politically important there, have shifted to the Chinese Communist proposals
for solving the current crisis. The French here openly "excruciatingly
criticize the Americans, saying that the West will lose the Indo-China
area. The Americans contend the French believe the West will lose simply
because the French sm
"The French think we'll lose," explained anamerican businessman,
"simply because they want us to lose so badly. If the they couldn't defent
the Communists here, they refuse to bliov believe we can. It's all a matter
of national prestige."
time.
Many of the attitudes in Asia revolve around an interpretation of
The Pronoh and Communists believe the West and the nationalists are
(More)
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deepe
orisis-7
running out of time.
Some Americans believe the West is "simply buying time-especially
in Laos. We're not winning, but we haven't lost."
A Western diplomat says confidently, "Time is neutral. It's
on the side which utilised it."
But the fatalistic Orientals have learned to survive thousands
of yours by simply ignoring time.
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Date
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1964, June
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975, Nguyễn, Thị Mai Anh; Christian Science monitor
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6297
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Size
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21 x 27 cm
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Container
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B3, F7
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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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Collector
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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
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Language
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English
