Article about Buddhist-Communist relations

Item

derivative filename/jpeg

363-07829 to 363-07835.pdf

Digital Object Identifier

363-07829 to 363-07835

Title

Article about Buddhist-Communist relations

Description

Original title: "buddhism", Article draft about Buddhist-Communist relations, for 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

bev deepe 101 cong ly saigon buddhist--1 sept. 3, 1964 SAIGON--Willingly or unwillingly, the Buddhist movement in South Viet Nam today is openly and obviously [XXXX indicating deletion] [deletion: a tool] hiding the Communists. Some middleclass Saigonese and Western diplomats argue that Buddhist leaders are simply allowing themselves to be used [deletion: by] as tools of the Communists. Others argue that [insertion: at least] some [deletion: of them--if not all--] of the decision-making Buddhist leaders are simply Communist agents. Others look at [deletion: their policies and] the effects of their policies and conclude they are overt Communist cadre. But the almost unanimous opinion of Western diplomats--and more important, the impressions among Saigonese--is that the Buddhists are [deletion: simply tools] in one way or another helping the Communists. As the Buddhists [deletion: (More)] have become the dominant political force in Viet Nam, the military war against Communist guerrillas--conducted with aid of 18,000 American advisors--has waned into significance. “If we won a clear cut military victory against the Communist guerrillas,” said one Western diplomat, “we could still lose this country in five minutes through political subversion.” (More) Beverly Deepe Buddhist--2 American officials--and some of the press corps--who openly sympathized with the Buddhists in their fight against the Ngo Dinh Diem regime last year are now obviously irked at the troubles the Buddhists are creating. Officially, however, American officials maintain that the Buddhists are simply manuevering for more political power in the upcoming government, but [deletion: they] are not Communist agents. “It’s stupid to ask if the Buddhist leaders are Communist or not,” said one Vietnamese [deletion: businessman] official. “You have to check [XXXX indicating deletion] the policy they are making. They are making the government so weak it can not fight the Communists--and this is the exact policy of [deletion: the] our Communist enemies.” (More) deepe Buddhist--3 “We will never finish with the Buddhists,” he continued. “The Communists have infiltrated the movement and the real monks can not do anything about it. If we (the Vietnamese government) does not put them back to a position as a religion--and keep them out of politics--we will never finish with them.” A Western diplomat agreed with the Vietnamese official. “The record of the Buddhists over the past year is stepping from one slippery stone to another jockeying for position. They’ve taken advantage of every concession we’ve (the government) made them. [XXXX indicating deletion] each of their final demands [XXXX indicating deletion] has been broken the next day.” Another Vietnamese, who closely watches the political scene, said, “I’m not ashamed to say that I was wrong. I was for the Buddhists last year when they were fighting Ngo Dinh Diem and his family. I did not think the Buddhists were dominated by the Communist party. I thought maybe the [deletion: high level] Buddhists at the high levels and the low levels had the same goals of the Communists--to get rid of Diem. Bud now I think the Communists have infiltrated at all levels, particularly the middle-class level.” deepe buddhist--4 He explained the pyramid-type hierarchy of the Buddhist organization as “sort of another government.” He said the broad-base at the grass roots [XXXX indicating deletion] [deletion: bein] begins in the villages and city precincts, rising to the district level, then the provinces, regions and then to major [deletion: in] Buddhist [XXXX indicating deletion] institutes in Saigon. In Saigon, the nationwide organization apexes to the chief priest of the Buddhist movement, the Venerable Thich Tinh Khiet. Feeble and weak in his [deletion: 80’s] late 70’s, he’s considered a figurehead. [XXXX indicating deletion] He heads the Buddhist Institute for Clerical Affairs, but the power man is [insertion: the] Secretary General, [XXXX indicating deletion] the Venerable Thich Tri Quang, who was the principal strategist of last year’s campaign against the Ngo Dinh Diem regime. A small, elfish looking priest, he sought and was granted refuge in the American Embassy last year after [deletion: Ngo] the Diem regime cracked down on Buddhist pagodas. An increasing number of Vietnamese intellectuals are now calling him a Communist cadre. But the highest ranking government officials (Informatively General Khanh) say that it can not be proved. Other government officials argue [deletion: “well] “we’ll never know if Tri Quang is a Communist--but he’s acting exactly according to Communist policy. (more) deepe buddhist--5 “We can never check or find out if he’s a Communist,” he continued. “You can look and look for a Communist Party card on him, but you will never, never find it.” Paralleling the [XXXX indicating deletion] Clerical Institute is the Institute for Secular Affairs, headed by the Venerable Thich Tam Chau. Chau, a refugee from North Viet Nam, has made anti-Communist public [deletion: announcements,] statements, has [deletion: neg] talked with the American Embassy and the Vietnamese government and generally represented the “softline”, moderate view of the Buddhist position. Few believe he is a Communist agent, but admit that he is Communist [deletion: comi] dominated. As Chau has made promises and compromises with the government, the “hard-line” monks around Tri Quang have broken them. “It’s all a game they play,” said one Vietnamese official. “Two monks make an agreement with the government and the others then say no. They form a committee for the stage--just for laughing. It’s what you Americans call a comedy.” (More) deepe buddhist--6 [XXXX indicating deletion] But the main work of the Institutes is delegated to commissioner-generals for specialized affairs--such as youth, information, religious affairs. This is termed the middle-level of the Buddhist organization, and most Vietnamese observers believe these monks--[XXXX indicating deletion] assisted by Buddhist laymen--are [deletion: openly] Communist cadre, though some of them may be covert members of the Communist organization. Most observers believe the delirious pace of events during past weeks is the Communist reaction to the Tonkin incidents and the [XXXX indicating deletion] American bombing of North Viet Nam. It is the reaction for which [insertion: the] American-backed Vietnamese government was least prepared for. [deletion: Origina] Immediately following the American bombing in North Viet Nam, the threat appeared to be a North Vietnamese ground invasion or aerial attacks, backed by Communist China. When this did not materialize, the government feared an all-out military campaign by Viet Cong Communist guerrillas, with regimental-sized attacks against provincial capitals and important installations. (More) deepe buddhist--7 But instead, the Communists stepped into the political arena first to weaken the anticommunist forces in the Vietnamese government and armed forces, and then to maneuver for a pro-Communist government during the coming months. The battle is clearly one which the [insertion: Vietnamese] anticommunists must deal with. Informed sources here believe [deletion: American] additional American advisors, American military supplies--even further American retaliations against North Viet Nam--will not be able to [deletion: solve] aid the inevitable confrontation between the Buddhists and the anti-Communist [deletion: government] forces in Viet Nam. -30-

Date

1964, Sep. 3

Subject

Vietnam (Republic), 1961-1975; Buddhism and politics; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Religious aspects--Buddhism; Vietnam (Republic)--Politics and government; Buddhist monks; Communism and Buddhism

Location

Saigon, South Vietnam

Coordinates

10.8231; 106.6311

Size

20 x 26 cm

Container

B3, F7

Format

dispatches

Collection Number

MS 363

Collection Title

Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers

Creator

Keever, Beverly Deepe

Collector

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